A sluggish free-agent market has come to a near stop as the calendar flipped to January. A free agents and their agents continue their staredown with teams, most in the baseball world can only speculate about what’s next for their team. Most folks looking at the White Sox roster would recognize the team’s need for another starting pitcher to follow Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Sean Burke in the rotation. Earlier this week, White Sox fans got some insight into a potential name on the list for the White Sox. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon connected the White Sox to RHP Griffin Canning, mentioning that the team is looking for another starter on a one-year deal and showed interest in Canning in late-December.
Canning, who will turn 30 in May, was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. By the end of his first season, Canning had reached Triple-A and his quick rise and early success landed him on Top-100 prospect lists. He made his big league debut in 2019, posting a 4.58 ERA in 17 starts for the Angels. Canning lowered his ERA to 3.99 in 11 starts during the shortened 2020 season. Injuries limited him to 13 starts in 2021, and a back injury wiped out his entire 2022 season. He posted a career-high 127 innings in 2023, and further increased that to 171.2 in 2024, though his performance took a step back. The Angels traded Canning to Atlanta following the 2024 season, and he hit free agency after being designated for assignment before the season.
Canning signed a one-year deal with the Mets and joined their rotation for 2025. Changes to his arsenal led to the best performance of his career through 16 starts, but a ruptured achilles wiped out the remainder of his season. Achilles injuries can vary in their recovery time, with estimates of 6-12 months. With Canning’s injury occurring in June, he’d be eight months removed from surgery when Spring Training opens next month, and his availability is unclear.
Canning would provide interesting upside to the White Sox rotation
From a baseball perspective, there’s a lot to like in Canning’s profile. He doesn’t have overwhelming stuff, and his mid-90s fastball has gotten more effective as he’s started using it less. Canning’s slider and changeup are his best pitches, and increasing their usage helped him post a 51.6% ground ball rate in 2025, which was the key to his success. He started to lose his control a bit before the injury, and his 10.4% walk rate was higher than he would’ve liked, but his improvement in other areas seems sustainable.
Griffin Canning, Filthy 91mph Changeup. 😷 pic.twitter.com/k13HcX2uBV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 28, 2025
As far as his fit with the White Sox is concerned, it depends on his timeline for returning to action. The White Sox have some question marks in their rotation, and whichever starter they add needs to be a dependable inning-eater. When fully healthy, Canning can be this, but an Achilles tear is a serious injury to come back from, and he may not be ready for the beginning of the season.
There are certainly more reliable options on the board for the White Sox, but many don’t have the upside of Canning, and the price will ultimately be the determining factor. It’s unclear how much money the White Sox have to spend to address the position, but they’re likely considering several different options. Rosenthal’s report makes it clear to me that the White Sox will add to their rotation in some form before pitchers and catchers report in February, whether it’s Canning or not.
It may be a quiet market across baseball right now, but Chris Getz’s work this offseason is not completed. Expect the White Sox to make another addition soon.