White Sox reinvest $20 million from Robert trade, securing Seranthony Dominguez for a multi-year deal and a closer role.
Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz told the media on Wednesday morning that the front office will use the $20 million saved in the Luis Robert Jr. trade to improve this year’s team.
Just two days later, Getz delivered on that promise.
According to Jeff Passan, the White Sox have signed reliever Seranthony Dominguez to a multi-year contract. Dominguez's deal is for two years, $20 million, and the 31-year-old is expected to be Chicago's closer for 2026.
It is nice to see the White Sox already making moves following the Robert trade earlier this week. $10 of the $20 million that the team saved from trading away its star outfielder went to Dominguez in this deal.
And this is a solid get for the White Sox.
Dominguez is coming off one of his better seasons out of the bullpen, as he had a 3.16 ERA and 79 strikeouts across 62 ⅔ innings pitched with the Orioles and Blue Jays. He also only allowed four earned runs in 11 ⅓ innings pitched (3.18 ERA) in the postseason.
The hard-throwing right-hander was really impressive throughout the 2025 season. He emerged as a reliable bullpen arm for both the Orioles and Blue Jays, and his metrics across the board should get White Sox fans excited.
Dominguez ranked in the 85th percentile or better in expected batting average (.198), average exit velocity (87.5 mph), whiff rate (33.3%), and strikeout rate (30.3%) last season. Those numbers should play well in that closer role.
Although he only saved two games last year, Dominguez does have experience being in that ninth-inning closer spot. He saved 16 games for the Phillies in his rookie season in 2018, saved another nine games in 2022, and totaled 11 combined saves with the Phillies and Orioles in 2024.
With an electric fastball, an above-average sweeper, and an unhittable splitter, the White Sox have found their closer for the 2026 season. His 97.7 mph average fastball velocity ranked in the 94th percentile last year.
Now, the biggest knock on Dominguez from a season ago was his lack of control on the mound. He issued a career-high 36 walks, and his 13.3% walk rate placed him in the bottom 1% among all pitchers. Those walks have been a major problem for him throughout his Major League career.
That part of his game has to improve if he wants to be a dominant closer for the White Sox. The right-hander has finished in the bottom half of the league in walk rate in each of the last four seasons.
Still, Dominguez is exactly the pitcher you want at the backend of the bullpen. A hard-throwing pitcher who limits hard contact, strikes out batters at a high level, and has plenty of swing-and-miss stuff.