Chicago’s offseason isn’t finished yet — these five affordable free agents would address clear needs in the rotation, bullpen, and outfield heading into 2026.
The Chicago White Sox have already had a surprisingly active offseason. They made more moves before the new year than most people expected over the entire offseason.
It certainly makes the team more complete on paper — and more exciting heading into 2026.
And the best part is, I don’t think the work is done.
Based on everything we’ve heard from GM Chris Getz, the White Sox are still shopping to address a few of their needs.
They remain involved in the starting pitching market, even after not landing Japanese righty Tatsuya Imai.
The need for bullpen help has not gone away, and I have confidence it will be addressed.
Then there’s the corner outfield situation. Getz said corner outfield is a priority for the White Sox earlier in the offseason. All the team has done so far are minor additions — trading for Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters while signing Dustin Harris and Jarred Kelenic to minor league deals.
Perhaps the White Sox are done. They could open the season with one of those high-upside flyers as the everyday starter. Maybe it’s even a platoon between Pereira and Kelenic, or some similar combo.
But I don’t think any White Sox fan would be opposed to the team adding a more proven veteran corner outfielder — someone with the track record and athleticism to ensure the club isn’t one Luis Robert Jr. injury away from being subpar in the outfield.
I’ve locked in five free agents the White Sox should target. None of them would be outside the team’s price range, and all would address an immediate need.
Let’s get into the candidates.
Max Kepler
Max Kepler will be 33 years old on Opening Day. The veteran corner outfielder is projected to get a one-year contract worth between $7 million and $8 million, according to Spotrac.
Kepler hit 19 doubles and 18 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025. His batting average dipped to .216, but he still hits the ball hard and takes his walks — traits that point to a possible rebound.
The advanced metrics suggest there’s more still left in the tank. Kepler’s barrel rate, squared-up percentage, and average exit velocity were all above average, and his walk rate ranked in the 72nd percentile. These are encouraging signs that the underlying skills remain intact.
Defensively, he’s average in either left or right field, and he’d be an ideal platoon bat against right-handed pitching.
Of Kepler’s 179 career home runs, 150 have come against righties — and he owns a .770 OPS in those matchups.
It’s the perfect one-year addition for this White Sox outfield. I’d be excited to see how he fits into the lineup, and I think his power could provide meaningful protection for the younger bats in the middle of the order.
Scott Barlow
I’ll keep this one brief because I’ve already done a full piece on Scott Barlow and why he fits the White Sox bullpen.
But it just makes too much sense.
Chicago doesn’t have the budget to pay a $15 million-per-year established closer — but they still want to add to the bullpen and find a veteran arm with experience in high-leverage situations. Barlow is that guy.
He posted 24 saves for the Kansas City Royals in 2022 with a 2.18 ERA — proof he can close at a high level. He hasn’t been quite as dominant since shifting out of the ninth inning with San Diego, Cleveland, and most recently Cincinnati, but he’s still been a reliable reliever.
Durability is one of his calling cards. Barlow has made at least 60 appearances in every full season of his career, with the only exception being the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign — and even then he pitched 32 games.
The analytics back him up, too: in 2025 he ranked in the 96th percentile in average exit velocity allowed, 99th in hard-hit rate, and 87th in walk rate, suggesting he suppresses contact and keeps damage to a minimum.
Walks can be an issue, but that’s something the White Sox can work with.
Barlow would be the go-to high-leverage reliever for Will Venable in the sixth, seventh, or even eighth inning. And if Jordan Leasure doesn’t stick as the closer, Barlow could slide into ninth-inning duty.
At a projected $2–3 million on his next deal, that’s a bargain — and the White Sox should be all over it.
Zack Littell
I think Zack Littell could be a savvy addition to the starting rotation. He’s one of my favorite budget arms on the market.
The surface metrics won’t jump off your screen. Year after year, Littell grades as below average in many traditional pitching stats. But he consistently excels in two areas that matter most: getting hitters to chase and avoiding walks.
In 2025, Littell ranked in the 98th percentile in walk rate and the 79th percentile in chase rate. Back in 2024, he posted similar marks: 94th and 77th percentiles, respectively. In 2023 he led baseball in walk rate (100th percentile) and again ranked in the 79th percentile in chase rate.
Typically, pitchers with low strikeout rates and shaky strike-zone profiles regress. But Littell has bucked that trend with three straight seasons of consistent production.
Since the start of 2023, he’s 21–24 with a 3.80 ERA over 433 innings pitched, and his career ERA as a starter sits at 3.86. Seventy-nine starts is far from a small sample.
Littell will still be 30 on Opening Day, and Spotrac projects his market value around three years, $39 million — roughly $13 million per season.
For a White Sox team needing innings and reliability without splurging on a top-tier arm, that feels like a smart compromise. Pay him a reasonable two- or three-year deal to stabilize the rotation. And if the rotation becomes crowded, he has bullpen experience too.
Many of the young White Sox arms are built on stuff — explosive fastballs and sharp breaking balls. Littell offers balance: a five-pitch mix with pinpoint control that complements fire-power arms perfectly.
Tyler Kinley
Right-hander Tyler Kinley is one of the most underrated bullpen options still on the board — and a perfect fit for what the White Sox are trying to build.
Spotrac projects Kinley’s market value at roughly one year, $2.8 million — a contract the Sox can easily absorb and one that could provide far more value than the price tag suggests.
Kinley will turn 35 before Opening Day, making a multi-year deal unlikely. But in 2025 he showed what he’s capable of when taken out of the extreme hitting environment of Coors Field. After being traded to the Atlanta Braves, he was downright dominant — posting a 0.72 ERA and 0.68 WHIP over 24 appearances. Those numbers came with increased usage of a curveball that transformed his arsenal and gave him a breaking pitch that gets real results.
Durability is part of Kinley’s appeal: he made 73 total appearances in 2025 and logged 67 outings in 2024 — the kind of workhorse usage any bullpen covets.
What really stands out are the advanced metrics pointing to elite performance. In 2025, Kinley ranked in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed and was among the best in whiff rate, chase rate, and average exit velocity.
In short, he’s a late-inning option who can be deployed in high leverage and hold down tough matchups — the kind of weapon Will Venable will love having on call. On a one- or even two-year deal, Kinley could be a true bullpen bargain.
Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito checks nearly every box the White Sox are still trying to fill in their rotation.
After reestablishing his value post-Tommy John surgery, he’s hitting the open market with momentum despite a slow start to free agency. Giolito posted a 10–4 record with a 3.41 ERA and 145 innings pitched in 2025, proving he can still be an effective starter at a meaningful workload.
Giolito was once one of the cornerstones of the White Sox pitching staff. He broke out with an All-Star season in 2019, threw a no-hitter in 2020, and helped Chicago win a division title in 2021.
After being traded in 2023 — a move rooted more in timing and the team’s rebuild strategy than talent — he signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, a UCL injury in 2024 sidelined him for the season. But his strong 2025 rebound showed he’s healthy and capable of innings at a high level.
What the White Sox need right now is a veteran starter who can eat innings, stabilize the rotation, and protect the younger arms in the system. That fits Giolito to a T. Spotrac projects a contract in the neighborhood of roughly $20 million per year — reasonable for a middle-of-the-rotation arm with upside.
He’s not just a nostalgia play. This is about adding a pitcher who can help this team win now — someone who’s pitched meaningful innings, understands the South Side environment, and could seamlessly integrate with a rotation built around Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and others.
If the White Sox make a competitive offer in free agency, a return to Chicago could be the perfect ending to an already surprising offseason.