You could argue that Miguel Vargas is the White Sox best all-around player. He finished the regular season with a .837 OPS, 33 homers, and a BB% in the top 4% of hitters (according to Baseball Savant). Vargas is good at pretty much every aspect of the game--he doesn't even strike out that much.
He's become the exact player the Dodgers thought he would be, back in the early 2020s when he was their top prospect, and even earned a Minor League Player of the Year recognition. But he hit .170/.200/.255 in his first 18-game major league stint in 2022, and put up only a .672 OPS in 81 games the following year.
The Dodgers were ready to give up on him, so the White Sox grabbed him in a three-team trade that also included the St. Louis Cardinals. The Sox knew the player they wanted, and they got him--and they turned Vargas into everything they needed him to be. He might be the best example, but the Sox have built their 26-man roster by creatively grabbing unsuccessful players from highly successful teams, and finding a way to bring out that talent.
In the 2026 All-Star game, Vargas appeared with his teammate, center fielder Tristan Peters. Peters had a similar trajectory; he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers (who are neck and neck with the Dodgers for the best farm system in baseball), but got shuffled around until he ended up on the Tampa Bay Rays. He did well in their minor league system as an under-the-radar prospect and got called up for four games last year. Peters struck out seven times in 12 PAs, without reaching base. They DFA'd him and eventually traded him to the Sox for cash considerations. In 2026 he put up a .774 OPS as an everyday outfielder.
Rebuilding teams are faced with a difficult task. They don't have much roster depth, and they need to keep any good prospects they already have. Trades are difficult, and they can't just overhaul their whole roster with free agents. Their only real option is to stock up their farm system, and hope the prospects turn into talented players.
But in any prospect there is risk, and there's always a chance their young players won't work out. The White Sox were able to build a winning team and play into October within two years of beating modern baseball's record for single-season losses. A truly remarkable feat. They got there through creativity: by acquiring high-upside, major league-ready players, that teams with good talent evaluation departments liked, but gave up on. The Sox gave those players another shot, and the results speak for themselves.
The White Sox have turned into a destination for players needing a fresh start
Randal Grichuk is a journeyman outfielder who has played 13 seasons, and only been league-average (by WAR) in a couple of them. He was an unsigned free agent until the Yankees acquired him in Spring training, but they DFA'd him after he put up a .535 OPS in 16 games. The White Sox brought him in as a platoon D.H, and he gave them a .926 OPS in 101 games.
Down to their last strike, Randal Grichuk delivers for the @WhiteSox 😤 pic.twitter.com/lw5TcF1nyZ
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2026
They've used the same strategy with their pitchers, but to less success. Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde both floated around the majors as journeymen for a few years, before playing overseas--Kay in Japan, and Fedde in Korea. They each returned to MLB as free agents, and the Sox grabbed them. Kay had a 4.44 ERA in 158 innings in 2026, while Fedde put up a 3.83 ERA in 141 innings. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but it's decent production for two back-end pitchers.
The White Sox haven't pulled this off with all their acquisitions. Shane Smith has been the biggest disappointment--a former Brewers prospect, the Sox selected him from the Rule 5 Draft after he'd just started to really take off in the minors. He had a good rookie year in 2025, and he returned as the Sox No. 1 starter in 2026. But he got bombed to 10.80 ERA in four starts, and he's spent the rest of the season either struggling in Triple-A, or on the injured list.
Everson Pereira gave the Sox a respectable enough .722 OPS in in 27 games, but it wasn't enough to keep him from getting DFA'd. Jake Rogers showed some flashes of potential, but he only gave the Sox 4 hits in 18 games. The jury is out on Brenton Doyle; he had a .720 OPS in 42 games, showing some inconsistencies but also some good results.
The Sox have built a player-core out of washed-out and overlooked players. They probably have some teams questioning their decisions--the Rays and the Dodgers can't be pleased at missing out on Vargas and Peters. It's been a couple seasons, and the Sox have better roster depth and a stronger farm system, in addition to their player core. They'll never fix 100% of their projects, but hopefully they'll continue to scout out talented, and at times overlooked, players. It's worked out well for them, and it's given several former "wash-outs" an opportunity to succeed.
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