The White Sox enter the 2026 campaign following a busy offseason, with budget constraints forcing Chris Getz to get creative while trying to improve the roster.
The White Sox carried the second-lowest payroll in baseball last season at $87 million, despite generating $277 million in revenue. While that revenue figure ranked second-lowest in MLB, ahead of only the Athletics, just 31% of it was allocated to player payroll, again the second-lowest percentage in the league.
Currently, the White Sox have $64.4 million in guaranteed contracts, which ranks 29th in MLB. Their projected total payroll, including tax, sits at $101.5 million. Although that marks an uptick from last season, it still places them 29th in baseball.
Given the clear handicap that Getz had to work with, he deserves credit for how he managed to improve the roster.
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His key moves include signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year deal, a gamble made possible after the Japanese slugger’s free-agent market dried up. Getz acknowledged that when free agency first opened, he believed the odds of signing Murakami were slim. Because of this, the organization continued evaluating other first-base options, knowing that any deal could potentially take them out of the Murakami sweepstakes.
The signing not only fills a clear need at first base but also elevates the White Sox’s international profile and injects much-needed power potential into the middle of the lineup.
After picking up Luis Robert Jr’s $20 millon option, Getz parlayed that into some extra roster flexibility by trading him to the Mets for Luisangel Acuna. The move gives Acuna a fresh start and the White Sox some roster versatility, given Acuna’s skill set. But more importantly, it also freed up money, allowing Getz to add Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year deal and Austin Hays to a one-year deal.
Dominguez helps solidify a bullpen that blew 24 saves last season, while Hays filled a much-needed hole in the outfield. When the dust settled, Getz had essentially traded Robert, who had a 1.4 WAR last season, for Acuna, Dominguez, and Hays, who combined for a 1.9 WAR.
To address the starting rotation, Getz took a flier on KBO standout Anthony Kay and reunited with former KBO MVP, Erick Fedde. The moves not only give the White Sox potential trade chips to flip at the deadline, but also some much-needed depth to help eat innings for a pitching staff forced to resort to opener strategies last season.
Will the White Sox be contenders for the division? Probably not. But in the short term, Getz has constructed a roster that should help supplement the team’s young core, while still positioning the White Sox to make a legitimate postseason run in 2027.
Long term, Getz may not have the same financial constraints. The Ishbia family, led by Justin Ishbia, is lined up to potentially take control of the organization as early as 2029. While White Sox fans are hoping for a quick Jerry Reinsdorf, the agreement does say that Reinsdorf must give up control by 2035 at the latest, meaning fans could be waiting years.
Once the transition does happen, fans could see the team steadily climb the payroll rankings, given the Ishbia family’s track record of aggressive spending in free agency during their ownership of the Phoenix Suns.
That’s what makes this past offseason so promising for White Sox fans. Even if Getz’s moves don’t pan out, he proved that he could get creative in improving the roster despite some clear financial constraints. Assuming those constraints are lifted under Ishbia, it could provide a runway for sustained success.
That’s what makes this past offseason so encouraging for White Sox fans. Even if every move doesn’t hit, Getz showed he can be creative and opportunistic while operating under clear financial constraints. If those limitations ease under Ishbia, it could open the door to sustained success.
