LAS VEGAS \u2014 In three weeks, player movement will halt as team owners lock out the players, and talk of the market price of a No. 3 starting pitcher will be replaced with the stupefying details of collective bargaining agreement negotiations.<\/p>\n
Few major deals go down in November in MLB, but if history is indication, it will be easier than trying to finalize the roster while a hastily-arranged spring training is underway. The 2022 White Sox<\/a> signed three free agents within the first two days of the last lockout ending, and traded for AJ Pollock two weeks later. All of them contributed fewer wins above replacement to that year\u2019s team than Elvis Andrus, who signed in mid-August.<\/p>\n So yes, it would be good if the White Sox checked some items off their to-do list before 11 p.m. on Dec. 1, when the current CBA expires. Could we get a second look at that list?<\/p>\n Starting pitching<\/p>\n It will be useful next season to track how many innings White Sox starters are actually throwing, accounting for opener usage in a way current statistics cannot. Nevertheless, Sox starters threw the fewest innings in MLB in 2026.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t talk like they\u2019re secretly getting more than numbers let on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to need more out of our starting pitching,\u201d general manager Chris Getz said last month. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that Sean Burke, or Noah Schultz or Davis Martin or Luis Castillo or David Sandlin [aren\u2019t] going to be big parts of getting starter innings for us, but there\u2019s going to be opportunities to add.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with Castillo\u2019s $22.75 million salary in tow, Cot\u2019s Contracts estimates the Sox with less than $100 million committed to next year\u2019s payroll. There would be significant room to add even if the team set a cap at $128 million, which was their reported Opening Day total \u2026 in 2011. Getz assured the club has \u201cpayroll flexibility\u201d to wield. Even if Tarik Skubal is a bridge too far, there are bulk innings to be had in free agency.<\/p>\n Michael King was 10th in MLB in innings, Kaima Tara is the most intriguing arm in a Japanese market the Sox now scout devotedly, Michael Soroka looked like the starter the club envisioned two years ago. All of them and more are on the market, where the team\u2019s biggest investment of the winter should go.<\/p>\n Outfield<\/p>\n With promising rookies Sam Antonacci and Braden Montgomery dominating corner outfield reps in the second half, it might surprise that Getz wants an outfielder, even with slugging prospect Caleb Bonemer nearing the majors<\/a>, and Brooks Baldwin and Tanner Murray on the mend.<\/p>\n But Tristan Peters played in the All-Star Game two weeks before \u2014 and Everson Pereira whacked a double and a homer one day before \u2014 the Sox traded for fleet-footed Brenton Doyle. Their drive to bolster their outfield defense can\u2019t be underestimated.<\/p>\n Antonacci energized the lineup, but understandably was a below-average defender in left; a position he first began learning in spring. Montgomery is a potential long-term fixture, but the coaching staff wants significant offseason progress in his ability to elevate the ball.<\/p>\n Most immediately, Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham are free agents. With Andrew Benintendi a designated hitter exclusively, a right-handed outfielder who can play scratch or better defense in a corner would tie together a mix heavy on useful pieces, and light on true everyday regulars.<\/p>\n Relief pitching<\/p>\n Literally every MLB team needs to add relievers every offseason. If and when the White Sox move Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith to starting, they will need to replace the high-leverage options they trusted most this postseason.<\/p>\n