Major League Baseball free agency officially opens five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Until then, all teams can really do is tinker around the edges — DFA’s, waiver claims, and minor housekeeping moves on the transaction wire.

The Chicago White Sox have been active in that space this week, clearing five roster spots through outrights and waiver losses — with outfielder Will Robertson heading to Pittsburgh.

Now, three more White Sox players have elected free agency. Jacob Amaya, Mike Clevinger, and Joshua Palacios are officially unrestricted free agents. They don’t open additional 40-man spots by leaving, but their departure still feels like a symbolic moment for the fanbase — a moment that signals the end of an era South Side fans are ready to leave behind.

Let’s be honest: the fact that players like Amaya and Clevinger were making appearances for the White Sox in 2025 was a joke in itself.

Amaya hit .179 with a .419 OPS in 2024, during a 121-loss season where the front office claimed to be ushering in a new chapter. And yet, there he was — penciled in as the primary shortstop option out of Spring Training just months later. Thankfully, the rise of rookie Colson Montgomery gives Chicago a legitimate long-term answer at the position. And if Montgomery eventually slides off shortstop, prospects like Billy Carlson or Caleb Bonemer are waiting in the wings. That’s how it should be. Internal talent, not stopgaps.

Then there’s Mike Clevinger. He posted a 6.75 ERA in four starts in 2024. It was obvious then that his stuff and control was gone. Chicago brought him back anyway, despite the on-field decline and a laundry list of off-field concerns. The team sent him to Triple-A in April to stretch back out as a starting pitcher — and even when the White Sox were scraping for innings late in the year, he was repeatedly passed over for a call-up. The writing was on the wall.

Palacios? It's nothing personal. But the White Sox simply can’t keep handing extended auditions to replacement-level veterans. Not if they want to be taken seriously. This organization needs to build enough real depth that these types of players are break-glass options — not Opening Day pieces.

If Chris Getz is holding the coaching staff accountable, that standard needs to extend to the roster too. Free agency is an opportunity to prove that. The front office has to show more ambition than last winter’s bargain-bin approach.

The tide is turning on the South Side. And while these moves don’t grab headlines, they do something just as important — they close the book on a stretch of White Sox baseball that fans can’t forget soon enough. Clevinger, Amaya, Palacios — they’re reminders of how low the bar once was. That era ends now.