Free agent outfielder Max Kepler is a great platoon option for the Chicago White Sox in the outfield – he'd bring power and patience to the lineup.
I don’t imagine the Chicago White Sox are done adding this offseason. But they don’t need another headline signing to have a successful and complete winter. They need smart, stabilizing bets — the kind that raise the floor of the team without compromising flexibility.
One of the needs I'd like to see them focus on is a corner outfielder.
Chris Getz identified that as a priority earlier in the offseason, but so far the White Sox have limited their moves there to upside swings and depth additions — trading for Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters, and signing Dustin Harris and Jarred Kelenic to minor league deals.
Maybe that’s the plan. Maybe one of those high-upside flyers earns an everyday role, but none of them are proven at the big league level. Maybe it’s a platoon — Pereira and Kelenic, or some variation of that idea — and the White Sox let it ride.
But even a veteran platoon option would be a fantastic compliment to the current roster. That’s what makes Max Kepler such an intriguing option to me in free agency.
Kepler will turn 33 years old by Opening Day, likely setting him up for a short-term deal in free agency while still clinging to his athletic prime. In the White Sox’ case, that age actually works in their favor. Kepler isn’t a long-term building block, and he doesn’t need to be. He’d fit cleanly on a one-year deal, projected by Spotrac to land somewhere in the $7–8 million range — a number that feels entirely reasonable for the Sox given the current payroll.
At first glance, Kepler’s 2025 numbers don’t jump off the page. He hit .216 with 19 doubles and 18 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s reflective of both his power and the bat-to-ball inconsistency that has followed him for his entire career.
But that surface-level stat line doesn’t tell the full story.
Kepler still hits the ball hard, and the underlying metrics suggest he’s got more left in the tank. His barrel rate, squared-up percentage, and average exit velocity all remain well above league average. Just as importantly, he continues to control the strike zone. Kepler’s walk rate sat in the 72nd percentile last season, which is a trait this White Sox value with all of their acquisitions.
The White Sox don’t need Kepler to hit .280. They need him to grind quality at-bats, play average defense in the outfield, and punish mistakes with a little pop. He’s done that consistently against right-handed pitching throughout his career — 150 of his 179 career home runs have come off righties, and he owns a .770 OPS against them.
Is he an everyday outfielder? Probably not. But he’s an ideal platoon option.
Defensively, Kepler is unspectacular, but not detrimental. He can play either left or right field — which could provide some flexibility to move Andrew Benintendi around when needed, or replace Benintendi if he goes down.
And that’s the real appeal here. Relying entirely on players without an MLB track record (Pereira, Peters, Harris, etc.) leaves Chicago’s lineup dangerously thin, especially if Luis Robert Jr. or Benintendi are traded and/or miss time with an injury. Kepler gives the Sox insurance — and more than that, he gives them structure.
Slot Kepler into the lineup against right-handed pitching, let his power provide protection for younger hitters in the middle of the order, and suddenly this offense looks longer and more balanced. There’s patience, experience, and power behind the main bats.
And when there’s a lefty on the mound, you let Pereira try to prove himself.
On a one-year deal, there’s no downside. If Kepler has a big year like his 2023 season with 24 home runs and an .816 OPS, the White Sox get value — and potentially a midseason trade chip. If he doesn’t, they haven’t blocked prospects or tied up future payroll.
Max Kepler checks every box.