The White Sox have had three straight seasons with 100+ losses. This losing streak, on top of other factors, lead to the White Sox firing Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams, as well as manager Pedro Grifol, who was responsible for two of those seasons. Now, the White Sox seem to be on an upswing, as they have made some significant progress under Chris Getz and Will Venable.
In these losing seasons, the White Sox shuffled through a ton of players. Some they acquired via trade, others through free agency. Some of these players the White Sox had high expectations for, as if you are trading for a player, you hope that they can contribute to your team.
Now, as the White Sox hope to get out of this 100+ game losing streak, they have lost some of those players, specifically some they had higher expectations for. As we sit in the middle of free agency, two of these players have now found new homes.
The first player that has found a new home is left handed pitcher Jared Shuster. According to Jon Morosi, the St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly signed Shuster to a minor league deal.
Source: LHP Jared Shuster has agreed to a minor league contract with the Cardinals that includes an invitation to @MLB spring training.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 22, 2025
With the Cardinals listening to trade offers for multiple veterans, Shuster has a good chance to make the Opening Day roster.
Shuster got some significant playing time with the White Sox over the past few seasons, as he was one of the main pieces in the trade that sent Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves.
In 2024, Shuster had a promising first season with the White Sox, as he had a 4.30 ERA over 73 innings. While he had a .260 batting average against and a 1.46 WHIP, he was able to limit most of the damage. This set up Shuster for a shot to contribute for the White Sox in 2025.
2025 did not go to plan for the White Sox and Shuster, as he spent most of the year in AAA. He did pitch 15 innings in Chicago however, but he had an 8 ERA. This lead to the Athletics claiming him off waivers and stashing him on their AAA roster last season before releasing him this offseason. Shuster now finds himself in St. Louis with a chance to make a contribution for the Cardinals.
Shuster is not the only player that has found himself a new home, as according to Bucco Bantr, the Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly signed Fletcher to a minor league contract.
The Pirates and outfielder Dominic Fletcher have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources tell @BuccoBantr. Includes ST invite.
— Bucco Bantr (@BuccoBantr) December 22, 2025
Fletcher, 28, posted a .770 OPS with 17 HRs in 105 AAA games last year with the White Sox.
Like Shuster, Fletcher was acquired via trade, but Fletcher came from the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He was traded in a one for one swap for White Sox pitching prospect Cristian Mena. This trade came on the heels of Fletcher having a very good major league debut with the Diamondbacks.
Fletcher wasn't quite able to replicate his success with the White Sox, as Fletcher slashed .206/.252/.256 over 72 games in 2024. He added just one homer and 17 RBIs. He would eventually be sent down to AAA after the first few months.
Fletcher didn't break camp with the White Sox in 2025 but he did make an appearance later in the year after having a very good AAA season. Overall, in 12 games, Fletcher slashed .219/.265/.469 adding one homer and two RBIs. Fletcher will now look to make the Pirates opening day roster, as they are looking for bats to complement their good, young, starting pitching.
Both players will now look to break camp with their respective teams, and we wish them nothing but the best of luck moving forward.
