With Major League Baseball’s postseason coming to a close this week, the focus will formally shift toward the offseason. Rumors have already been swirling regarding some of the top free agents and which teams are expected to pursue them. As always, teams like the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Padres are expected to be active in pursuing the top free agent talent, but an up-and-coming team like the White Sox will have some interesting decisions ahead regarding who to add to improve the club. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden wrote up a list of his top 50 upcoming free agents earlier this week, as well as a list of a few “best fits” for those players. In my opinion, his speculation on the White Sox is a bit curious.
The top of the free agent class this year includes some star hitters like Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, and Alex Bregman. The top of the pitching class also includes a few big names such as Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Dylan Cease. Unsurprisingly, Bowden didn’t mention the White Sox as a fit for any of the top-tier talent. While landing a star player of this caliber would be a huge boost to the rebuild, the White Sox aren’t a single star player away from contention, and Jerry Reinsdorf has yet to prove his willingness to pony up for a star.
However, moving further down the list, Bowden mentions the White Sox as a potential fit for a few players in the middle tier: Infielders Gleyber Torres, Jorge Polanco, and Luis Arraez. Outfielder Trent Grisham and RHP Adrian Houser are also mentioned as fits for the White Sox, but for the sake of today, I want to focus on the aforementioned infielders.
The White Sox have a surplus in the infield, and latest free agency speculation doesn't make sense.
The White Sox have a few needs on their big league roster, but I would argue that another infielder isn’t one of them. The emergence of Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Lenyn Sosa would seemingly cover the middle infield spots, with a resurgent Miguel Vargas and a still-young Curtis Mead in the mix at third. Of the three infielders linked to the White Sox, two of them (Torres and Polanco) are primary second basemen who have played a bit at third. The White Sox priority should be more at-bats for Meidroth, Sosa, and Vargas in those spots rather than handing the job over to a veteran. There’s nothing wrong with Torres or Polanco as players: both are solid contributors on teams that made the postseason in 2025, but the financial resources for the White Sox are likely to be limited, and they’re best served using those resources on positions they need more.
The true position of need on the infield is first base. Arraez has played a significant amount there, but he’s a very heavy contact profile with very little power, and the Sox should be primarily looking to add pop to their lineup at the position. Arraez had a down year for his standards in 2025, hitting .292 with eight home runs. On the surface, .292 doesn’t look bad by any means, but his on-base percentage was just .327 and his defense at first base was questionable. Altogether, his season was good for just 0.9 fWAR, which would’ve ranked eighth among White Sox position players this season.
On the other hand, look at free agent first baseman Josh Naylor, who is the same age as Arraez and was very similar in terms of batting average, hitting .295 in 2025. Naylor’s on-base percentage was a much more respectable .353, and he put up 20 home runs compared to just 8 for Arraez. Throw in Naylor’s unprecedented stolen base barrage (30, triple his career-high), and you’ve got a player worth 3.1 fWAR, which would’ve ranked first on the White Sox. Naylor and his combination of power upside and steady on-base ability would be a much better fit for the team Chris Getz is trying to build than a player like Arraez, who is basically a singles hitter.
The White Sox made significant strides in 2025, but there’s still a long way to go to build a perennial contender. Chris Getz has expressed openness to adding talent this offseason, and he’ll need to put his money where his mouth is. It will need to be done strategically, however, and there’s no reason to add to a surplus with obvious needs on the roster. As much as White Sox fans would love for the team to spend money, it’s not as simple as it sounds. There is a right way and a wrong way to distribute resources, and Getz will need to be mindful. This offseason could be a crucial turning point for the team, so it’s as important as ever for Chris Getz to get it right.