Chicago White Sox 40-Man Roster Decisions and 2026 Rule 5 Draft Notes
The Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series as they dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. The small market battle could be informative for the rest of the off-season and shape the tenor of labor related discussions across the sport.
Free agency is underway and qualifying offers have been extended. There’s an elephant in the room though and it’s a rather large elephant. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1 and the league will effectively shut down the sport and lock out the players at that time; putting a halt to the winter with no end in sight.
Adrian White recently detailed some coaching staff related and front office moves regarding the White Sox in an off-season primer. This piece will take a more detailed look at the current roster. The White Sox 40-man roster currently stands at 39 players.
Once the season officially ended, impending free agents elected the right to do so. Pitchers Erick Fedde, Sean Newcomb and Trevor Richards are free agents along with outfielders Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham and catcher Jake Rogers.
Initially, Brooks Baldwin and Tanner Murray were added to the roster from the 60-day injured list on the position player side. Pitchers Prelander Berroa, Ky Bush, Jordan Leasure and Mike Vasil were reinstated to the 40-man roster as well.
With the addition of Graham Pauley and removal of Ky Bush and Junior Pérez, the roster is at 39. The White Sox also have six arbitration eligible players to decide on by the November 20 deadline. Zach Cioffi of Just Baseball projected all the arbitration raises back in October. The projections for the White Sox are listed below.
- Miguel Vargas, Infielder: $4 million
- Brenton Doyle, Outfielder: $3.625 million
- Joey Bart, Catcher: $2.9 million
- Huascar Brazoban, Relief Pitcher: $1.975 million
- Chris Murphy, Relief Pitcher: $850K
- Jordan Leasure, Relief Pitcher: $870K
Another important deadline historically takes place on November 17 as teams decide which players to add to the 40-man in anticipation of December’s Rule 5 Draft. Major League Baseball’s Rule Five Draft is scheduled to take place on Wednesday December 9th, live from the winter meetings in San Diego, California. In the Major League phase of the draft, any player who isn’t on a club’s 40-man roster and is also approaching his fourth or fifth season in an organization can be selected by another club for $100,000 paid to the holding organization.
Players signed at the age of 18 or younger have five years in an organization before becoming eligible. Players who are signed at the age of 19 or older have four years with their respective clubs. There is also a Minor League phase where unprotected players not on a MiLB reserve roster can be selected under the same service time restrictions. Unlike the rule in which drafted players must be kept on a big league roster or returned for $50,000, the minor league phase has no such requirement.
Here’s where that elephant comes back into play though. With the players extremely likely to be locked out and the off-season halted, the Rule Five draft is unlikely to take place this year. Teams will plan ahead and add players to their rosters due to the uncertainty but similar to the previous CBA negotiation, the event that usually takes place before the conclusion of the winter meetings isn’t likely to happen, regardless.
White Sox Current Roster
Here is a look at the current 40-man roster for the Pale Hose. The roster includes 21 pitchers, four catchers, six infielders, seven outfielders and a designated hitter. We can’t predict future trades or transactions that may occur, so we’re working from the current organizational depth chart. The following players require protection or are already on the 40-man roster but aren’t necessarily 26-man roster players at this point in time.
Pitchers: Prelander Berroa, Jonathan Cannon, Tyler Davis, Jordan Leasure, Tanner McDougal, Chris Murphy, David Sandlin, Noah Schultz, Tyler Schweitzer, Shane Smith and Drew Thorpe.
Position Players: Drew Romo, Luisangel Acuña, Graham Pauley, Brooks Baldwin, Tanner Murray and Rikku Nishida.
Some of these players will factor prominently on the 2027 White Sox while others might be gone by the end of the month. They’ve all had some level of big league experience with the Pale Hose or elsewhere. Prelander Berroa possesses significant upside out of the bullpen but he’s missed the majority of the last two seasons with Tommy John surgery and other arm ailments. Tyler Davis should be in the big league bullpen mix once again.
David Sandlin, Noah Schultz, Tyler Schweitzer, Shane Smith and Drew Thorpe likely come to spring training to compete for major league roles in some capacity. Tanner McDougal is an interesting case. He was knocking on the door of top 100 status and dealt with forearm and leg injuries in Triple-A last year. He made a big league cameo but wasn’t seemingly part of the club’s plans.
Wrapping up the season, McDougal got right working with staffers in Arizona; including Brian Bannister. He’s a high upside arm with premium velocity and should be in the 2027 roster mix. McDougal is a major sleeper still. Jonathan Cannon has some big league time but he’ll be out of options in 2027 while Jordan Leasure and Chris Murphy are obvious non-tender candidates.
Luisangel Acuña spent the entire season with the White Sox in a utility role but his spot on the 2027 roster isn’t certain. He’s also out of minor league options. Drew Romo served as the primary catcher for large swaths of 2026 and he remains a candidate for a big league role as well. The recently claimed Graham Pauley offered some upside from the left side as a prospect but has struggled with the Miami Marlins to this point.
Brooks Baldwin missed the 2026 season after hitting 11 homers in a big league utility role in 2025. The switch-hitter should have the inside track to a bench role in 2027. Tanner Murray and Rikku Nishida play a bunch of positions and while both could be afterthoughts on the roster, they both offer versatility in a potential utility role as well.
Players Not Yet on White Sox Roster
There are also numerous players not currently on the 40-man roster that present some risk of being taken in December’s Rule Five draft if not protected. If another team takes a player in the Rule 5, they must keep the player on their active roster for the entirety of the season or return the player to his original club for $50,000 – something to keep in mind when evaluating claim risk. I will split these players into two categories.
- Disclaimer: The Rule Five Draft is unlikely to happen.
Risk of Being Claimed
- William Bergolla Jr, SS
- Mathias LaCombe, RHP
- Jaden Woods, LHP
William Bergolla Jr. is the most obvious candidate for the White Sox to add this month. The 22-year-old left-handed hitting infielder slashed .457/.525/.571 for the Charlotte Knights in a 10 game sample prior to injuring his shin in a collision with Sam Antonacci. Bergolla Jr. ultimately missed the remainder of the 2026 campaign. He was seen as the next man up in the infield and could’ve potentially contributed to the 2026 club.
The infielder plays multiple positions but profiles to remain at shortstop. He’s a top 15 prospect in the system with a plus hit tool despite a severe lack of power. Bergolla Jr. was also an expected trade candidate at this past July’s trade deadline but the injury clearly prevented value from being maximized in that regard. There are a pair of pitchers the White Sox need to at least consider as well.
Mathias LaCombe is now 24-years-old and his transition to a relief role has gone as expected. Originally signed for $450K in the 12th round out of Cochise Community College in Arizona, the right hander was looking to become the first French born pitcher to throw in the major leagues. LaCombe has good stuff but he’s been injured a lot. He struck out 67 and walked 25 in 49.1 minor league innings last year while posting a 3.69 FIP. He’s also been a fixture on top 30 prospect lists for the White Sox over the past year as well.
Lefty Jaden Woods was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the pre-draft trade that brought back the 34th overall pick and sent Jacob Gonzalez to the east coast. Woods was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2023 draft out of Georgia. The 24-year-old southpaw posted a 3.50 FIP in 61.2 innings last year while striking out 90 hitters. The 6-1, 205 pounder posted a 2.96 ERA in the White Sox’s organization after joining the Charlotte Knights.
Low Risk of Being Claimed
- Alexander Albertus, Infielder
- Ryan Burrowes, Infielder
- Dylan Campbell, Outfielder
- Caden Connor, Outfielder
- Ryan Galanie, Infielder
- Calvin Harris, Catcher
- Jeral Perez, Infielder
- Samuel Zavala, Outfielder
- Frankeli Arias, LHP
- Morris Austin, RHP
- Aldrin Batista, RHP
- Drew Conover (RHP)
- Lucas Gordon, LHP
- Riley Gowens, RHP
- Carson Jacobs, RHP
- Seth Keener, RHP
- Jesus Mendez RHP
- Carlton Perkins (RHP)
- Garrett Wright, RHP
Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez have both ranked on top 30 organizational lists here at FutureSox after being acquired with Miguel Vargas from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a July 2024 trade. Perez struggled in his first action at Double-A but Albertus put up some solid numbers in Low-A after finally returning from leg injuries. Albertus clubbed six homers and posted a 115 wRC+ with the Cannon Ballers in Low-A and he’s firmly back on the prospect radar.
Ryan Burrowes put together his best season with the Winston-Salem Dash but struggled to end the year in Double-A with Birmingham. The 22-year-old is an athlete with some pop who plays in the middle infield and he made our mid-season top 30 list after some trades took place. 26-year-old Ryan Galanie hit 20 homers and posted a 111 wRC+ in the high minors but he’s a likely first baseman who hits from the right side.
Samuel Zavala was seen as the third piece in the Dylan Cease return when the trade was made but he could someday provide the most impact. Drew Thorpe is still around as well but the 22-year-old outfielder hit .235/.390/.389 last year for the Birmingham Barons. Zavala plays above-average defense in center field and walked at a 19% clip while clubbing 14 homers in the Southern League in 2026. The left-handed hitter posted a 118 wRC+ in 118 games as well.
Seth Keener is a former third rounder with a nasty slider but he’s struggled in starting and relief roles since entering the organization. Riley Gowens was acquired in the Aaron Bummer and the local product had decent showings as a starting pitcher in the organization. The righty struggled in charlotte after a move to relief in 2026. Former 15th round righty Carlton Perkins posted a 3.57 ERA across both levels of A ball last year but it’s lots of strikeouts and walks in the profile. Carson Jacobs is a massive man with a big fastball who ultimately walks too many guys still.
Likely Outcomes for the White Sox
The General Manager Meetings are live from Las Vegas, Nevada this week and clubs could be active due to the impending lockout. The White Sox are widely believed to be in the market for pitching help and potential outfield additions. Free agent starting pitchers at varying levels should be of interest but Chris Getz hasn’t been shy about getting involved on the trade market either.
The Rule Five Draft is unlikely to take place but the White Sox are still likely to add infielder William Bergolla Jr. to the 40-man roster in advance of the deadline. They probably risk Mathias LaCombe, Jaden Woods and Alexander Albertus however though. Carrying them would’ve been a difficult calculus in a normal off-season but it seems especially excessive and unnecessary in an off-season expected to be as strange as this one.
