Friday, December 05

CHICAGO -- White Sox general manager Chris Getz officially lit the Hot Stove with two trades involving six players Tuesday night. But regarding major offseason significance for the team, those moves were just an appetizer. 

Here’s a look at four decisions of note over the upcoming weeks and months, and with all due respect to George Strait and his best-selling single, we’ll be checking both "yes" and "no" in this exercise. 

Should the White Sox trade a catcher? 

Yes: This question was already answered, as the team moved Minor League backstop Ronny Hernandez to Boston for left-handed reliever Chris Murphy Tuesday. But let’s focus on the White Sox having Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee, who are each big league talents. 

Keeping all three seems a bit redundant, despite Getz’s mantra of “Catching is gold,” which might be on his business cards. Chicago won’t keep three on the active roster, and manager Will Venable didn’t have a strong desire to play Teel and Quero in the same lineup regularly in 2025.  

So, moving Teel or Quero, while representing a tough decision, could repurpose talent at another position. It could make better sense if one of the catchers is paired with a player such as Luis Robert Jr., as an example, to enhance the return. 

No: The White Sox want to take a step forward from three straight seasons with 100-plus losses, jumping off from last year’s youth-will-be-served 60-win performance. But they aren’t quite in a contending mode for ’26. 

As Getz said at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, it doesn’t seem like the time to make these sorts of moves. Let this young core play together longer to really see what it has. 

Is Miguel Vargas the team’s third baseman? 

Yes: Vargas not only developed as a player in 2025 after an extremely rough on-field run when arriving from the Dodgers in ’24, but he seemed to grow even more as a person. He’s outgoing, funny and an integral part of this burgeoning clubhouse.  

Although he also can play first base and is willing to do whatever is needed to help the team, Vargas prefers third base, as he told me at the end of last season. He has the potential for power and solid defense at that key spot. 

No: I’ve heard other teams have interest in Vargas, who turned 26 on Monday and hit 16 homers with 32 doubles, 80 runs scored, 60 RBIs and a .717 OPS over 138 games in 2025. Getz has to listen to all offers at this stage of the rebuild, as he has said, and if something were to happen with Vargas, they have Curtis Mead, who could take over at third. 

Is Lenyn Sosa part of this core? 

Yes: Nobody on the roster deserves more of an apology than Sosa -- at least that idea holds true in my beliefs. I thought the White Sox should move on from the right-handed-hitting infielder after he went 37-for-199 with 52 strikeouts and six walks over his first two years in the Majors. 

Those who followed the Minors a little closer than I did reminded me how Sosa struggled at the outset of every new level, but he eventually found his ground. In 2025, Sosa was quietly as potent as any hitter in the lineup, with 22 home runs, 20 doubles and 75 RBIs.  

No: While Sosa has proven his value and then some with the bat, he really hasn’t found a true defensive home. He played 99 games at second last year -- where Chase Meidroth is now situated -- and 42 games at first. Getz and the White Sox might be looking for left-handed production at first, even if Sosa stayed as the right-handed-hitting member of a platoon, and there are some teams interested in acquiring the 25-year-old’s services. 

Will Robert stay? 

Yes: Let’s cut to the chase with Robert: The White Sox clearly believe in him as an integral part of the team. His immense on-field talent was on display during the 2023 All-Star season, and even if he never gets to that lofty level again across the board, he has the skills to take over offensively in extended stretches while also providing stellar defense in center field and stolen-base potential. 

Robert fits on the South Side. He’s not exactly blocking anyone in center, as has been pointed out to me numerous times. 

No: His White Sox status is uncertain beyond another $20 million team option with a $2 million buyout for 2027. There’s certainly no need to force a deal just to make one at this point, as is the case with any move, but while a Robert trade might be geared for more of a future return, it gives Getz added offseason spending room in the present. 

• There were interesting White Sox names not added to the 40-man roster on Tuesday, leaving them unprotected for the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. I’m curious if any other team adds pitchers like right-handers Mason Adams (No. 13 on MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 30 White Sox prospects), Peyton Pallette (No. 14) and Ben Peoples or southpaw Shane Murphy. 

• President George W. Bush was an outstanding guest on the Manningcast Monday night, being cordial and right there comedically with Eli and Peyton throughout the segments. Whenever I see the Manningcasts, I think there must be room for a Merkincast possibility for myself and my brothers, Jeff and Randy. 

• Watching the Bulls often makes me think of the time I was a sophomore at Homewood-Flossmoor High School and procured a media credential to cover the team for a night. I interviewed Reggie Theus and Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, with the 7-foot-2 Gilmore sitting on a chair courtside and still being taller than the 4-foot-10 me standing in front of him. I still have those cassette tapes, with my voice about an octave higher. 

• Kudos to the Michigan Champion’s Circle for its outstanding Rick’s pop-up NIL event at Sluggers next to Wrigley Field Friday. Many fans were thrilled to not have me in attendance Saturday, complaining the entire second half when the Wolverines almost gave away that game. 

“I’m more than grateful for those guys over there. They helped me with a lot, on the physical and the baseball side. They helped me get back right, and that’s what I needed.” -- RHP Tanner McDougal, the White Sox No. 7 prospect, on his offseason work at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida 

To subscribe to White Sox Beat, visit this page and mark "White Sox Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the White Sox or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.