The White Sox currently have a ton of guys in Spring Training. By the end of March, they will have to trim down almost 40 guys to get to their 26 man roster to open up the season. Most years there are a few spots open on the team for a non-roster guy to make it, however, this year is a bit different.
At this point, there seems to be an infinite number of combinations that the White Sox could open the season with, as they could prioritize the younger players earlier in the season, they could have a combination between young players and veterans, or they could lean on the veterans to start, giving themselves an opportunity to be traded at the deadline.
While ensuring the development of the younger players is the most important task for the White Sox this year, it doesn't necessarily have to come in the major leagues. If a young guy is not going to start or get consistent at-bats in the majors, it is better that he doesn't make the team so he can get those at-bats in AAA. A last off the bench bat may be better suited for a veteran if their playing time will be sparse. It is significantly harder to develop if you aren't getting playing time, so that needs to be the priority for the White Sox in making their roster decisions.
With that being said, let's take a look at what an Opening Day rotation could look like for the White Sox if they decide to prioritize youth over the veterans.
Under the MLB rules, they can only have 13 pitchers on the roster at a given time. So that means five starters and eight guys in the bullpen. Assuming that Martin Perez is penciled in due to his major league deal, that leaves four spots up for grabs.
Martin Perez should give you a solid chance to win the game every time he gets a start. If things go well, he should find himself on a contender by August, opening a spot for a younger guy in the rotation for the last two months. It is also a sure thing that Davis Martin will be in the rotation, and if he pitches like he did to end the season last year, he could also find himself pitching for a contender come August.
At this point, we have to assume that Drew Thorpe will miss the beginning of the season due to his injury, so that leaves three spots up for grabs. If the White Sox want to get a few young arms in the rotation, there is surely not a shortage.
The White Sox have Jonathan Cannon, Sean Burke, Jairo Iriarte, Jake Eder, Mason Adams, Nick Nastrini, and a few others that will be fighting for those last spots. Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke have the leg up on the rest, as they both looked very good last season. So, that leaves just one more spot.
I would love to see Mason Adams have a great spring and steal the final spot. Adams had a fantastic 2024 season and only missed out on a call up at the end of the year due to an injury. He also profiles better as a starter than the rest of the guys, who could conceivably be decent relievers.
So, to open the season the starting rotation could look like this:
(R) Davis Martin, (L) Martin Perez, (R) Jonathan Cannon, (R) Sean Burke, and (R) Mason Adams.
This would wouldn't be a spectacular rotation, but it sure is one that could keep the White Sox in plenty of games. I would love to see Jairo Iriarte get a shot as a starter, so if he doesn't make the rotation, he could be a long reliever until there is a trade in the rotation that opens up a spot.
As for Eder and Nastrini, Spring Training will dictate where they open up. At this point, I would love to see how Eder could do as a high leverage reliever, as he certainly has the arsenal to get three outs a few times a week.
Nastrini's 2024 was derailed by an illness and he never seemed to find his footing. He is a much better pitcher than we saw last year and he should be able to prove that in 2025 wherever he is.
This would be a fun rotation for the White Sox and it would give fans a reason to watch the games, if even possible, a few times a week.
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