After a promising start to his MLB career, Cannon enters 2026 fighting for relevance in a suddenly crowded White Sox pitching pipeline.
Jonathan Cannon entered the 2025 season with nothing but opportunity in front of him.
At just 24 years old, Cannon was one of the Chicago White Sox’s better starting pitching options in 2024, even inserting himself into the conversation as a potential Opening Day starter. For a rebuilding club looking for young talent on the mound, he looked like a pitcher firmly embedded in the organization’s long-term plans.
A former third-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft who reached the majors quickly, Cannon was a piece the White Sox could build around.
But as the season unfolded, things unraveled.
Cannon struggled early, and as the White Sox tried to push him through adversity, he appeared to lose his identity on the mound. Instead of settling in, his rough stretch snowballed. By season’s end, Cannon had been sent back to Triple-A and, quite frankly, pitched himself out of what many consider Chicago’s “young core.”
It’s difficult to "build around" a pitcher coming off a 5.82 ERA season — especially one who now owns a 9–20 record with a 5.09 ERA across 228 career MLB innings.
And with the White Sox suddenly flush with young pitching, Cannon no longer enters spring training with the benefit of the doubt. The final rotation spots are expected to be highly competitive, and right now, he appears to be on the outside looking in.
The numbers are rough. The advanced metrics are even worse.
Still, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander is just 25 years old. And it may be too early to give up on him entirely.
Cannon certainly hasn’t given up on himself.
In a recent interview with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Cannon reflected on his 2025 season and framed it as a necessary — if painful — step in his development.
Let's face it. Embracing failure as a lesson was really his only option.
While in the minor leagues after being sent down, Cannon focused on refining his pitch shapes, sequencing, and overall arsenal in an effort to reset heading into 2026. Some pitchers arrive in the majors and immediately hit the ground running. Others need to fail before they can truly succeed.
“Looking at the year as a whole, I think it’s going to end up being the most pivotal season in my career,” Cannon told Merkin. “The harder I tried, the worse everything got. I was definitely going through a little bit of an identity crisis there in August and September.”
Cannon admitted he tried to change too many things at once, throwing himself further out of sync. But that failure forced a reset — mentally and physically — and helped him craft a more focused offseason plan.
From a results standpoint, the issues were clear. Cannon struggled to miss bats and failed to generate ground balls, ranking in the 20th percentile in strikeout rate and the 26th percentile in ground-ball rate. That combination is a recipe for runs — especially without elite control and with an average exit velocity against him of 90.3 mph.
One pitch in particular stood out during his self-evaluation: his sinker. Cannon believes refining that offering could be the key to inducing more weak contact and unlocking better results in 2026.
Unfortunately for him, the margin for error has disappeared.
Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and Anthony Kay appear locked into rotation spots, and the White Sox could still add another veteran starter. Even if they don’t, Sean Burke looks like a strong candidate to break camp in the rotation.
That leaves Cannon competing with a deep group that includes Tanner McDougal, Shane Murphy, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, Duncan Davitt, and recently signed Sean Newcomb. Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe are also expected back from Tommy John surgery at some point early in the season, adding even more competition for innings.
Realistically, Cannon will likely need to re-establish himself in Triple-A Charlotte before getting another chance in Chicago. And that won’t be easy either — he posted a 5.40 ERA across seven minor-league outings last season.
The White Sox will want to see tangible results and restored confidence before giving him another shot against big-league hitters.
Still, Cannon’s belief hasn’t wavered.
“I’m completely confident in my ability as a starter,” he told Merkin. “Especially with the plan we have in place, I feel confident I can make the adjustments I need and hit the ground running come February.”
The organization, for now, still views him as a starting pitcher. A move to the bullpen isn’t on the radar. Instead, Cannon profiles as rotation depth — someone who can provide innings in the minors or step in for a spot start if injuries pile up.
His path back isn’t clear, and the odds are stacked against him.
But Cannon knows exactly where he stands — and he’s not shying away from the challenge ahead.