Chicago continues to hunt for upside in the rotation, with Griffin Canning emerging as a one-year target for the White Sox.
It’s no secret the Chicago White Sox have been in the market for another starting pitcher this winter.
Even after adding left-hander Anthony Kay on a two-year deal as he returns from pitching overseas in Japan, the White Sox still have innings to cover and at least one rotation spot to fill. And general manager Chris Getz has been aggressive in exploring options.
I’ve speculated on potential fits for weeks—highlighting pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell, both of whom make sense given the current roster construction on the South Side.
Now, it appears the White Sox may have zeroed in on a specific target—and it’s another classic swing on upside, complete with the kind of risk that keeps big-market contenders on the sidelines.
According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the White Sox have interest in 29-year-old right-hander Griffin Canning. Rosenthal noted that Chicago is seeking a starting pitcher on a one-year deal and reached out to Canning toward the end of December.
On the mound, the appeal is easy to understand. Canning leaned heavily on his slider and changeup in 2025, generating ground balls at a 51.6% clip—good for the 87th percentile. That approach fueled the most productive big-league season of his career.
In his first year away from Los Angeles, the former Angels top prospect found success with the New York Mets. Across 16 starts, Canning went 7–3 with a 3.77 ERA over 76.1 innings, playing a key role in keeping the Mets afloat during an injury-ravaged first half. Manager Carlos Mendoza routinely praised his consistency—until a freak injury brought everything to a halt.
In June, during a game against the Atlanta Braves, Canning suffered a non-contact injury while stepping off the mound. An MRI revealed a ruptured left Achilles tendon, ending his season and requiring surgery.
That’s the catch.
There’s real upside here, and it’s easy to see that Canning has a profile the White Sox tend to favor. But it's also likely he won’t be ready for Opening Day. Achilles ruptures typically carry a 9–12 month recovery timeline, and most contenders simply don’t have the patience—or roster flexibility—to wait for Canning to get back to full strength.
The White Sox don't mind waiting. It’s the same flexibility that allows them to take chances on Kay as a starter and Munetaka Murakami as a potential middle-of-the-order bat.
Under normal circumstances, Canning would be an addition I'm immediately excited about. If healthy, he’d instantly raise the floor of the rotation. But unless Chicago believes he’ll be ready shortly after Opening Day, the fit is a little harder to square.
The point of adding a veteran starter is to stabilize the rotation, protect young arms, and provide reliable innings of support. Targeting a pitcher who may miss the first few months doesn’t solve that problem out of the gate.
If the White Sox do move forward, it likely signals a willingness to open the year with a younger arm—someone like Tanner McDougal or Shane Murphy—before easing Canning into the mix later. That kind of staggered approach could help prevent rookie pitchers from hitting a fatigue wall late in the season.
Either way, this is one to watch. Whether or not Chicago gets this deal done will say a lot about how the organization views the opening months of the 2026 season—and how much risk it’s willing to absorb in pursuit of upside.