Despite a 19-game improvement and a roster that looks significantly stronger, the White Sox are not expected to be a playoff contender in 2026. While White Sox players and staff have expressed optimism about the club’s outlook and have predicted the team to surprise people this season, most evaluators still view the young White Sox as a year or two away from serious contention.
Playing their games in the American League Central, a division without a true powerhouse team, certainly hasn’t hurt the White Sox future projections. The Detroit Tigers did their best to become that powerhouse earlier this week, adding star lefty Framber Valdez to a rotation that already features two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Valdez will earn $115 million over the next three seasons with an opt-out after 2027. While it’s certain to make the Tigers the overwhelming favorites in the Central division, there are a couple silver linings for the White Sox about this deal.
The Tigers signing of Valdez isn't the end of the world for the White Sox
First, the addition of Framber casts serious doubt on Tarik Skubal’s future with Detroit. Skubal will be a free agent after the 2026 season and is likely to command a record-setting deal. Trade rumblings have surrounded the situation this offseason and were further fueled by an arbitration dispute that saw a $13 million difference in the numbers filed by the two sides. While the Tigers almost certainly won’t deal Skubal prior to the start of the season, many teams will be monitoring the situation throughout the year and the Tigers could make a move at the trade deadline if they’re not in contention. Even if the Tigers hold on to Skubal for the entirety of 2026, paying him $40 million or more a season while also owing $38 million to Valdez feels like a stretch. It seems likely that Skubal will be pitching elsewhere in 2027.
Secondly, the Tigers deal with Valdez feels like an overpay and could come back to bite the team. While the team avoided a majority of the risk by agreeing to a shorter term deal, Valdez is 32 years old and will be owed around $38 million a year for the next two seasons. He’s been a workhorse of late, throwing at least 175 innings in each year since 2022, and his numbers have been overwhelmingly productive. Valdez profiles as the kind of pitcher who could have longevity in baseball, as he doesn’t rely on overwhelming stuff and instead uses movement to generate a ton of ground balls. Still, he surrenders a lot of hard contact and leaves himself susceptible to damage when he’s not locating as well. Should his decline begin, it could turn into a sour deal for Detroit quickly.
Valdez also comes with questions about his clubhouse presence. When his market didn’t develop as imagined this winter, a lot of the buzz surrounded an incident during the 2025 season where he appeared to intentionally cross up his catcher out of frustration. Valdez has always maintained that it wasn’t intentional, but those watching see otherwise.
There’s speculation that Astros pitcher Framber Valdez purposely crossed up his catcher Cesar Salazar and hit him with this pitch after Salazar told him to step off before allowing a grand slam pic.twitter.com/ds3c9MzQV6
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 3, 2025
Overall, the signing of Valdez certainly makes the 2026 Detroit Tigers a better team, but it raises questions about the future. The White Sox were never expected to be serious contenders for the division title in 2026, but the future is bright in Chicago. The Tigers deal for Valdez doesn’t move the needle on the long term outlook for the White Sox whatsoever.
White Sox fans: let the Tigers have their fun for now, because someday soon the AL Central will run through Chicago.