Despite losing 100 games for the third consecutive season, the 2025 White Sox showed signs of growth, finishing the second half with a 28-37 record. However, after picking up Luis Robert Jr.’s $20 million club option, general manager Chris Getz signaled the team will likely remain quiet in free agency.
On Tuesday, Getz spoke to reporters, telling MLB.com’s Scott Merkin that given the organization's current stage in its rebuild, pursuing free agents to boost the club’s win total probably isn’t in the cards.
“Free agency is an avenue to bring in players to help in the win total. But to go beyond this upcoming season, I think would be a little premature considering the state of our club right now and the development of these young players,” Getz said.
The White Sox’s current needs include adding depth at the corner infield spots, strengthening the bullpen, and addressing the corner outfield positions. While the club has a handful of promising young starters, Will Venable’s squad could also look to add another veteran arm to help eat innings and stabilize the rotation.
Given Getz’s comments, it’s likely the White Sox will take a similar approach to last offseason—targeting inexpensive veterans like Michael A. Taylor and Mike Tauchman to plug roster gaps. The franchise has never been known for handing out large free-agent contracts, and the possibility of a looming MLB lockout could further discourage major spending.
It’s frustrating news for White Sox fans, who just watched a Dodgers team with a $321,287,291 payroll win back-to-back World Series titles. The Dodgers spent the second-most money in MLB and saw an immediate return on that investment, leading the league in attendance.
Take Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract, for example. While that near-billion-dollar figure seemed mind-boggling at the time, the Dodgers have already made back within two years of the deal, much of that money through postseason revenue and the international exposure Ohtani brought with him. While Ohtani is a unicorn, doing things never before seen on a baseball diamond, the blueprint is simple: invest in good players, and you’ll see a return on your investment.
The Blue Jays, who spent the fifth-most in MLB at $239,642,532, came within one game of capturing their first World Series title since 1993 and finished ninth in attendance. In fact, of the 10 highest payrolls in MLB last season, six reached the postseason.
The White Sox haven’t drawn more than 1.93 million fans in paid attendance for 13 consecutive seasons. The closest they came was in 2022, when they drew 1.92 million after winning the AL Central the previous year and carrying the seventh-highest payroll in baseball.
According to salary tracking site Spotrac, Chicago is projected to allocate about $69.3 million to its 2026 roster, including $5.2 million in arbitration salaries. This past season, the White Sox had an adjusted total payroll of $78.8 million, a sharp drop from the $141.7 million spent on the historic 121-loss 2024 squad. However, that was in large part due to the $24.8 million owed to Yoan Moncada in the final year of his contract.
The White Sox currently has $47.1 million in guaranteed commitments, leaving General Manager Chris Getz with an estimated $30 million in financial flexibility this offseason. That leaves the door open to several low to mid-level signings to help supplement the roster with a few veteran players.
