The offseason is still heating up around baseball and so far there have been more rumors than actual moves. First Baseman Josh Naylor’s deal to return to the Mariners and right-hander Dylan Cease’s new contract with the Blue Jays highlight some of the early transactions around the league. Now that the Thanksgiving holiday has passed, activity is expected to pick up as teams look to build their clubs for 2026. One of the more surprising items on the rumor mill in the early going has been the expectation of a more aggressive offseason from small-market teams, specifically the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. Pittsburgh reportedly made a significant offer to Naylor before his deal with Seattle, and has shown interest in DH Kyle Schwarber among some other players near the top of the market.
It’s an uncharacteristic decision for a normally financially conservative Pirates team, but with pitching staff that can compete with anyone in baseball, the club likely feels that they’re a few bats away from being a legitimate contender in the NL Central. It’s refreshing to see a team recognize an opportunity and make an effort. The White Sox could learn a thing or two from this attitude.
The White Sox are unlikely to make significant external additions
Despite recent comments from General Manager Chris Getz that the White Sox will be “aggressive in the right places”, there haven’t been any indications of the White Sox intent to commit significant resources to free agents this offseason. In fact, Getz’s demeanor at the conclusion of the season seemed to heavily imply the club’s hesitancy to hand out any sort of multi-year contract in free agency. It’s easy to use the potential incoming lockout as an excuse, but the truth is, the White Sox likely don’t feel like they’re going to be ready to compete in 2026, regardless of free agent pursuits. They may be correct, but there’s still value in moving in that direction.
The White Sox are going to make additions in free agency, but they won’t be the type of additions that truly make a difference in pushing the win total closer to where it needs to be. Progress will come from the further development of the young core and more young talent on its way to Chicago. They’re giving themselves financial flexibility in the future by resisting the urge to spend now, but in my opinion, starting to add supplemental pieces as soon as this offseason will put them in a better position in the future. The team can’t be expected to jump from 100 losses to 70 losses in one year. Those kinds of leaps simply don’t happen very often. If the White Sox have their eyes on 2027 for the start of their competitive window, they need to start putting those pieces in place now.
The White Sox should learn from the Pirates offseason mentality
The Pirates are unlikely to jump from 91 losses in 2025 to a World Series contender regardless of what they do this offseason, but their front office has recognized that some of the framework of a competitive team is now in place and it’s time to start building to compete. The White Sox are in a similar position, but have chosen to take a more passive approach. The payroll is miniscule, and potential trades of Luis Robert Jr and Andrew Benintendi will lower it even further. There’s no financial reason for the White Sox to not be involved on some of the bigger names. It is, of course, all just talk until we see the Pirates actually make a move, but they seem to have the right mindset for the offseason ahead.
Never in a million years did I think Chris Getz and the White Sox could learn a lesson about spending from the Pittsburgh Pirates, but nothing is off the table in the year 2025. As much as White Sox fans would love to see a big addition this offseason to push the team toward contention, it seems like it’ll be yet another year of bargain-bin hunting and veteran stopgaps.