Major League Baseball free agency is officially open, and the rumor mill is in full swing. The deadline has passed for team and player options, and the field of available players is starting to take shape. In addition to the option deadline, this week also marked the deadline for teams to offer qualifying offers to their own free agents if they’d like. Overall, 13 players received the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer and will have until November 18th to decide whether or not to accept it. If declined, any other team that signs those players will need to forfeit a draft pick. Among those players were a pair of potential White Sox targets that no longer seem viable:
OF Trent Grisham, New York Yankees
A former first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, Grisham has bounced around a bit in his big league career as he looks for a permanent home. Grisham made his big league debut in 2019 before Milwaukee dealt him to the San Diego Padres prior to the 2020 season in a deal that sent LHP Eric Lauer and INF Luis Urias to the Brewers. Grisham looked to be breaking out with an .808 OPS in the shortened 2020 season, but he took a step back with an OPS under .750 in 2021 and under .700 each year from 2022-2024. Grisham was dealt again prior to the 2024 season in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Yankees. As the Yankees primary center fielder in 2025, Grisham put up the best numbers of his career, launching 34 home runs and walking 82 times in 143 games.
He’ll now hit free agency at age 29 and will have the opportunity to cash in on his career season. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed the White Sox among the best fits for Grisham in his Top 50 Free Agents article, but it feels unlikely that the White Sox would forfeit a draft pick at this stage in the rebuild. It’s also a possibility that Grisham accepts the qualifying offer. While he’d likely prefer a multi-year deal, interested teams may not yet be sold on his breakout, and he may need a second straight good year to prove himself. Grisham could accept a really solid $22 million salary for 2026 and bet on himself, hitting free agency again next year at age 30 and in a position to cash in on a long-term deal. Either way, it’s highly unlikely that Grisham will be coming to the South Side this offseason.
Trent Grisham is the third best FA OF available by a wide margin in an offseason where a lot of teams will be vying for outfielders.
— And That's Baseball (@AndThatsBB) November 6, 2025
I think tendering the QO is a no-brainer and I think he'll get a good deal somewhere even after declining the QO.
2B Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
Another former top prospect, this time with the Chicago Cubs, Torres has been a steady presence at the big league level throughout his career. Traded to the Yankees for Aroldis Chapman during the Cubs 2016 World Series run, Torres made his big league debut with New York in 2018 and burst onto the scene with 24 home runs and an .820 OPS as a Rookie. His 2019 season was even better, and with 38 home runs and an .872 OPS as a 23 year-old, Torres seemed on the cusp of superstardom. Unfortunately, Torres has never really come close to matching his 2019 numbers, but he remains a solid starting infielder at the Major League level. Torres hit free agency last offseason and signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. He posted a solid .745 OPS and was named an American League all-star in 2025. Now, he’ll have an opportunity for a substantial raise if he accepts the $22 million qualifying offer from Detroit.
Torres was also among the players linked to the White Sox in Jim Bowden’s article, but the fit never made much sense to me. The White Sox have a surplus of infielders, especially right-handed infielders, and Torres would be another mouth to feed in a crowded dugout. The White Sox could use an upgrade at first base and in the outfield much more than they need another middle infielder. I think the chances of a serious pursuit by the White Sox were low before, but now Torres may not even be on the market, and the chances the White Sox are willing to part with a draft pick to get him are virtually zero.
The White Sox will look for short-term upgrades to their team for the 2026 season, but Trent Grisham and Gleyber Torres are highly unlikely to be among the targeted players. The White Sox will need to look elsewhere to find roster upgrades.