White Sox Must Decide on These Arbitration Eligible Players

With the Cinderella story that was the 2026 White Sox coming to an end in Cleveland this past weekend, the focus has shifted to the offseason. One of the first items on Chris Getz and the front office’s to-do list is determining which arbitration-eligible players will return for the 2027 season. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the team has six such players they must make a decision on.

Joey Bart

Projected cost: $2.9 million

Acquired from the Braves at the trade deadline, Bart was brought in as a veteran placeholder behind the plate while Kyle Teel recovered from a high ankle sprain. Unfortunately for Bart, his time with the 2026 White Sox essentially ended before it started. He lasted all of three games and nine plate appearances before a hit by pitch from Erik Miller of the Red Sox fractured the fifth metacarpal in his left hand, ending his season.

The second overall pick in 2018, Bart was once a highly regarded prospect but has never consistently put it together at the MLB level. He will turn 30 in December and is now your typical backup catcher. He is serviceable but doesn’t do any one thing particularly well and offers little upside moving forward.

Projected to earn $2.9 million via arbitration, I believe the White Sox will let Bart go and non-tender him. I anticipate Edgar Quero getting another crack at the backup catcher job even with his struggles this year. That said, the organization saw enough in Bart to acquire him at the deadline, so a reunion isn’t entirely out of the question. They could attempt to bring him back on a less expensive contract and let him compete for the backup spot during spring training.

Decision: Non-Tender

Huascar Brazobán

Projected cost: $1.6 million

Another trade deadline acquisition, Brazobán disappointed after being brought in from the Mets. He missed nearly a month due to what was described as a left lat strain and failed to perform as the team had hoped when he was on the mound. The right-hander pitched only 14.1 regular season innings with the White Sox and was left off the ALDS roster entirely because of his ineffectiveness.

Brazobán is interesting in that he is already 36 years old, yet still has up to three more years of team control remaining because he didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 32. And when he’s at his best, his sinker-changeup combination has proven effective at the MLB level.

With a projected price tag of just $1.6 million, I believe the White Sox will tender him a contract for 2027 in hopes of getting him back on track. It is a minimal investment for a reliever with a respectable MLB track record. Even if he ends up settling into a middle relief role, he would provide useful bullpen depth at an affordable price point.

Decision: Tender

Brenton Doyle

Projected cost: $3.6 million

The last trade deadline acquisition of this group, Doyle showed flashes of being a productive player after being acquired from the Rockies. He hit five home runs in 42 games with the White Sox and his .720 OPS was only 2% worse than the league average hitter while wearing a White Sox uniform. He also provides exceptional value in other areas of the game, including being the 95th percentile in arm strength and the 93rd percentile in sprint speed per Baseball Savant.

Projected to earn $3.6 million via arbitration, I think the team will keep him around. At the very minimum, he could serve as a platoon option for Tristan Peters in center field while also offering value as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. The combination of speed, defense, and occasional pop warrants bringing him back.

Decision: Tender

Miguel Vargas

Projected cost: $5.4 million

Vargas is the easiest decision of this whole group. The 26-year-old blossomed into an All-Star with the 2026 White Sox and could even garner recognition on MVP ballots. He became the first player in franchise history to record 30 home runs, 30 doubles, 100 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in a single season, a testament to how great of a year he had.

Now one of the faces of the franchise, it is a foregone conclusion that the organization will tender him a contract. The more interesting question is whether they approach him with a long-term extension offer. He still has three years of control remaining, but an extension proposal could make sense if they want him to be at the center of the team for years to come.

Decision: Tender

Chris Murphy

Projected cost: $900,000

Acquired from the Red Sox in November of last year, Murphy made the Opening Day roster but bounced between the Triple-A and MLB levels in 2026. The 28-year-old lefty put up respectable numbers in Triple-A but his 4.81 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 33 appearances with the big league club left something to be desired. Several other left-handed relievers passed him on the depth chart throughout the season and he was not a factor down the stretch or in the playoffs.

Murphy is projected to earn only $900,000 in arbitration, but I still think the White Sox will non-tender him. I don’t believe he showed enough to justify keeping him around. Moving on would also open a spot on the 40-man roster, giving the front office additional flexibility as it looks to improve the team this offseason.

Decision: Non-Tender

Jordan Leasure

Projected Cost: $1 million

The longest-tenured White Sox player in the group, Leasure has been with the team for parts of three seasons since being acquired from the Dodgers in the Lance Lynn trade in July 2023. The 28-year-old right-hander has had his ups and downs in Chicago, and his 2026 season was more bad than good.

He made only 18 appearances this season before getting shut down with a right flexor strain, pitching to a 6.27 ERA over that span. He underwent surgery at the end of August to repair a UCL tear in his elbow and will miss the entire 2027 season as a result, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

Leasure is projected to earn only $1 million via arbitration, but I doubt the White Sox will tender him a contract if he is unable to pitch. It’s an unfortunate situation for Leasure individually, but perhaps the team will extend him a minor league contract so he can rehab at the team facilities.

Decision: Non-Tender

Summary

For the first time in his tenure as a General Manager, Chris Getz will have the pressure of making moves for a team that plans to compete, rather than rebuild. Making decisions about their arbitration-eligible players is one of the first steps in the process and will help determine how they approach the rest of the offseason.

Final decisions:

Tender: Huascar Brazobán, Miguel Vargas, Brenton Doyle

Non-Tender: Joey Bart, Chris Murphy, Jordan Leasure