White Sox catcher Kyle Teel out another 3-6 weeks

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel will miss another three to six weeks after spraining the lateral collateral ligament is his right knee Saturday while playing in a rehab game with Triple-A Charlotte.

Teel has not played a game with the Sox yet this season after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain on March 10, during a game in which he was representing Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

Coming into the 2026 season, we expected catching to be a Sox strength, with both Teel and Edgar Quero coming off respectable rookie years in 2025.

Instead, it's been one of the weaker position groups. Sunday's performance notwithstanding, it's been a terrible start for Quero. Here's a look at what the Sox have gotten from their catchers heading into Monday's game against the Seattle Mariners:

• Quero: .176/.264/.220, 1 HR, 1 2B, 10 RBIs, 28 Ks, 9 BBs
• Drew Romo: .184/.340/.553, 4 HRs, 2 2Bs, 7 RBIs, 10 Ks, 8 BBs
• Reese McGuire: .172/.273/.172, 0 HR, 0 2B, 3 RBIs, 9 Ks, 2 BBs (given his release) 

At least Romo is hitting for power. It seems the coaching staff trusts him more than Quero at this point, because Romo was in the starting lineup Monday against the Mariners -- even after Quero walked off the Cubs on Sunday.

And rightfully so. Romo has outplayed Quero over the past few weeks. But this is still a lineup hole that could cause the Sox a problem until Teel returns -- if he returns.

We probably won't see him until July at this point. 

Edgar Quero walks off Cubs; Sox complete 7-2 homestand

Rate Field on May 13. (Photo by Jason Bauman)

Struggling White Sox catcher Edgar Quero picked the ideal time for his first home run of the season.

Quero, who entered Sunday's game against the crosstown Cubs batting .151 with a .163 slugging percentage, picked on the first pitch he saw from Ryan Rolison in the bottom of the 10th inning and smacked it over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer to give the Sox a 9-8 victory over the hated and despised North Siders.

The Sox took two out of three over the weekend at Rate Field, picking up their first series victory over the Cubs since 2022. 

It was hard-earned.

Sox starter Erick Fedde didn't have good stuff. He needed 84 pitches to get through the first three innings, and after allowing the first two Cubs batters to reach base in the top of the fourth, he was mercifully removed from the game.

Fedde's final line: three innings pitched, six hits, four runs (all earned), four walks, two strikeouts. Fortunately, the Sox only trailed 4-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth. With the traffic the Cubs had on the bases, it easily could have been 7-1.

Instead, the Sox remained within striking distance. They scored one in the fourth, and then tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by Miguel Vargas.

Meanwhile, the Sox bullpen held the line. Sean Newcomb tossed two scoreless innings. Grant Taylor tossed two scoreless innings. Bryan Hudson pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth to keep it at 4-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Tristan Peters took his shot at being the unlikely hero. With two outs, he connected for his first MLB homer off Cubs reliever Phil Maton. It was a 3-run shot that gave the Sox a 7-4 lead going to the top of the ninth.

That should have been the decisive blow, but alas, Seranthony Dominguez has been an adventure as Sox closer. And he had another misadventure Sunday.

Alex Bregman walked to lead off the top of the ninth. After Ian Happ struck out, Seiya Suzuki reached on a two-base throwing error by Vargas that placed runners on second and third.

When a multi-run lead is blown, usually walks and errors are part of it. Dominguez fell behind in the count, 3-1, to Michael Conforto, and the Cubs outfielder blasted the next pitch out to center for a 3-run homer to tie the game at 7-7.

The Sox left two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to extras. The Cubs got their ghost runner across against reliever Tyler Davis (2-1), with Bregman picking up the RBI on a slowly hit grounder to short.

But Davis did a good job of preventing further damage and gave the Sox a chance in the bottom of the inning.

After Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice bunt moved ghost runner Chase Meidroth over to third, the struggling Quero delivered perhaps the biggest hit of his career thus far, sending those dressed in black in the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sox are 24-22, one game back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. For the homestand, the South Siders went 7-2, winning two of three from the Seattle Mariners and sweeping the Kansas City Royals prior to the Cubs series.

I made it to Rate Field for the middle game of the Kansas City series, after a co-worker who is a Royals fan invited me to the game. I took the above photo in the bottom of the eighth inning that night, with Munetaka Murakami at the plate.

As you can see, the fans haven't really come back from these past three miserable seasons. Sure, all these games against the Cubs were sellouts, but all the losing and lousy Jerry Reinsdorf ownership has hit everybody hard.

But maybe more homestands like this will slowly rejuvenate interest in this team. There's a lot of baseball left to be played, and it's a long road back to relevance. But punking the Cubs is one way for the Sox to get a little more mention on the sports talk shows and in the national press. 

Angels snap White Sox back to reality

There was a moment Tuesday night when it looked as though the White Sox might take sole possession of first place in the pillow fight known as the AL Central.

The Detroit Tigers had lost to the Boston Red Sox. The Cleveland Guardians had lost to the Kansas City Royals. Both Detroit and Cleveland had fallen to 18-19, and with a win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Sox could have gotten to 18-18 and leapfrogged them both.

The Sox even took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Ha! You didn't really think that was going to happen, did you? If the Sox had taken over first place, I would have been worried about the Earth possibly spinning off its axis.

The Sox left the bases loaded in the ninth inning and lost the game, 4-3. I wouldn't say they should have won it, but they most certainly could have.

With runners on first and third and one out in the ninth, Colson Montgomery got a 2-0 fastball right in the middle of home plate and fouled it off. The at-bat continued, and Montgomery fanned on a hanging slider for the second out.

Jarred Kelenic also got a hanging slider moments later, but he fouled it off. Any of those three pitches -- two to Montgomery and one to Kelenic -- could have been put in play hard and likely tied or won the game for the Sox. 

While Kelenic eventually worked a walk to load the bases, the game found Edgar Quero, who is batting .154 this season. Quero grounded out to second to end the game.

Most of us were probably hoping the Sox would bounce back in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Alas, it was a bad day for starting pitcher Noah Schultz, and the defense behind him wasn't especially good.

The Angels shellacked the Sox, 8-2. 

The Guardians beat the Royals on Wednesday night, so they are now in first place at 19-19. The Tigers lost to the Red Sox again. They are 18-20. The Sox and Royals are tied for third at 17-20, 1.5 games back. The Minnesota Twins are last at 16-21.  

Like I said, a pillow fight. 

The Sox finished their road trip 3-3, which honestly is about what you'd expect. It just came in a different shape than maybe I expected. I figured they'd lose two of three in San Diego, and beat the Angels two of three.

It turned out to be the exact opposite. That's baseball for you. 

Braden Montgomery promoted to Triple-A Charlotte

The White Sox announced on Sunday afternoon that outfielder Braden Montgomery has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte.

Montgomery, 23, is the No. 73 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America's top 100 list. In 27 games at Double-A Birmingham this season, he batted .313/.429/.606 with six homers, five doubles, three triples and 22 RBIs.

The swing-and-miss in Montgomery's game remains at issue, as he struck out 32 times in 126 plate appearances. However, he did draw 21 walks.

Given the Sox's unstable outfield situation at the big-league level, fans should cross their fingers and hope Montgomery can conquer Triple-A pitching in relatively short order. A call-up to Chicago sometime later in 2026 would be nice to see.

Let's take a look at what the Sox have gotten out of their outfielders so far this season, with all numbers entering Monday's action:

• Sam Antonacci: .255/.361/.431, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 121 OPS+ in 61 plate appearances
• Luisangel Acuna: .169/.235/.182, 0 HR, 3 RBIs, 19 OPS+ in 86 plate appearances
• Everson Pereira: .250/.310/.453, 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 111 OPS+ in 77 plate appearances
• Andrew Benintendi: .200/.241/.350, 2 HRs, 15 RBIs, 64 OPS+ in 108 plate appearances
• Tristan Peters: .284/.346/.324, 0 HR, 5 RBIs, 89 OPS+ in 83 plate appearances
• Austin Hays: .233/.250/.326, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 60 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Derek Hill: .263/.349/.421, 2 HRs 3 RBIs, 115 OPS+ in 44 plate appearances
• Jarred Kelenic: .167/.286/.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 31 OPS+ in 7 plate appearances 

It's not great, is it? Pereira has shown encouraging signs when healthy, but he's on the injured list for the second time already this season. The same is true for Hays, who hit the 10-day injured list Monday with a left calf strain.

It's gotten so bad for the Sox that they signed Randal Grichuk off the scrap heap Monday. The 34-year-old veteran batted .194 in 16 games with the New York Yankees before being designated for assignment in late April. 

He takes Hays' spot on the roster immediately after inking a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. 

So, indeed, the Sox could use a fixture for at least one spot in their outfield. I don't see that guy among this current group. Let's hope Montgomery comes quick. 

White Sox 'settle' for 2 out of 3 at San Diego

The San Diego Padres are 20-13 this season, so I can't complain about the White Sox taking two out of three at Petco Park over the weekend.

The results of this series are disappointing only in the sense that the Sox won the first two and had a legitimate chance to sweep on Sunday. Alas, the Padres scored late to salvage the final game, and the Sox saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to an end.

Here's a look back at what has to be considered a successful weekend for the Sox:

Friday, May 1

White Sox 8, Padres 2. Munetaka Murakami's 3-run homer capped a six-run second inning that put the Sox in full command of the series opener. It was the Japanese slugger's 13th home run of the season, and he concludes the weekend's action tied for the American League lead in that category with reigning league MVP Aaron Judge.

The run support helped rookie lefty Noah Schultz settle down. Schultz (2-1) walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and needed 29 pitches to get through the inning. But after being staked to a 6-0 lead, he only needed 58 pitches to get through the next five innings. When his outing was over, he had thrown six shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He did not walk another batter from the second inning on.

Colson Montgomery hit his ninth home run of the season for the Sox, and Sam Antonacci went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Saturday, May 2

White Sox 4, Padres 0. Sox right-hander Sean Burke matched zeroes with San Diego's Michael King until the South Siders finally broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Miguel Vargas blooped a two-run single into shallow right field to give the Sox the only two runs they would need. The Sox added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Edgar Quero and a safety squeeze by Tristan Peters.

Burke (2-2) was unscored upon for his second consecutive outing. He struck out eight over six innings, allowing four hits with only one walk.

San Diego loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Seranthony Dominguez entered the game in relief of Grant Taylor to get two outs and record his eighth save of the season. This is notable because no Sox pitcher recorded more than seven saves for the entirety of the 2025 campaign. 

Sunday, May 3

Padres 4, White Sox 3. With runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a check-swing roller up the third-base line for an infield single that plated the go-ahead run for the Padres.

The Sox got the tying run to second base in the top of the ninth when Peters singled and stole second, but San Diego closer Mason Miller fanned Luisangel Acuna on three pitches to earn his 11th save of the season. 

The Padres grabbed a 3-1 lead with three runs in the fourth off Sox starter Anthony Kay. Luis Andujar and Manny Machado each homered during the San Diego rally. The Sox answered in the seventh when Derek Hill hit his second homer of the season, a 2-run shot, to tie it at 3.

Alas, Sox reliever Tyler Davis (0-1) issued a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, and that runner ended up scoring when Bryan Hudson gave up the infield single to Bogaerts.

Drew Romo also homered for the Sox, his third of the season. Kay pitched five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He stuck out five and walked one. 

The Sox are 16-18. They had to Anaheim for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, starting Monday night. 

Munetaka Murakami: No, the White Sox should not trade him

Do you remember what I wrote on Feb. 17? Probably not, so here's a refresher:

"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." 

Sure enough, the White Sox are 14-17 on May 1. They went 13-13 in April, and this is a significant step forward from where they were on this date the past three years. In case, you had forgotten, here's a brutal reminder:

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

The Sox sit in third place in the American League Central, only 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. Both the Guardians and the Tigers are 16-16 at the conclusion of Thursday's play. 

In fact, only three teams in the AL -- the New York Yankees (20-11), the Tampa Bay Rays (18-12) and the Sacramento Athletics (17-14) -- have winning records as the calendar turns to May.

So, the Sox are still in contention because the rest of the league is soft, but they are in contention nonetheless. It would be easier to take them seriously if their record were, say, reversed at 17-14. I have a hard time getting excited about a team that has a losing record, and no, I still do not expect the Sox to be in the race this season.

That said, I've seen some fans and media talking about whether the team should trade first baseman Munetaka Murakami for prospects at some point.

Murakami is leading the AL with 12 home runs, and he ranks among the top 10 in the league with a .564 slugging percentage. 

Here's my reaction to this discussion: Hell no, the Sox should not trade Murakami. If he continues to play at the level he's played at through 31 games, then he's a core piece of the team. He's only 26 years old, and he's entering what should be the prime of his career. That's a player you build with, if not build around.

You see, here's the problem with this latest Sox rebuild. ... What exactly have they built? Coming into this season, there wasn't a single player in place that you would call a cornerstone. Sure, there are some guys that you *hope* will become cornerstones, but there's uncertainty all over the diamond.

The Sox have just been churning their roster the past couple of years. If a guy plays well, he gets dealt for prospects. If a guy plays poorly, he gets designated for assignment. Year over year, more than half the roster exits. Another group of "value adds" arrives. Wash, rinse, repeat with no continuity.

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to keep some guys who play well and try to build a roster, you know, instead of just serving as a farm club for other teams around MLB. Act like a big-market team for a change.

5 White Sox players off to decent-to-good starts

Even after beating the Athletics two games out of three over the weekend in Sacramento, the White Sox are 8-14.

I don't think the organization is pleased with this start, although it shouldn't be surprising given the subpar nature of the roster. There are, however, some glimmers of hope.

In a rare moment of positivity, I present five Sox players who are off to decent-to-good starts in 2026:

1. Davis Martin. The right-hander has 37.5% of the Sox wins, having gone 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his first four starts. Even in his one loss, Martin tossed seven innings of two-run ball -- he just didn't get any run support in that game. In his most recent start, Martin again went seven innings, allowing only one run in a 9-2 win Friday over the Athletics. He leads the team in innings pitched (25), strikeouts (19) and bWAR (1.1).

2. Munetaka Murakami. The comparisons to Kyle Schwarber have started. Perhaps that's a little premature, as the rookie from Japan only has 22 games under his belt. But much like Schwarber, Murakami has been a productive three-true-outcome hitter to this point. He homered in all three games of the series against the Athletics, increasing his team-best total to eight. Murakami is batting only .208, but he leads the Sox in walks (20), RBIs (16), on-base percentage (.376) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.542). Sure, he's struck out 31 times in 93 plate appearances, but his .918 OPS and 161 OPS+ are exactly what the Sox were hoping to see. 

3. Noah Schultz. The rookie posted three dominant starts at Triple-A Charlotte to force his way into the majors. The left-hander's first MLB start was shaky -- more specifically, his first inning was shaky as he gave up three runs in an 8-5 loss to Tampa Bay. But Schultz has allowed only two runs in the 8.1 innings since, and he picked up his first career victory Sunday, when he limited the Athletics to just one hit over five innings in a 7-4 win. Schultz is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA since joining the Sox, with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9.1 innings pitched. 

4. Everson Pereira. The 25-year-old outfielder is the one reclamation project on this roster who has shown us something in the early going. Pereira has dealt with injuries this season, including an ankle problem that kept him on the shelf for the first two weeks of April. But since rejoining the lineup on April 14, Pereira has gone 7 for 21 with three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. He has struck out 12 times in only 37 plate appearances, so there's plenty of swing-and-miss in his game. But the contact has been loud, as evidenced by his .297/.366/.649 slash line. It's a small sample, but that slugging percentage leads the team.  

5. Colson Montgomery. Despite the weird-looking offensive profile, Montgomery leads Sox position players in bWAR at 0.7. Some of that has to do with his defense at shortstop, where he has not yet committed an error this season. Give Montgomery credit for his glove. Throughout his pro career, he's faced questions about whether he can stick at shortstop. He may not win a Gold Glove anytime soon, but his defense has been more than serviceable. His slash line is at .200/.318/.453, with five homers, four doubles and 13 RBIs. He still strikes out a lot, 28 times in 88 plate appearances. But if Montgomery continues to post a 120 OPS+ with above-average defense at short, can we really complain? I would say no.

Up next for the Sox: three games at Arizona, starting Tuesday night at 8:40 Central. 

Noah Schultz to make MLB debut on Tuesday

White Sox top pitching prospect Noah Schultz is expected to make his MLB debut Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rate Field.

The 6-foot-10 left-hander out of Oswego East High School was the organization's first-round pick at No. 26 overall in the 2022 draft.  

There are two things that came to mind when I heard this news:

1. The move seems reasonable. Fans are forever worried about "rushing" prospects to the majors, but the other school of thought says, "There's no such thing as a pitching prospect." With the high volume of arm injuries around professional baseball, it seems senseless to allow a pitcher to waste bullets dominating Triple-A.

And Schultz has been dominating Triple-A. In three games with Charlotte this season, he's 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA. In 14 innings pitched, he's allowed only two earned runs on four hits. He's struck out 19 and walked just two.

Neither right-handed nor left-handed batters have done much with Schultz. He was drafted as a sinker-slider pitcher, and those two pitches in combination with his arm angle allow him to dominate lefties. But he's added a cutter and a changeup to his mix to help him keep righties at bay.

In fact, Schultz is a five-pitch pitcher now: four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter, slider, change. I would expect to see mostly two-seamers and sliders against lefties, and two-seamers and cutters against righties. The four-seamer and the changeup are more for show than anything, based upon scouting reports I've read.

The other thing is, there's a need in Chicago. Shane Smith was sent to Charlotte to work out his problems, so somebody has to start in that spot. Schultz has earned the opportunity. It's OK to see what he does with it.

2. The hype is unnecessary and ridiculous. Yes, it's exciting news when a top prospect is called up. Fans are looking forward to seeing Schultz in a Sox uniform. But the three hours of Schulz programming on Chicago Sports Network leading into Tuesday's game seems a little excessive.

You can watch replays of a previous outing from Schultz, hear him on the Chuck Garfien podcast and watch the "Road to the Chi" special featuring him Tuesday before the game. Good grief, no pressure, kid. Let's hope he doesn't give up five runs in 2.1 innings or something like that.

It's always a little rough when a promising prospect is called up into a losing situation. The Sox are 6-10. They haven't looked great, and fans and team media are looking for anything they can clutch onto to create excitement. Sometimes that leads to a young kid being treated as Lord and Savior.

We should take a lesson from Gordon Beckham, Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Pump the brakes a little on the hype. Give the kid some air, and let's hope his talent shines through. 

White Sox option Shane Smith to Triple-A Charlotte

It hasn't been two weeks since Shane Smith made the Opening Day start for the White Sox, but the team optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte before the start of Wednesday afternoon's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Smith, who made the All-Star team as a rookie last season, has been a disaster in his first three starts of the season. He's 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA, and he's covered only 8.1 innings in those outings. His control has been brutal, as he's walked nine batters already in that small sample size. Combine that with the 12 hits he's allowed, and that's simply too many guys reaching base.

Even though Smith was unscored upon Tuesday in his outing against the Orioles, you cannot say it was a good performance. He needed 99 pitches to work 3.2 innings. While he allowed only one hit, he walked five. 

To be fair, Smith struck out eight, so the outing wasn't a total bust. In a strange anomaly, none of the first 11 Baltimore batters put a ball in play -- six strikeouts, four walks and a hit batsman.

However, Smith has yet to throw a pitch in the fifth inning this season, and the Sox cannot afford such short outings from a starting pitcher who is supposed to be a mainstay.

Smith only covered 11 outs Tuesday, which left 16 outs for the bullpen to cover while protecting a slim 2-1 lead. They couldn't do it -- Baltimore scored three runs in the eighth and won 4-2.

Tyler Schweitzer was called up to take Smith's place on the roster and bolster the depleted bullpen. The lefty made his MLB debut in relief on Wednesday, allowing a run in 1.1 innings as the Sox dropped their third straight to the Orioles, 5-3.

Strangely, Baltimore has won its last 11 games at Rate Field. I don't feel as though the Orioles has been a great team during this stretch, so that's a testament to how bad the Sox have been.

But don't you worry: the next four Sox games are at Kansas City, a place where the Sox have lost 14 in a row and 19 of their last 21. It's been more than two years since the Sox last beat the Royals in Kansas City (Sept. 6, 2023).

There's nothing that says your franchise is a joke more than having multiple streaks like this going on at the same time.

The Sox are 4-8. 

Orioles snap modest White Sox winning streak

It's too cold to hit. Boo hoo hoo.

Or maybe the White Sox were just due to lose after their surprising three-game sweep of the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.

The Sox outscored Toronto 14-7 in their three weekend victories, but they were limited to only four hits Monday in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field. 

(Sidebar: The Blue Jays lost 14-2 to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, so perhaps Toronto is in a slump right now.)

One trend that's emerging for the Sox: the use of Grant Taylor as an opener. The right-hander has started three of the four games on the homestand, working a scoreless first inning each time.

In his two starts against Toronto, Taylor needed only nine pitches to get three outs both times. On Monday, he worked around a leadoff double by Baltimore's Taylor Ward.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe give Taylor two innings, if he's efficient in his first inning and the team thinks his future is as a starting pitcher.

Erick Fedde (0-2) pitched well over six innings on Monday, as well, allowing two runs. But that was enough to get him beat on a night when the Sox didn't do much of anything offensively.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young (1-0) was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in his previous 12 career starts, but he tossed five shutout innings against the Sox. He allowed only two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Sox threatened. They scored their only run off Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley, who hung over for his third save of the season.

Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas worked back-to-back walks to start the ninth. They advanced to third on a groundout by Colson Montgomery. Pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa grounded out, scoring Murakami for the lone Sox run of the game.

An infield single by Andrew Benintendi moved Vargas to third, but with two outs and runners at the corners. Helsely struck out Edgar Quero to end the game.

The Sox lost left fielder Austin Hays to a strained hamstring in the fourth inning. It's fair to expect a trip to the injured list and a roster move before Tuesday's game against Baltimore, which has been moved up to 2:10 p.m. because of the unseasonable cold in Chicago. 

Not that it's going to be much warmer in the afternoon.

The Sox are 4-6. 

White Sox vs. Blue Jays pitching matchups

Here are your pitching matchups for the first series of the season at Rate Field, as the White Sox prepare to face the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays:

(Sox starter listed first) 

Friday, 1:10 p.m.

Sean Burke (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (0-0, 1.69 ERA)

Saturday, 1:10 p.m.

Anthony Kay (0-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Eric Lauer (1-0, 3.38 ERA)

Sunday, 1:10 p.m.

Davis Martin (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. TBD 

A melancholy feeling as White Sox begin home schedule

Rate Field (Photo by Jason Bauman)

The White Sox were supposed to open the home portion of their schedule Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Somewhat fittingly after the team's 1-5 disaster of a road trip to start the year, the game was postponed until Friday because of the forecast of inclement weather.

When it rains, it pours.

For the fourth consecutive season, I am choosing not to attend Opening Day at Rate Field. In fact, I have not purchased tickets for one single game in Chicago, and I do not intend to do so this season.

It's a difficult decision, but the team the Sox are putting on the field and the lackluster ballpark experience are not worth my valuable time and money -- and it's been this way for a while now.

The first home game used to be one of my favorite days of the year. Now, it is one of my least favorite days. It brings me great sadness what has happened to my baseball team.

Here's what Opening Day means to me now: 

• It means once-great traditions that have turned sour. 
• It means friendships that are not being renewed because we can't in good conscious give Jerry Reinsdorf our money anymore. 
• It means a sense of dread for the coming year, wondering how many games the Sox are going to lose this time. 
• It means well-meaning people wishing us "Happy Opening Day," while not understanding that we are no longer excited about the possibilities of the baseball season.

It's terrible to feel this way, but that's how it is. We're reduced to dreaming of the day when the 90-year-old miser who hates his paying customers is no longer owner of the team. It's the only way this changes. 

White Sox snap optimistic fans back to reality

One of the strangest things about this past month has been the level of optimism surrounding the 2026 White Sox. If you looked around on social media, you found plenty of folks who seemed to earnestly believe this team could approach .500 this season -- despite 324 losses over the past three years.

Not to be a cynic, but I wasn't feeling it. My prediction for the season was 63-99, and I was just trying to be nice. It still looks like a 100-loss team on paper to me, and I don't see how any objective observer could come to any conclusion other than the Sox look like the worst team in the American League.

I look up and down the roster, and I can't find a single guy who I can point at and say, "Yes, I know what that player is going to do. You can trust him." Not even one single player.

All of the rosy projections are based on wishful thinking. There are hopes that inexperienced players will take the next step. There are hopes that cherished prospects will arrive sometime during the season and boost the team. But it's all hoping and wishing. There's nothing concrete with this team that you can put your arms around.

There isn't a single guy in the starting rotation who is proven. The outfield is full of Quad-A players, or in the case of Andrew Benintendi, a guy who is past his prime. Every major preseason publication picked the Sox to come last in the AL Central, and rightfully so.

This first week of the season has been a disaster, a slap in the face. The Sox are 1-5 after a 10-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. In their first six games, they've been outscored 52-21. Four of their five losses have come by five runs or more. They also had a loss where they led 7-2, only to blow it by giving up six runs in the eighth inning.

The team ERA is 8.63, which is about three runs worse than the next-worst team in MLB. With a run differential of -31 six games into the season, they are lucky they are not 0-6.

Wednesday's starter, Shane Smith, is a great example of White Sox hoping and wishing. Nothing against Smith personally, who seems like a great guy. He's just being set up to fail.

Smith was one of the best stories of the 2025 season. He was a Rule 5 pick, a long shot to make the team last year. Not only did he make the team, he ended up being the Sox's lone All-Star representative. He went 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts and posted a 2.3 WAR as a rookie. Very solid, overachieving, round of applause for Smith for that season. Can't take it away from him.

Here's the problem: The Sox were so impressed by that season that they came into this year counting on Smith to be their ace. It's an unrealistic expectation and totally unfair to him. He was on the scrap heap as recently as 15 months ago, and there's a reason for that. Last year was a pleasant surprise, and it just might have been his career year.

Instead of being happy with that, the Sox convinced themselves that they had "found something" and hyped Smith up as a "budding star." They made him their Opening Day starter, almost by default, because they didn't add any credible starting pitching during the offseason.

Welp, guess what? Smith had a bad spring. He couldn't find the plate during the entirety of the Cactus League schedule. When the bell rang on March 26, he wasn't ready. He got knocked out in the second inning on Opening Day, having given up four runs against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Sox burned through their whole bullpen and lost 14-2.

Wednesday? Even worse. Smith gave up four runs in the first inning, two more in the second and two more in the third. Eight runs allowed, and the Sox were buried -- with their bullpen once again overtaxed.

Smith is now 0-2 with a ghastly 19.29 ERA. Another couple outings like this, and there will have to be serious conversations about sending him to Triple-A.

So much for that ace hype. The Sox are guilty of this ALL THE TIME. They put unreasonable expectations on players. They ask them to perform beyond their capabilities.

That's not to say give up on Smith. He might right the ship. But if he does, he's an option for the back of the starting rotation. Former Rule 5 picks are not pitchers who should be considered the centerpiece of your staff. It's ludicrous. 

Some final thoughts on Team USA's loss in WBC

Some questionable lineup and managerial decisions. Underperformance by some highly decorated players.

That's the story for Team USA, which had to settle for silver in the World Baseball Classic after losing 3-2 to Venezuela in Tuesday's championship game in Miami.

The U.S. bats were kept quiet until the bottom of the eighth, when Bryce Harper delivered a two-out, two-run, 432-foot home run to center field to tie the score at 2.

It could have been an iconic home run in baseball history, but it will mostly be forgotten because Venezuela answered quickly with a run in the top of the ninth and made that lead stick.

Reliever Garrett Whitlock walked Luis Arraez to start the ninth, and Eugenio Suarez followed with an RBI double that provided the Venezuelans the winning run.

Honestly, it was silly to not throw strikes to Arraez, a contact hitter without much power. If you throw Arraez a strike, the worst thing that will likely happen is he will hit it for a single. You can't just give him a base. You have to make it earn it.

Suarez is a completely different type of hitter -- big power, but a lot of swing-and-miss. If you lay one in to him, he can hurt you, and he most definitely hurt Whitlock and Team USA.

Why did they pitch Arraez like a slugger and then challenge Suarez in the middle of the plate? No idea.

A better question: Why was Whitlock out there anyway? Mason Miller is Team USA's best reliever, but apparently he was only available for a "save situation." 

That's weird. Can you pitch an inning or can you not? What difference does it make whether it's a save situation? 

When asked after the game why Miller wasn't used, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said he wanted to "honor the Padres" by only using Miller if there was an opportunity for a save.

The San Diego Padres, of course, are Miller's MLB team. But what's the priority here? "Honoring the Padres" or winning a game for your country?

That's why this tournament, as much as I enjoy it, still doesn't carry a lot of weight with people. 

DeRosa's taking a lot of heat for the U.S. loss and rightfully so. Gunnar Henderson had been the hottest American hitter in the tournament. He did not start in the championship game, so Alex Bregman, who is ice-cold, could go 0 for 3. Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 home runs last season, didn't leave the bench in this final game.

In fairness, Raleigh was hitless in the tournament, and he wasn't the only big name who was quiet for the U.S. Aaron Judge was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the title game. Even with his big homer, Harper hit only .214 for the tournament. Will Smith, who was catching instead of Raleigh, was hitless Tuesday night. Bregman batted .143 in the WBC.

Not great. A lot of blame to go around, for both the manager and the players. 

Kyle Teel out 4 to 6 weeks with Grade 2 hamstring strain

White Sox catcher Kyle Teel is expected to miss four to six weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, general manager Chris Getz announced on Wednesday.

Teel, who was playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, was injured Tuesday running from first base to second after doubling in Italy's 8-6 win over the United States.

Earlier in Tuesday's game, Teel homered to give his team the lead. Italy was a surprise winner in Pool B of the WBC, as it completed a 4-0 run through pool play with a 9-1 win over Mexico on Wednesday night.

With two weeks to go until the regular season begins, it is certain that Teel will begin the season on the injured list. The best-case scenario involves a return around mid-April, which would likely require a rehab assignment in Triple-A Charlotte. 

Most likely, Teel will not play for the Sox until late April or early May.

Fortunately, the Sox have depth at catcher. There's been an offseason debate over who will be the team's long-term answer at the position, Teel or Edgar Quero?

With Teel out, Quero will get the chance to catch the overwhelming majority of the games this first month. Despite plenty of trade speculation, the Sox also have Korey Lee on their roster. The pitchers like throwing to Lee, who is a respectable defensive player. You wouldn't want Lee to be your starting catcher because he doesn't hit enough, but he's fine as a backup who plays once or twice a week.

Injuries are inevitable in sports, and despite all the crying from Sox fans on social media, Teel's pulled hamstring does not change the trajectory of the season. It shouldn't be a long-term injury, and the Sox have other players who are capable of filling in.  

The White Sox in 1-run games ... not good

I haven't written much about spring training games because I put no stock in the results or the statistics.

The White Sox are 7-6 through their first 13 Cactus League games, which is fine. It's better than being 3-10 like we've seen in previous years.

But one thing I've noticed, the Sox are 0-5 in one-run games this spring. The latest such loss happened Tuesday, 4-3 to the San Diego Padres.

Of course, it's minor league players in there at the end of games, but my eyebrows are raised a little bit because the Sox have been almost comically terrible in one-run games the past two years.

In 2024, they went 13-29 in such games. Last season, they were 15-36. That makes them 28-65 over the past two seasons in games decided by one run. 

I can almost hear Chuck Garfien's voice in my head right now: "There's no way they're going to lose that many one-run games again this season! If they had won even two of those one-run losses they have this spring, they'd be 9-4 right now!"

Just something to keep an eye on once the games start to matter. Winners find a way. So do losers. 

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.