With the most exhilarating and successful postseason in two decades in the books, it’s time to take a look back at the White Sox’s 2026 campaign—and more importantly, what’s next for the team.
Looking back at 2026
Ultimately, this record-breaker of a season was a tale with three parts. The 6-13 start had fans preparing for an unprecedented fourth consecutive 100-loss season. Fans sighed, “Here we go again,” as progress for the Sox remained an unlikely aspiration.
Then there was the turnaround. Unheralded depth starter Davis Martin, drafted by the Sox back in 2018, pitched like an ace, his stellar ERA near the top of the league for two months. MLB rookie Munetaka Murakami smashed expectations through the roof, ending the season with 35 homers in just 127 games, one shy of José Abreu’s team rookie record.
Not even two years out from considering retirement, infielder Miguel Vargas also emerged as a superstar, leading the team in RBI, walks, steals, and WAR. By mid-May, two five-game winning streaks in the span of two weeks brought them above .500, for the first time since 2022. By midseason, they had taken over first place.
Finally, even as Cleveland caught them for the division title, they made it to the playoffs. As unsustainably hot starts from Martin and Murakami faded, unlikely heroes emerged to take their places.
26-year-old rookie Tristan Peters opened the year as roster filler, perhaps best known for one-month stint with the Savannah Bananas. After an All-Star Game appearance and 156 games played (the second-highest on the team), he earned the moniker “Banana Bonds” for his clutch play and unconventional route to the majors.
As the Sox held on to a playoff spot for dear life throughout the second half of the season, team-wide contributions continued. A stretch of dominance, between June and August, from second-year starter Sean Burke firmly cemented him as the team’s ace. When starting shortstop Colson Montgomery struggled badly on offense during the second half of the season, his infield-mate Chase Meidroth picked up the hitting slack, also measuring as a top-five second baseman in the league by key measures.
In addition to being a solid player, rookie Sam Antonacci endeared himself to South Side fans for his chippy, hard-nosed play and borderline-comical predilection for getting hit. (In the regular season, Antonacci broke White Sox single-season record, with 29 hit-by-pitches. He led the minor leagues with 35 in 2025.)
In a highly unusual move for a pitcher recovering from a significant arm injury, pitcher Mike Vasil’s public embrace of his status as hype man and cheerleader kept him in the spotlight all season, culminating in a well-attended promotion night at Rate Field, playing on his persona as “the Wizard.”
The team also developed a ritual dugout dance routine this year, a blend reminiscent of a Haka and a pre-game football huddle. Their quirks seemed endless, and their performance largely backed their charm up. It was the chemistry between these unheralded players that made the 2026 season feel more joyous than your typical 84-win Wild Card run. It also made the September loss of the AL Central title more heartbreaking. Entering this offseason, talent and team harmony has given Sox fans more reason for hope than they have had in recent memory.
Expectations for the offseason
Though the Sox coaching staff caught plenty of flack for some of their decision-making down the stretch, General Manager Chris Getz has already confirmed that the entire coaching crew will be back for the 2027 season. Second-year manager Will Venable successfully shepherded the South Siders out of the darkness, but it remains to be seen whether he can take them all the way. Recently named AL Manager of the Year by The Sporting News, Venable is also a frontrunner for the Baseball Writers Association award for best AL manager, announced after the World Series.
The White Sox feature one of the youngest lineups (the average age for batters is 25.8 years old; for pitchers, 28.8 years old) in baseball, and nearly each of their 2026 starters will return in 2027. Their top eight hitters, in terms of at-bats taken, are under contract for next year, and six of these players are signed for at least three more seasons.
At the top of GM Chris Getz’s to-do list is surely working out an extended agreement with Murakami, who’s only under contract through the end of 2027. Both sides have reiterated their desire for a long-term partnership, and while there’s no set consensus on the kind of deal he’ll command, it’s sure to smash team records.
Of all the 2026’s regular offensive contributors, only veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk is set for free agency. A 35-year-old who is projected to earn what will likely be his final significant contract, he is expected to sign elsewhere over the winter. Several other role players will likely move on this offseason. Utilityman Luisangel Acuña, acquired for Luis Robert Jr. last winter, underperformed this season, and can’t be sent to the minors without being placed on waivers; he faces an uphill battle to make next year’s team. Late-season stopgap Tommy Pham will also likely be elsewhere. Of the five catchers the Sox employed in 2026—Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Drew Romo, Jake Rogers, and Joey Bart—in my opinion, Teel is the only lock for next spring’s roster. Trade deadline acquisition Brenton Doyle is the only bench bat on track to return in 2027.
Because the roster is so full, it’s tricky to find the right spot for lineup improvements—a good, if unusual, challenge for the Sox of late. The Sox infield is jam-packed; the up-the-middle combination of second baseman Meidroth and shortstop Montgomery is one of the league’s best defensive pairings. At the corners, Vargas and Murakami are likely to receive long-term extensions this winter.
The outfield is less settled. Grichuk is likely to depart. Antonacci, their primary left fielder this season, is a natural infielder and played poorly in the outfield. Tristan Peters and Brenton Doyle are an excellent defensive bulwark in center field, but can’t be counted on to regularly produce at the plate. And though rookie right fielder Braden Montgomery showed plenty of promise, he’s still evolving as a defensive player.
If the Sox add an impact hitter this offseason, it will almost certainly be in the outfield. Three top-tier free agent outfielders are available, including two players many Sox fans are familiar with. Former Cub Seiya Suzuki is the hands-down top right fielder available, followed by fellow North Sider Ian Happ and 2021 AL Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena in left field. They swing similarly formidable sticks.
Still, making room for one of those bats will require out-of-character generosity by the Sox front office. They would need to offer a free agent a nine-figure contract, something they’ve never come close to handing out. They’d likely have to cut bait on Andrew Benintendi, who slumped badly in the postseason, but is still owed about $15 million in 2027. Or they’d have to deal a hitter from their young offensive core, a move that seems equally unlikely.
To cap it off, top prospect Caleb Bonemer has been pummeling the ball in the Arizona Fall League while playing outfield positions this month. Shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the top overall pick in last July’s draft, isn’t far behind him on the minor league ladder. There’s always speculation, but don’t expect much movement from the front office to improve the hitting side this offseason.
Pitching is a different story. Injuries and inconsistent performances leave Sean Burke as the only virtual lock for a rotation spot next spring. Busted deadline acquisition Luis Castillo (8.42 ERA in nine appearances with the Sox) and first-half hero Davis Martin (9-8, 3.95 ERA) may have rotation spots if healthy, but their reliability remains an open question. Second on the team in innings this season, veteran Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) could be dealt, or moved to the bullpen. And there are top Sox pitching prospects who might play major roles next year, including lefthander Noah Schultz, fireballer David Sandlin, and changeup artist Drew Thorpe.
Budding stars Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith were phenomenal out of the bullpen for the Pale Hose in 2026, but the team will need to decide whether they will continue serving as relievers or if they will attempt conversions to high-impact starters. While this transition risks injury and performance reduction, if either or both can move into the rotation, the Sox could go from good to great in 2027.
The Sox need to add stability and experience to the pitching staff, and these decisions may impact how much additional pitching talent will be needed. The Sox won’t be in the bidding to sign top free agent Tarik Skubal, most recently with the Dodgers, who finished with a sub-3 ERA for the fourth straight season. He is projected to command a contract above $200 million.
Veterans Michael King (San Diego Padres) and Sonny Gray (Boston Red Sox) could also be solid fits. But they’ll likely seek salaries well-above the front office’s typical comfort level. Nonetheless, the Sox might seek short-term deals with veteran starters like Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman (Chicago Cubs), Casey Mize (San Diego Padres), Brady Singer (Cincinnati Reds), or Shane Bieber (Toronto Blue Jays).
But all predictions fall under the shadow of an early 2027 lockout, now considered a fait accompli. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB owners and the Players Association will expire on December 1, and both sides are bracing for what may be the lengthiest work stoppage since the infamous 1994 strike that led to the cancellation of that year’s World Series.
This round of negotiations is expected to be particularly contentious, as team owners will make an all-out push for salary cap implementation, which MLB players have long resisted. League representatives claim the cap is necessary for parity within the sport, as a minority of ultra-wealthy ownership groups routinely outspend smaller teams at rates of two, three, four, and even five-to-one.
The players’ union argues these measures are unnecessary, and that competitive balance is a non-issue. For example, the 2025 Dodgers—who currently have the second highest payroll in the game, at $338 million—were the first team in 25 years to repeat as champions. During this same time period, several NBA, NFL, and NHL teams won back-to-back titles.
Proponents of the cap system claim that linking a salary cap to league-wide revenue ensures that players receive a fairer cut of their value. Critics note that the proposal doesn’t fully capture other baseball-related revenue streams for the owners, and that player earning power will be severely curbed while team earnings remain unchecked.
These tensions date back to contentious negotiations around 2020’s COVID-19-shortened campaign, disagreements which only deepened during an owner-imposed lockout after the 2021 season. That standoff lasted 99 days, ending with an agreement that salvaged the full season, but that did not address economic inequities—setting the stage for this current dispute.
The tea leaves say the 2027 season will not start on time. Several players, interviewed anonymously last month by ESPN, said they were prepared to miss games. Reportedly, as of March 2026, the players’ union had accumulated a “war chest” nearly three times greater than the lockout fund at the end of the 2022 season.
Hopes for the 2027 season will likely take longer to unfold than most of us would like. Substantial transactions will likely be stalled until there’s more certainty about salary and payroll structures going forward. Trades and signings will happen in the weeks leading up to the CBA’s expiration on December 1, but the future of the game writ large will be the more urgent topic at hand throughout the winter.
Malachi Hayes is a Bridgeport-based writer and South Side native.