CHSN: Why not air more spring training games?

If you want to watch the White Sox spring training opener against the Cubs on Friday, you'll have to turn on Marquee Network. 

You might want to mute the TV to avoid that extra helping of Cubbie glee. 

Given that it's the first game of spring, and given that the opponent is the other Chicago team, you'd think Chicago Sports Network would be on the air with Sox-centric coverage.

But you'd be wrong. You'll have to wait until Saturday to see the first Sox broadcast of the spring. Here's the list of spring games appearing on the network this year:

• Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. Athletics, 2:05 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 22 vs. Brewers, 2:05 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. Guardians, 2:05 p.m.
• Saturday, March 7 vs. Mariners, 2:10 p.m.
• Friday, March 13 vs. Cubs, 3:05 p.m.
• Saturday, March 14 vs. Dodgers, 3:05 p.m.
• Thursday, March 19 vs. Padres, 8:10 p.m.
• Saturday, March 21 vs. Dodgers, 5:30 p.m.
• Sunday, March 22 vs. Mariners, 2:05 p.m.

Only nine games. You'd think they'd show more. What else does Chicago Sports Network have to show on February and March afternoons? The World Series of Poker? Outdoors Today? The Chuck Garfien White Sox podcast? 

Wouldn't it be better to just show the games? 

Of course, that would cost money. It would require sponsorships. It would require Sox announcers to actually want to show up.

That's not really how things work around here. 

One White Sox fan's hope for 2026: Relevance in May

Spring training has arrived, and optimism is flowing to the point of nausea in both Arizona and Florida. Every player is in "the best shape of his life," and 162-0 is still mathematically possible for everyone.

For the White Sox, you hear fan and media discussion of what win total is possible in 2026. The consensus is that they "should improve" upon last season's 60-102 record. You'd like to think so, but I'm having a little trouble buying some of the more optimistic projections of close-to-a-.500 season. There's been some talk of 80 wins.

Call me jaded, but after 324 losses over the past three seasons, I'm not that excited. The Sox are going to have to show me something once the games begin for real on March 26.

How about we set a more modest goal for the team? How about still being relevant in the AL Central in May?

Doesn't seem like a tall task, does it? But consider the Sox's records entering May over the past three seasons:

• 2025: 7-23
• 2024: 6-24
• 2023: 8-21 

That's three brutal Aprils in a row. That's three years of all hope being extinguished by the 30-game mark.

Barring a postponement or two, the Sox will have 31 games played on May 1 this year. Would a record like 14-17 be too much to ask? Maybe they could at least get into double-digit wins by the end of April for a change.

Baby steps. Let's start with that. 

Tigers add Justin Verlander, look like AL Central favorite

Justin Verlander is going back to where his Hall of Fame career started.

The soon-to-be-43-year-old agreed to terms on a one-year, $13 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.

Detroit, of course, is where Verlander pitched the first 13 seasons of his 20-year career in the big leagues. It is where he collected 183 of his 266 career wins, and it is where he won the first of his three Cy Young awards -- in addition to his 2011 American League MVP award.

Does he have anything left? Well, I would say he's still a serviceable mid-rotation starter. He pitched in hard luck with the San Francisco Giants last season, going 4-11, but with a respectable 3.85 ERA.

And really, all the Tigers need is for Verlander to be a serviceable mid-rotation starter.

Last week, Detroit signed former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract. Valdez slots in as the No. 2 starter behind reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers also have Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize in their rotation, so if Verlander throws like a No. 3 or No. 4 pitcher, that's fine.

I don't know if I'd say Detroit has the best starting rotation in the American League, but you could make the case. And there's really no question the Tigers are the favorites in the Central Division now. 

Erick Fedde returns to White Sox on 1-year deal

Veteran right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde has agreed to a one-year contract with the White Sox, sources say.

This will be Fedde's second stint with the Sox, as he made 21 starts with the team in 2024 before being traded in July of that season.

The 33-year-old has spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, going a combined 34-55 with a 4.94 ERA with the Washington Nationals, White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.

Fedde enjoyed his best success with the 2024 Sox. Here's a breakdown of that season:

• 2024 with White Sox: 7-4, 3.11 ERA, 1.142 WHIP in 121.2 innings pitched
• 2024 with Cardinals: 2-5, 3.72 ERA, 1.204 WHIP in 55.2 innings pitched
• 2024 totals: 9-9, 3.30 ERA, 1.162 WHIP in 177.1 innings pitched

Those are very respectable totals, and Fedde actually started the 2025 season well in St. Louis. He had a 3.54 ERA over his first 13 starts, but then the wheels completely fell off. Fedde pitched with three different teams before the season was over, and he ended the year in Milwaukee's bullpen. Here's a breakdown of that season:

• 2025 with Cardinals: 3-10, 5.22 ERA, 1.505 WHIP in 101.2 innings pitched
• 2025 with Braves: 1-2, 8.10 ERA, 1.843 WHIP in 23.1 innings pitched
• 2025 with Brewers: 0-1, 3.38 ERA, 1.125 WHIP in 16 innings pitched
• 2025 totals: 4-13, 5.49 ERA, 1.518 WHIP in 141 innings pitched

Fedde seemed to regain his form a bit in the small sample size of relief work with the Brewers, but that season was pretty brutal overall for him.

The Sox are apparently hoping he'll regain his 2024 form in a city where he's comfortable, and where he had his best MLB production.

The best guess here is Fedde slots into the No. 4 spot in the Sox rotation, behind Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay. As camp opens, expect the No. 5 spot to be an open competition among Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon, Tanner McDougal and David Sandlin.

As is our custom when players return for a second tour in Chicago, let's welcome Fedde back with the traditional video:

 

 

White Sox 'buy a prospect' from Red Sox

Over the weekend, the White Sox made a kind of trade I can't recall them ever making before. 

They took on a bad contract and added to their payroll for purposes of acquiring a pitching prospect they wanted.

Here's the trade they made with the Boston Red Sox:

Chicago gets: RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP David Sandlin, two players to be named later, $8 million

Boston gets: RHP Gage Ziehl, a player to be named later

The guy the Sox wanted here is Sandlin, who was the No. 8 prospect in the Boston organization. The 24-year-old ascended to Triple-A last season, finishing the year with a 9-6 record and 4.50 ERA. He made 14 starts before moving to the bullpen to accommodate a predetermined innings limit.

I've never seen Sandlin throw a pitch before, but apparently he's 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and can rush it up in the mid-90s. He's another guy who could be in the starting rotation mix by the midpoint of 2026, and we all know the Sox need pitching.

Why would Boston do this deal? Welp, the Red Sox wanted to get rid of Hicks, who has two years and $25 million remaining on a four-year, $44 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.

The Sox are on the hook for all but the $8 million they received in the trade. In effect, they "bought" Sandlin by taking on the majority of Hicks' contract.

Hicks was a decent reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018-23, but after signing with San Francisco in 2024, he converted to starting. That experiment did not go well.

Last season, Hicks was traded from San Francisco to Boston midseason. He did not pitch well at either stop, going a combined 2-7 with a 6.95 ERA in 34 games. He made nine starts with the Giants, but all 21 of his games with the Red Sox were in relief.

According to comments given to Scott Merkin on whitesox.com, Hicks has been throwing in the high-90s in bullpen sessions this winter. Maybe there's still an effective relief pitcher in there somewhere.

The Sox do have some velocity in their bullpen now with Hicks joining Seranthony Dominguez, Grant Taylor and Jordan Leasure. That's not something we could have said at any point in 2025. We'll see who pitches in what role when the season starts. 

White Sox sign OF Austin Hays to 1-year contract

It's time to do a little player comparison, based on 2025 statistics:

Player A: .263/.356/.400, 17 2Bs, 9 HRs, 40 RBIs, 112 OPS+, 1.9 WAR, 93 games

Player B: .266/.315/.453, 16 2Bs, 15 HRs, 64 RBIs, 105 OPS+, 0.8 WAR, 103 games

Player A is Mike Tauchman, the veteran corner outfielder the White Sox brought in on a one-year contract last season.

Player B is Austin Hays, the veteran corner outfielder the White Sox just signed to a one-year deal for 2026. 

It's not an exact apples-to-apples comparison. Hays, 30, is five years younger than Tauchman. And Hays has more power than Tauchman, having hit 15 or more home runs in four of the past five seasons. Tauchman's career high in homers is 13, although he has Hays beat in the on-base percentage category. The shape of the production between these two players is a little different.

Also, Tauchman swings lefty. Hays bats right-handed.

But ultimately, the Sox are swapping one outfielder for another here. Hays is coming off a league-average kind of year with the Cincinnati Reds, and his best skill is the ability to hit left-handed pitching.

Here are his splits for last season:

• vs. LHP: .319/.400/.549
• vs. RHP: .249/.286/.422

That said, Hays did hit 13 of his 15 homers last season against righties, and I don't think he's coming to Chicago to be a platoon bat. He's coming here because there's an opportunity to play every day in a Sox outfield that features a lot of question marks.

Luis Robert Jr. has been traded, creating an open competition in center field.. Andrew Benintendi is the incumbent left fielder, but there are question marks about whether his health will allow him to stand in the outfield every day. Right field is vacant after Tauchman was not tendered a contract offer. Brooks Baldwin will be on the roster, but his role is likely utility-oriented. It doesn't seem probable that he would win an starting outfield spot in camp.

The Sox have accumulated several reclamation projects in the outfield. Luisangel Acuna, acquired in the Robert deal, has been mostly an infielder in his career, but he's playing center field in the Venezuelan winter league. Derek Hill, a glove-first veteran, is another candidate to play center. 

Everson Pereira, a former top prospect in the New York Yankees organization, and Tristan Peters, a castoff from the Tampa Bay Rays, are on the 40-man roster entering spring training. Former top prospect Jarred Kelenic, who struggled with both the Seattle Mariners and the Atlanta Braves, is coming to camp as non-roster invitee. 

Amid all this chaos and uncertainty, it seems pretty likely that Hays is going to be standing in a corner outfield spot on a regular basis for the Sox, provided he's healthy. He did miss 59 games last season with calf and hamstring injuries.

But presuming availability, a healthy Hays provides predictability in a sea of unpredictability. That's why the Sox signed him. 

White Sox memory lane: Hanser Alberto retires

Are there any other White Sox fans out there who chuckled after hearing the news of Hanser Alberto's retirement? 

The 33-year-old utility infielder last played in a major league game on May 31, 2023, with the Sox, of course. After all, Chicago is where middling careers go to die.

Alberto's main claim to fame was batting .439 in spring training 2023, which convinced the Sox to carry him on the roster and designate Leury Garcia for assignment. The move was unthinkable at the time, because Garcia had two years remaining on his contract, and the Sox don't typically eat that sort of deal.

Not to mention, Garcia was beloved by team management, even as he was disliked by some segments of the fan base because he was overused by former manager Tony La Russa in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In any case, Alberto made the club because of his "veteran leadership" and because he "knew Pedro." You see, former manager Pedro Grifol was in his first season with the Sox, and Alberto had played in Kansas City -- where Grifol coached previously -- and the belief was he could get other veterans on the Sox to "buy in" to the new manager. 

Yeah, no, that didn't happen. Alberto batted .220/.261/.390, and he was gone by June 1. The Sox went on to finish 61-101, and there was ample evidence that Sox veterans didn't respect Grifol. They might have even hated his guts. 

The hiring of Grifol is a major misstep in Sox history that probably doesn't get talked about enough. There's been plenty of discussion about La Russa's hiring before the start of the 2021 season.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf came down from on high and undercut general manager Rick Hahn. He forced Hahn to hire La Russa, and it was the wrong decision. La Russa was years past his prime, and he was the wrong guy for the team in place.

Two years later, when La Russa stepped aside because of his declining health, Hahn conducted his own search and brought in his own guy. Somehow, he landed on ... Grifol.

That's the move that finally got Hahn fired late in the 2023 season. After the 101-loss season ended, Grifol was inexplicably brought back for 2024, when he went 28-89 and got fired in August. Grifol's final record as Sox manager: 89-190.

A dead dog probably could have done better than that.

And let's not forget, the Sox began 2023 with sky-high expectations. Jose Abreu had left in free agency, and Liam Hendriks was undergoing cancer treatment. However, the rest of the so-called "championship core" was still in place.

The lineup had Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Yasmani Grandal and Luis Robert Jr. Andrew Benintendi was signed as a free agent, and highly touted draft pick Andrew Vaughn was expected to take Abreu's place.

The pitching staff: Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech, several of the guys who helped the Sox to the AL Central title in 2021 were still present. All of the high-priced bullpen arms that Hahn adored -- Kendall Graveman, Joe Kelly, Aaron Bummer -- they were still here too.

Yet time proved that La Russa got significantly more out of that roster than Grifol, even if La Russa was half asleep in the dugout most of the time. 

It just goes show how bad Grifol was, and a mediocre journeyman like Alberto wasn't going convince anyone in that clubhouse otherwise. 

White Sox sign Seranthony Dominguez to 2-year contract

After the White Sox traded center fielder Luis Robert Jr., general manager Chris Getz said the $20 million the team was saving on Robert's contract would be spent elsewhere.

Well, half that money is accounted for. Relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez will be slated to make $10 million in 2026 as part of a two-year, $20 million contract he will sign with the Sox.

Dominguez, 31, split time in 2025 with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. He appeared in a career-high 67 games and tossed a career-high 62.2 innings, totaling 79 strikeouts, 36 walks and a 3.16 ERA.

Those 79 strikeouts were also a career high for Dominguez, who throws 97 mph and should add some much-needed swing-and-miss stuff to the Sox bullpen. 

Of course, while his 30.3% strikeout rate last season is desirable, his 13.8% walk rate and league-leading 12 wild pitches temper enthusiasm a little bit.

Dominguez is tough on right-handed batters. He limited them to a .132/.269/.182 slash line last season. Left-handers were noticeably better at .277/.371/.446.

It stands to reason that Dominguez could thrive in a role where he faces primarily righties, but the Sox are planning to use him as a closer -- he has 40 saves in seven MLB seasons -- so how he handles lefties could determine his success or failure in a ninth inning role.

Is this the best way for Getz to spend the money he saved on the Robert deal?

Ehh. I've never been a big proponent of spending on relief pitchers when you have a holes in your lineup like Swiss cheese.

The Sox outfield was suspect even before Robert's departure. You figure highly paid veteran Andrew Benintendi is a lock for one roster spot, but the other outfield jobs will be up for grabs among Luisangel Acuna, Brooks Baldwin, Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, Tristan Peters and Jarred Kelenic.

That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, does it? Maybe the Sox should have spent on an outfielder. 

That said, the remaining outfield free agents wouldn't make me feel much better. Harrison Bader and Austin Hays are probably the top two left on the market, and neither moves the needle for me.

Given the track record of the Sox organization in recent years, we should probably be happy that Getz spent his savings on *something*. 

Dominguez is an upgrade over some other pitchers projected for the Sox bullpen, for sure. 

White Sox trade Luis Robert Jr. to New York Mets

It's official: This bobblehead featuring Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr. has been rendered obsolete.

That's because the White Sox on Tuesday cut ties with Robert, the last significant piece of the failed Rick Hahn rebuild, trading him to the New York Mets for all-purpose player Luisangel Acuna and pitcher Truman Pauley.

The Mets are taking on all $20 million of Robert's 2026 salary, in addition to the 2027 team option for $20 million that includes a $2 million buyout.

Some Sox fans seem unhappy with this light of a return, but the fact is Robert is often injured. He's also been unproductive in each of the past two seasons, and he's also expensive.

Injured, unproductive and expensive: Three strikes and you're out. 

Robert was marketed to fans, by Hahn and others, as a future superstar. But aside from the 2023 season, when Robert slugged 38 homers and made his only All-Star team, he was a disappointment.

In fact, that 2023 campaign looks like the outlier, a career year. Here's what Robert has done more recently:

• 2024: .224/.278/.379, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 23 SBs, 100 games, 1.4 WAR, 86 OPS+
• 2025: .223/.297/.364, 14 homers, 53 RBIs, 33 SBs, 110 games, 1.4 WAR, 85 OPS+

These are not superstar numbers, friends. The most reliable Robert skill is his speed, and even that is fleeting given the amount of time he spends on the injured list with ailments in his legs. There were eight players on the 2025 Sox, a 102-loss team, that accumulated more WAR than Robert did last season.

Strangely, you still hear people talk of Robert's upside and "potential," but this is now a 28-year-old player with six years of experience in the league. He is who he is. Believe your eyes. Believe what you are seeing from this player, not what people have told you to expect from him.

Some people will say, why not keep Robert until the trade deadline? See what he does in the first half, and maybe he can rebuild some trade value. 

Well, for starters, that was tried last year. It didn't work. But just for the sake of argument, let's say the Sox keep Robert and he regains his 2023 form. Would that really increase his trade value dramatically? 

I say no.

Why? Because rival GMs would be reluctant to give up premium talent for a player with a long track record of injury. Think about it: Are you going to give up top prospects to acquire Robert for a playoff push, knowing full well that he usually finishes every season on the injured list? If you're a contending team, you're looking for someone more reliable, right? 

You see, the days of Robert as a premium trade asset are long since past, so Sox GM Chris Getz took what he could get.

I understand the fan frustration with hearing about how this trade creates "financial flexibility" for the Sox. The $20 million Robert contract should not be stopping the Sox from spending. Only in cheap owner Jerry Reinsdorf's world was Robert's money preventing the Sox from going out and improving their team. The anger with that is understandable.

But you cannot be angry with this trade return because, well, Robert isn't worth that much.

Acuna, 23. was once the third-rated prospect in the Mets' system, but he's never gotten a full-time opportunity because he's been blocked by veteran players.

He's played in 109 games over two years with New York, with pedestrian results. His career slash line is .248/.299/.341. He's played mostly infield with the Mets, but he's been playing center field with his team in the Venezuelan winter league.

The guess here is the Sox are going to give Acuna a full-time shot to stick in their outfield. He's only 5-foot-8, so he's undersized for an outfielder, but he does have speed and athleticism.

Pauley, 22, was New York's 12th round pick in the 2025 draft. He pitched 4.1 innings at Single-A last season after finishing his collegiate career at Harvard. I would expect him to begin 2026 in A-ball.

Bellinger back to Yankees

With Robert bound for the Mets, that made one less team in the hunt for free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was the best remaining bat on the market coming into Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Bellinger went back to the Yankees on a five-year, $162 million contract. The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons. 

No surprise here. Bellinger was a top priority for the Yankees all offseason, and the two sides finally came to terms. 

Mark Buehrle's Hall of Fame support grows

Former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle is still a long shot to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he had his highest vote total yet this year.

This is Buehrle's sixth year on the ballot, and he garned 85 votes, or 20% of the ballots cast. A candidate must reach 75% in order to earn election to the Hall. A player must receive at least 5% of the vote in order to remain on the ballot.

In case you were wondering, Buehrle got only 11.4% of the vote last year. As recently as 2022, he nearly fell off the ballot when he received 5.8%. So, yes, support is growing, but a player can only remain on the ballot for 10 years, and Buehrle only has four shots left to gain another 55% of support.

It's not likely, but as a Sox fan, I'll pull for him as long as possible.  

Jones, Beltran get Hall call

Outfielders Andruw Jones and Carlos Beltran were elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. 

Jones is known as a stalwart center fielder for the Atlanta Braves. He won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves with Atlanta from 1998 through 2007.  

But he does have a White Sox tie. I was in the stands the day he hit his 400th career home run. Jones played one season on the South Side of Chicago, and he hit that milestone homer off Kansas City right-hander Anthony Lerew on July 11, 2010, at then-U.S. Cellular Field.

Jones appeared on 78.4% of the ballots in his ninth year eligible for election. Among outfielders in the Hall of Fame, he has the lowest lifetime batting average (.254), but the years of brilliant defense carried his candidacy. Jones totaled 24.4 defensive WAR in his career, which is the best of any outfielder in baseball history. 

I'm sure the 434 career homers didn't hurt.

As for Beltran, he received 84.2% of the vote in his fourth year on the ballot. 

A nine-time All-Star, Beltran was a switch-hitting center fielder with both power and speed. He is one of only five players with at least 500 doubles (565), 400 homers (435) and 300 steals (312). The others are Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

With 1,582 runs and 1,587 RBIs, he is one of only 38 players in history with at least 1,500 in each of those categories.

Beltran won a World Series as a member of the 2017 Houston Astros, but his name became linked with the "trash can" sign-stealing scandal involving that team. It cost him an opportunity to manage the New York Mets in 2020, but it did not cost him election to the Hall of Fame.

Jones and Beltran will join Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, as members of the 2026 Hall of Fame class. The induction ceremony is July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. 

Bo Bichette signs with Mets; J.T. Realmuto staying with Phillies

Catching up on some free agent news after the long weekend:

Infielder Bo Bichette is leaving the Toronto Blue Jays. He's signing a three-year deal worth $126 million with the New York Mets, who pivoted after losing out to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes. 

The Mets are going to be an interesting experiment this year. They lost slugging first baseman Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles in free agency, but they've signed Bichette and Jorge Polanco. And they traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to Texas for infielder Marcus Semien.

New York's projected infield is Polanco at first base, Semien at second, Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Bichette at third.

Notably, Polanco has never played first base, and Bichette has never played third. All four of those guys have been middle infielders their whole careers. The Mets are apparently going to test the theory that players with experience at shortstop can stand anywhere else on the field.

The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly made an offer to Bichette, but after he signed with an NL East rival, the Phillies pivoted and retained their longtime starting catcher, J.T. Realmuto, on a three-year, $45 million deal. 

I keep waiting for Philadelphia to do something to shake it up, after it has fallen short repeatedly in the playoffs in recent years. But for the most part, it seems like the Phillies are running it back. They've kept two of their top three free agents this offseason, Realmuto and slugger Kyle Schwarber, who signed for five years and $150 million in December. Philadelphia lost starting pitcher Ranger Suarez to the Red Sox.

The Phillies definitely still look like a playoff team, but it feels like they need to change the mix to get to the World Series and win it. 

Kyle Tucker will join the Los Angeles Dodgers -- of course!

Cue the tweets about how the Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball.

In free agent news that broke late Thursday night, Kyle Tucker is joining the two-time defending champs on a four-year, $240 million contract. The deal reportedly contains opt-outs after the second and third seasons.

Tucker is, of course, a good player. He's probably the top free agent on the market this season -- a 143 OPS+ and a 4.6 WAR with the Cubs in 2025. He batted .266/.377/.464 with 22 homers, 25 doubles and 73 RBIs in 136 games. A lot of that damage came in the first half of the season, as Tucker struggled with injuries the second half of the year.

But is that really worth a $60 million AAV? Ehh, probably not, but it's the Dodgers. They have so much money that they don't know what to do with it. Nobody seems able to outbid them, and even if a signing backfires, they have so much depth that it's almost irrelevant.

They're going to be a hard team to beat.

I'd probably be more pissed off about this if my team were actually competing. Alas, as a White Sox fan, I know there's no chance in hell of a World Series on the South Side of Chicago in 2026. So, what do I really care if the Dodgers win again? 

Sometimes sports are better when there are villains, and I imagine this signing will further galvanize the rest of baseball in hating Los Angeles.

Red Sox to sign LHP Ranger Suarez

Maybe the free agent market in baseball is finally starting to move.

One of the top remaining pitchers available reportedly agreed to terms Wednesday. The Boston Red Sox are bringing in left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez on a five-year, $130 million contract, sources say.

Suarez, 30, has been with the Philadelphia Phillies for the entirety of his eight-year career, totaling 53 wins against 37 losses in 187 career games. Last year, he appeared in 26 games with the Phillies -- all of them starts -- going 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.220 WHIP.

Boston appears set in its starting rotation with Sonny Gray, Suarez, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo lining up behind ace lefty Garrett Crochet. Gray and Oviedo were acquired in trades earlier this offseason, from the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively.

But while it looks as though the Red Sox have the pitching to compete in the rugged AL East, I'm sure their fans are still looking for the team to add a big bat.

Boston traded Rafael Devers to San Francisco last season, and it lost Alex Bregman in free agency last week. 

There are still three big bats available on the free agent market in Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Bo Bichette. 

I'm thinking the Red Sox would prefer to add an infielder. They already have three left-handed-hitting outfielders in Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. That means neither Tucker nor Bellinger are the best fit, as both are lefty-hitting outfielders.That leaves Bichette.

I've developed a habit of recommending teams pursue Bichette, haven't I? I'm a little surprised a 27-year-old who can stand in the middle infield hasn't gotten a free agent contract yet. 

Cardinals trade 3B Nolan Arenado to Diamondbacks

Doesn't it feel as though the St. Louis Cardinals placed third baseman Nolan Arenado on the trade block a lifetime ago?

The Cardinals have been trying to deal him for more than a year. Arenado, who has a full no-trade clause, blocked a deal to the Houston Astros last offseason, as a matter of fact.

On Tuesday, this long saga ended as Arenado waived his no-trade to accept a deal to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In return, St. Louis received right-handed pitching prospect Jack Martinez, who was Arizona's eighth-round pick in the 2025 MLB draft.

In addition, the Cardinals will cover $31 million of the $42 million Arenado is owed over the remaining two years of his contract.

If you think that return seems a little light for a player who has won 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and three National League home run titles, you aren't the only one.

The Cardinals traded an eight-time All-Star for an eighth-round draft pick, and they ate a ton of money to boot. I guess that shows that these two sides were ready for a divorce.

Arenado, 34, is coming off the worst season of his career. Back and hand injuries limited him to 107 games. He finished with a .237/.289/.377 slash line with only 12 homers and 52 RBIs.

The Diamondbacks are hoping Arenado can turn the clock back a few years, and they do have a need at third base after sending Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners at last year's trade deadline.

Rumors tied Arizona to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, but he recently signed with the Cubs. Perhaps that move set the wheels in motion for this deal to be completed.  

NBC's Sunday Night Baseball schedule revealed

It's going to be a little bit weird this season to turn on NBC for Sunday Night Baseball. 

For years, Sunday Night Baseball has been on ESPN, but frankly, the quality of the coverage has waned on ESPN in recent seasons, so I think the move to NBC might be a welcome change. 

NBC will air a pair of games on Opening Day this year, plus a slate of games on Sundays. That schedule has been revealed, and here it is (all times Central):

• Opening Day, March 26: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Mets, noon; Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 7 p.m. 
• April 12: Cleveland at Atlanta, 6 p.m.
• May 31: Cubs at St. Louis, 6 p.m.
• June 7: San Francisco at Cubs, 7 p.m.
• June 14: Texas at Boston 6 p.m.
• June 21: N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
• June 28: N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 6 p.m.
• July 5: N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 11:30 a.m.; San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, 6 p.m.
• July 19: L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Yankees 6 p.m.
• July 26: N.Y. Yankees at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
• Aug. 2: Boston at L.A. Dodgers, 6 p.m.
• Aug. 9: Houston at San Diego, 7 p.m.
• Aug. 16: Seattle at Houston 6 p.m. 
• Aug. 23: San Francisco at Boston, 2 p.m.
• Aug. 30: Cincinnati at Cubs, 2 p.m.; Houston at N.Y. Mets 6 p.m.
• Sept. 6: Atlanta at Philadelphia, 2 p.m.
• Sept. 7: St. Louis at San Francisco, 7 p.m. 

You'll probably notice this schedule feature a lot of teams from bigger markets, with two notable absences. Neither the White Sox nor the Los Angeles Angels get an appearance.

I've seen some grumpy posts on social media from Sox fans, angry that a network has once again snubbed a team that resides in America's third-largest market.

Well, fans, you can thank Jerry Reinsdorf. As a matter of fact, the Sox and the Angels have both sunk into irrelevancy while being plagued by bad ownership. These are teams that should be draws, but they simply are not. It's the price of years of poor management.

Cubs to sign Alex Bregman to five-year, $175 million deal

Last week on this blog, we said the Cubs' acquisition of starting pitcher Edward Cabrera wouldn't mean much if they didn't go all in to sign one of the big four remaining free agent batters.

I suggested the North Siders pursue Bo Bichette. While they did not do that, the Cubs are signing one of the four players on that list, as third baseman Alex Bregman has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth $175 million. 

A three-time All-Star and two-time World Series winner, Bregman was on the free agent market a year ago at this time, but he wasn't finding any offers to his liking. He was coming off a down season in 2024 -- a career-worst .315 OBP.

So, he took a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, with a one-year opt-out. In the hitter-friendly environment at Fenway Park, Bregman bounced back in 2025. He batted .273/.360/.462 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs, even though injuries limited him to 114 games. His OPS+ was 128, which ranks as his fourth-best season in his 10-year career. 

Bregman exercised his opt-out, re-entered free agency, and the bet has paid off in this deal with the Cubs. 

A word about opt-outs, because I've seen some Cubs fans on X suggesting the team reunite with outfielder Kyle Tucker by offering him a high-AAV deal with an opt-out.

If a player is going to take a contract with an opt-out clause, it behooves that player to sign with a team that plays its home games in a hitters' ballpark, which is what Bregman did with Boston last season. 

Perhaps once upon a time Wrigley Field was such a place. But since they put up those scoreboards behind the bleachers there, the wind currents have shifted, and Wrigley is a more pitcher-friendly place.

It's hard to say, "I'll sign with the Cubs, put up big numbers, then opt out after one year and get bigger money," because there are easier places to put up big numbers than in Chicago.

To entice a big free agent bat, the Cubs were going to need to go long term. That's what they've done with Bregman, and it's a big swing they needed to take.

This is the type of move that big market teams should be doing. 

White Sox position players: A way-too-early projection

Last week around this time, I offered some thoughts on how the White Sox pitching staff stacks up as the calendar turns to 2026. 

There is still ample offseason remaining, and there are plenty of free agents still available. So, we're a long way from knowing who the Sox will put on the field on Opening Day. But here's a best guess on who the position players would be as we sit here the second week of January:

C: Kyle Teel. You often hear Teel's name mentioned in the same breath as Edgar Quero, but for this exercise, we need to pick one starting catcher. We'll go with Teel on the basis of his better bat -- a 121 OPS+ last season -- and the fact that he was the centerpiece of the trade return in the deal that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston. That alone makes the organization heavily invested in Teel's success.

1B: Munetaka Murakami: You probably won't see a bigger free agent outlay from the Sox this offseason, after they gave a two-year, $34 million contract to the Japanese slugger. A 25-year-old left-handed batter, Murakami once slugged 56 homers in a season, and he has 246 career home runs over eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. Sure, the swing-and-miss rates are high on this player, but the Sox need power, and this was a worthwhile gamble. At least they did something!

2B: Chase Meidroth: The 24-year-old batted .253/.329/.320 in his rookie season. There isn't much power there, and Meidroth will need to improve upon the 84 OPS+ he posted last year to stick as an everyday player. He's competent at both middle infield positions, which helps his cause, although his arm is more suited to second base.

SS: Colson Montgomery: Just when I was ready to write this guy off as a prospect, he comes to the majors and slugs 21 home runs in 71 games. A .529 slugging percentage will play, but is it sustainable? Montgomery struck out 83 times in 284 plate appearances. You can live with some swing-and-miss with that kind of power, but I would like to see a little more contact this season. The good thing is Montgomery proved to me that he can play shortstop. Unlike Meidroth, he absolutely has the arm strength to play on the left side of the infield.

3B: Miguel Vargas: The acquisition of Murakami moves Vargas across the diamond to third base. The 2025 season was an up-and-down one for Vargas, but after a disastrous Sox debut in 2024, a 1.9 bWAR last year wasn't the worst possible outcome. Vargas batted .234/.316/.401 with 16 homers. You'd like to see him put the ball over the fence a little more, but he did contribute a team-high 32 doubles.

LF: Andrew Benintendi: It feels like the declining veteran has been here forever, but he's only been with the Sox three seasons. He has two years left on his contract, which feels as unmovable as ever. This is the gift from the Rick Hahn era that keeps on giving. Benintendi batted .240/.307/.431 with 20 homers last year. He's essentially a league-average offensive player. But a chronic Achilles' injury has sapped all his defensive value, and the Sox have said he might be slated for more time at DH this season.

CF: Luis Robert Jr.: He's still here! The Sox continue to value Robert Jr. as a premium trade piece, but other teams do not see him in that light. Therefore, I remain skeptical that there's any deal to be made, despite rampant trade rumors. Injuries limited Robert Jr. to 110 games last year. What else is new? He finished the year at .223/.297/.364 with 14 homers and 53 RBIs. He was playing well late in the season until a hamstring injury ended his year Aug. 26. Typical.

RF: Brooks Baldwin: I don't know what the Sox are going to do in right field. Mike Tauchman was non-tendered this offseason, and while there have been a few minor acquisitions in the outfield, none of them scream "starting right fielder" to me. We figure Baldwin will make the team and play somewhere, so let's put him in right field for now. Baldwin improved with the bat in the second half last season, hitting seven of his 11 homers and posting a .769 OPS after the All-Star break.

DH: Lenyn Sosa: What to do with Sosa? We can't ignore the fact that he led the Sox with 22 homers and 75 RBIs last season. But we also can't ignore that it only resulted in a 101 OPS+, because Sosa struck out 127 times and drew only 18 walks. We also can't ignore that Sosa doesn't play any position well. He can stand at first base or second, but he'll hurt your defense at either spot. Can they just put him at DH and hope for another 20 to 25 homers? A lot of Sox podcasters think a Sosa trade is coming, but rival GMs are aware of his shortcomings, too.

Bench

C: Quero: The 22-year-old didn't have a lot of power in his offensive profile, but you can do worse than .268/.338/.392 as a rookie. Quero has a good sense of the strike zone for a young hitter, and while his receiving behind the plate still needs work, he's pretty good at picking guys off third base. He'll at least get a couple of starts a week behind the plate, and we'll see how the Sox handle the DH spot this year. Will both Teel and Quero be in the lineup at the same time? 

INF: Curtis Mead: The 25-year-old infielder came over in a midseason trade with Tampa Bay last year, but he didn't do much with the opportunities he got in 41 games. He didn't hit a single homer in a Sox uniform -- a red flag for a corner infielder -- and batted just .240/.280/.304. Supposedly, much like Vargas the prior year, the Sox had some "offseason adjustments" they wanted Mead to make. He's out of options, so his time could be running out. But I think he's on the roster for now.

OF: Derek Hill: Somebody has got to play center field when Robert Jr. is ouchie, right? I figure that's the reason the Sox tendered the journeyman Hill a contract. The 29-year-old is on his sixth organization because he's a lifetime .229 hitter. He's not going to give you much with the bat, but hey, he can play the outfield. That's a skill. Michael A. Taylor has retired, so Hill seems to be penciled into that role for now. 

C: Korey Lee: I don't know what to do with the final bench spot, so I'll give it to the most competent guy on the 40-man roster who I haven't mentioned. That's Lee, who has a good throwing arm behind the plate and seems to work with pitchers well. Unlike other catchers, he has some base running ability, so he can be used as a pinch runner late in the game for the slow-footed Quero. And hey, if you want to DH either Teel or Quero, it's probably not a bad idea to have Lee around on the bench for catching emergencies. This probably isn't a great case for keeping Lee, but I'm not impressed with the other options.

Speaking of other options, they include outfielders Everson Pereira and Tristan Peters, and infielder Bryan Ramos. The Sox also inked post-hype prospect Jarred Kelenic to a minor league deal, so he'll be another name to watch in spring for the outfield mix.

But anyway, I'm hoping the Sox add another outfielder to the roster at some point, and then Baldwin can shift back into the utility role that best suits him. Only 76 days until the season begins. What will change between now and then? 

Cubs acquire Edward Cabrera, send top prospect to Marlins

The Cubs moved to strengthen their starting rotation on Wednesday, acquiring 27-year-old right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

The acquisition cost was not insignificant. The North Siders sent outfielder Owen Caissie, their top overall prospect, to Miami, along with infielders Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon.

The Cubs most definitely needed to add starting pitching this offseason, as their rotation was depleted by injury and ineffectiveness in 2025, and that contributed to their NLDS loss to Milwaukee Brewers.

In Cabrera, they are getting a pitcher coming off his best season. He started 26 games with Miami last year, going 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA. He struck out 150 batters (against 48 walks) over 137.2 innings pitched. His fastball averages 96.8 mph, and he also has a curve, slider and changeup.

The main concern for Cabrera: injuries. The 26 starts last season were a career high. Until 2025, he had never thrown more than 100 innings in a season. Even in a relatively healthy year, Cabrera experienced posterior elbow discomfort last July, and he also missed time in September with a right elbow sprain.

The bottom line: Cabrera is a talented pitcher, and he's effective when healthy. He joins a Cubs rotation that includes Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. The Cubs are hoping to get left-hander Justin Steele (elbow surgery) back sometime during the first half of 2026.

Earlier in the offseason, the Cubs were connected to free agent pitchers Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), Michael King (Padres) and Tatsuya Imai (Astros). They obviously did not convert on any of those targets, necessitating this move.

This ends speculation that Caissie will be the Cubs' replacement for Kyle Tucker in the outfielder. Tucker, who played well for the Cubs in the first half of 2025 before being a combination of injured and bad in the second half, remains a free agent.

The Cubs obviously are in win-now mode, and this Cabrera deal is a win-now move. Last year, I was critical of the Cubs because I didn't think they were aggressive enough in addressing their starting pitching at the trade deadline. They acquired Tucker as a one-year rental last offseason, and they should have pushed their chips to the center of the table to win in 2025.

Instead, they tinkered around the edges of their roster at the deadline, adding guys like Michael Soroka and Willi Castro. They ended up getting their lunch money taken -- again -- by the small-market Brewers, who have been the best team in the NL Central in recent years despite their limited resources. 

Going after Cabrera is not without risk because of the injury history, but I think it's a worthwhile risk -- as long as the Cubs do not stop there.

If they aren't going to bring back Tucker, that's fine, but then they need to sign one of the other major free agents hitters still available -- Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette or Cody Bellinger.

If I'm the Cubs, and I most certainly am not, I'm going after Bichette. 

SoxFest boycott to continue in 2026

When the last weekend in January comes, I'll once again have the feeling that I ought to be doing something. Alas, we will once again be boycotting SoxFest on the grounds that team management is giving us a cheapened experience.

In years past, we were regulars at SoxFest. It used to be a three-day event at a downtown Chicago hotel. It was at the Hyatt. Then it was at the Palmer House. Then it was at the Hilton. In 2020, it was at McCormick Place, and we stayed at one of the adjacent hotels.

Somewhere along the line, it got reduced from three days to two, because "people want to watch the NFL." I'd rather poke my eyes out than watch an NFL game, but SoxFest was still a fun event even when it was two days.

Even if the team was expected to suck (which most of the time it did), you got to spend a weekend in January in the city, mingling with other baseball people and talking baseball with your friends. It was good for the soul.

And I'll be honest: Even though I'm no longer a season ticket holder, and even though I think the 2026 White Sox are going to be bad, if they had an old-school SoxFest like back in the day, I'd buy a weekend pass in a second.

But that's not what they're doing, and they haven't done it for a while. From 2021-23, the Sox canceled the event, hiding behind the COVID-19 excuse for two years longer than they should have.

In 2024, the Sox conducted a lame meet-and-greet for season ticket holders at the Chicago Field Museum. I mean, who wouldn't want to rub elbows with Pedro Grifol and the members of a team that was destined to go 41-121? I wasn't welcome because I had canceled my tickets, and frankly, I didn't want to go anyway.

Then last year, they gave fans a "reimagined SoxFest Live" at the "historic Ramova Theatre" in Bridgeport. That's the format this year, too, with the event scheduled for Jan. 30-31. Only season ticket holders are welcome on Friday, and apparently, the program is the exact same thing on both days.

I heard that last year, fans weren't allowed to ask their own questions of the GM and manager. Only "preapproved" questions were allowed, and broadcaster Len Kasper did all the asking.

No thanks, if I'm going to pay money for this, I want to ask my own questions -- not listen to Kasper ask Will Venable how he uses analytics. That's the equivalent of an interview you can hear on the pregame show every day during the season. This is supposed to be a fan event, so let the fans speak.

Right now, the list of players scheduled to appear is unimpressive. For what it's worth, quite a few of the guys who matter on the 2026 roster will be there: Davis Martin, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Luis Robert Jr., Shane Smith, Grant Taylor, Kyle Teel and Miguel Vargas. Also on the list are prospects Tanner McDougal and Sam Antonacci.

But no former players? Forgive me, but us older guys like it when the players of the past come back. They have the best stories, and no longer being in the league, they tend to be more candid and less guarded than the athletes of today. 

Honestly, what's the appeal here? You want me to spend money to hang out for three hours in a small, renovated theater with no parking to hear guys respond to canned questions and recite cliches about how they hope to improve upon last year's 60-102 record?

I'll pass. Bring back the old SoxFest, and I'll come back. I promise. 

Baseball's offseason: A year of slow free agency

Can we all agree now that baseball has the slowest-moving and most boring offseason of all the major sports?

The World Series ended more than two months ago, and free agency has been open for weeks. Still, some of the biggest names on the market are still without a team as the calendar turns to 2026.

It's odd. Wouldn't you think all 30 teams would have interest in these players?

• Outfielder Kyle Tucker, who is a four-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner and 2022 World Series champion.
• Third baseman Alex Bregman, who is a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. 
• Infielder Bo Bichette, who is a two-time All-Star and led the American League in hits in both 2021 and 2022.
• Outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was National League MVP in 2019, a two-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger winner and 2020 World Series champion. 

None of these players are old and washed. Bregman is the oldest of the four at age 31; Bichette is the youngest at 27. These are players in their prime, but none have a contract as yet.

How about these starting pitchers:

• Framber Valdez, who has finished in the top five of the AL Cy Young voting in three of the past four years and is a 2022 World Series champion.
• Ranger Suarez, who is 16 games over .500 and has a 3.38 ERA for his career.
• Zac Gallen, who had a down season last year but still won 13 games, and has finished in the top 10 of NL Cy Young voting three times in his career. 

They could be yours, if the price is right.

Need a catcher? How about J.T. Realmuto? Third baseman Eugenio Suarez hit 49 home runs last season. He's still available. Three-time batting champ Luis Arraez is also on the market.

From a Chicago perspective, we know the White Sox won't be bidding on any of these higher-end free agents. But we also know they want to add pitching -- both in the rotation and in the bullpen. There are middle-tier options out there.

Free agent starting pitchers include old friends Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Jose Quintana. Others available are Zack Littell, Walker Buehler and Nick Martinez. How about a future Hall of Famer? Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are free agents.

There are old friends on the relief market too: Michael Kopech, Liam Hendriks and David Robertson. Also without a team are Seranthony Dominguez and Rock Falls High School product Jakob Junis.

See anything you like on that list? For Jan. 6, that's a lot of accomplished players looking for work. 

Maybe White Sox know they need starting pitching

"We had a seat at the table."

The White Sox were reportedly one of the bidders for Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who recently signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros that could be worth up to $54 million.

The deal includes player opt-outs after both the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Imai, 27, is a three-time All-Star in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, and he had a career-best season with the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2025, going 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings.

The Astros are likely to lose left-hander Framber Valdez in free agency, so Imai fills a gap for them and joins Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier as the top options in the Houston starting rotation.

From a Sox perspective, I saw a whole bunch of fans on social media hopeful the team could land Imai, after the South Siders' surprise signing of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami earlier this offseason.

Alas, there were a few reasons to be skeptical:

• Scott Boras is Imai's agent, and there's probably a fair chance the Sox were being used as leverage.
• Imai was obviously interested in player opt-outs, a concept that causes Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to break out in hives.
• The Sox have a negative reputation that precedes them.

There was a report from Yahoo! Japan that said the Sox "are viewed internationally as a favorable destination barring one hurdle -- the delayed transition from owner Jerry Reinsdorf to Justin Ishbia."

Reinsdorf, the report continued, "represents a culture of shame misaligned with Japan's competitive integrity."

A culture of shame? That's an interesting way of saying it. We can't disagree with Japan on this point, can we? Reinsdorf's "culture of shame" and three consecutive seasons of 100 losses or more have prevented me from buying a season ticket package in each of the past two years.

But I digress. What can we take away from the Sox's failed bid to acquire Imai? At least they know they need to acquire another starting pitcher. They whiffed on this target. Let's hope they are now in contact with the next starter on their list, whomever that may be.