LAS VEGAS — The White Sox know that All-Star Shane Smith likely will be the Opening Day starter next season. They know that right-hander Davis Martin likely will be in the rotation.
But who takes the ball along with them is anyone’s guess. The team planned for young starters Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon to take a step forward in 2025, but they regressed and can’t be awarded rotation spots based upon their body of work.
Down the stretch in 2025, the Sox relied on minor-league starters and an assortment of relievers — which taxed the bullpen — to provide enough bulk to finish out the season. The Sox have some promising young talent on the position-player front — Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth — but the rotation is lacking in reliability.
The Sox likely won’t shop at the top of the market for aces, but they can be a team that takes a chance on mid-tier arms or starters who struggled last season and are looking for a bounce-back opportunity.
“Finding individuals that we feel like can not just cover innings but give us some quality innings is something that we’re targeting,” general manager Chris Getz said last week.
The Sox’ need for starting pitching only grew after lefty Martin Perez declined a $10 million mutual option.
Maybe the Sox can get the most of a guy like right-hander Dustin May, who has had injuries hamper his career. Before the 2025 season, May hadn’t thrown at least 100 innings in a season. And although he was healthy last season, he wasn’t effective, sporting a 4.96 ERA over 132⅓ innings. His 9.6% walk percentage was in the bottom 22nd percentile in the majors, according to Baseball Savant.
But May’s control issues shouldn’t scare off the Sox. Last year, the Sox’ pitching staff had the second-highest walk rate in the majors, and cutting down walks is a focus for the group with the hiring of pitching coach Zach Bove.
Development is at the front of the Sox’ plan in their rebuilding efforts. Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz are two of the team’s best pitching prospects and provide some optimism for help from the farm system, but young pitchers are volatile and still growing and developing in their own game. Smith and Schultz joining the rotation next season would be a bonus, not something the organization should be counting on.
And the Sox should know more than most organizations what a change of scenery can do for a player after they struck gold by drafting Smith in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft and watching him ascend into an All-Star.
Aside from May, there are reliable veterans such as Chris Bassitt, Zack Littell and Zach Eflin who the Sox could be in play for at a relatively low cost.
Littell is coming off back-to-back seasons of pitching at least 100 innings, and Bassitt has started 30 games or more in each of the last four seasons. Eflin had season-ending back surgery, but because of his age (31) and injury history, could be a Sox option.
The Sox aren’t going to break the bank in free agency, but they have holes to fill. Getz and the front office are focused on developing their young players, but the best way for them to grow is by learning how to win.
With three starter spots up for grabs, it’s on Getz and the front office to fill out the pitching staff with more known quantities than years past.
NOTE: The Royals hired Marcus Thames as a hitting coach. He served in that role for the Sox the last two seasons.