Winter Meetings Dec. Trades FA Signings Thread

[SoxBlanco]

Happy December, everyone. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Figured this thread would be about the draft lottery. With no significant signings anticipated, the lottery is all we care about, right?

[DirtySox]

18 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

Happy December, everyone. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Figured this thread would be about the draft lottery. With no significant signings anticipated, the lottery is all we care about, right?

Pretty much. Not much trade ammo left and don't expect significant spending. All about the youngsters developing at this point.

Feel free to talk draft/lottery in the FutureSox draft thread. I'd love to be in a position to draft Roch or Lombard. Personally holding off on diving too deep into draft research until we know what the pick is. I'm already bracing myself for sadness.

Edit: Also expect an interesting Rule 5 selection. Likely a pitcher. Lots of worthwhile arms to pick from.

Edited December 7 by DirtySox

[Dick Allen]

I just read an article where a GM said this years meetings will probably be boring. Welcome to the world of a White Sox fan.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

On 12/6/2025 at 7:10 AM, PaleAleSox said:

They are picking someone else up if I had to bet. And I think they think Braden will be up in May. 

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/mlb-rule-5-draft-candidates-from-each-club-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Even though I expect the Sox to take a pitcher in tbe Rule 5 there are a few LHH OF available. 

I like the Guardians unranked 23 yr old who only had  31 games at AA and 2 in the AFL. He was a $10K Intl. signing from Venezuela Wuilfredo Antunez. He's played all 3 OF position  He's pretty toolsy and doesnt K too much with decent pop. He might be too inexperienced for MLB which he why he was left unprotected  but he hit a bit better in AA than A+ but only had 70 G in A+ and 31 G in AA. Havent done a deeper dive. 

https://www.milb.com/player/wuilfredo-antunez-686404

Very similar to the amount of time Braden Montgomery spent in A+ & AA last year . BM is an inch taller and heavier and 1 year younger. Antunez had an OPS higher than Montgomery by .060. Hard to say who's the better fielder Antunez probably faster . BM has a great arm. Antunez the only other player in the Guardians organization to have 50+ extra base hits besides Jose Ramirez . 

Edited December 7 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[WestEddy]

Lamond Pope writes a "3 questions" article about the Winter meetings. 

Chicago White Sox: 3 questions entering the winter meetings

Of note:

- “It’s very truthful that we are not shopping him (Luis Robert), because we’re very comfortable having him in a White Sox uniform, knowing what he’s capable of doing. Now if it makes sense for both parties to work out a deal, then so be it. But we’re planning on him being in uniform for us next year.”
- “To have three guys who can be quality catchers at the major-league level. There could be a time for reallocation or repurpose to make the roster a little bit more functional. Is that time now? I don’t think so. I don’t. But down the road, you never know.”
- While it remains to be seen how the rotation shakes out, Getz said both Mike Vasil and Grant Taylor will remain in their relief roles.
- “We have an ability to cover those positions and be fairly productive,” Getz said of the corner spots, “but I think there’s going to be some opportunity in just balancing that attack a little bit better (with a lefty bat).

[WestEddy]

SoxMachine Spare Parts column kicking off the winter meetings:

Spare Parts: Convening at the winter meetings - Sox Machine

- They link to a Baseball America list of every Rule 5 eligible player. Sox players available are...

Adam Hackenberg, Adisyn Coffey, Aldrin Batista, Arxy Hernandez, Ben Peoples, Chase Plymell, Connor McCullough, Drake Logan, Dre Baker, Drew McDaniel, Eric Adler, Gabriel Rodriguez, Garrett Schoenle, Jacob Burke, Jared Kelley, Jarold Rosado, Jordan Sprinkle, Juan Gonzalez, Madison Jeffrey, Mario Camilletti, Mark McLaughlin, Mason Adams, Michael Turner, Nick Altermatt, Peyton Pallette, Ricardo Brizuela, Samuel Zavala, Shane Murphy, Tyler Schweitzer, Wes Kath, Wilber Sanchez, Zach DeLoach

- Jim links to an Athletic article that discusses the death of the double due to positioning
- He also links to an interesting Athletic article on how teams evaluate players' make-up

Edited December 7 by WestEddy

[WestEddy]

Schedule for the next week:

(this has been cribbed from MLBTR - The 2025-26 Offseason Begins - MLB Trade Rumors)

DECEMBER 7-10: Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida. The Winter Meetings are the offseason’s busiest few days and annually feature ample free agent and trade activity.

DECEMBER 7: Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee announcement. Formerly known as the Veterans Committee, the 16-person panel votes on eight candidates who were not previously inducted into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The eight candidates under consideration are usually announced in early November; those who receive at least 12 votes on December 7 are elected to the Hall of Fame. This year’s committee will consider only players whose greatest contributions came in the 1980s or later.

DECEMBER 9: Amateur draft lottery. The White Sox have the best chance of securing the first overall pick at 27.8% (h/t to Baseball America). The Rockies, Nationals and Angels are not allowed to pick higher than 10th. The CBA prohibits teams from having lottery picks in three straight years, which rules out Colorado. Clubs that do not receive revenue sharing cannot pick in the lottery in consecutive seasons, ruling out Washington and Los Angeles.

DECEMBER 10: The Rule 5 draft will conclude the Winter Meetings. Players selected must stay on their new teams’ active rosters for the entire ’26 season or be offered back to their original organization.

DECEMBER 15: Closing of the 2025 signing period for international amateurs.

Edited December 7 by WestEddy

[Chicago White Sox]

1 hour ago, WestEddy said:

Lamond Pope writes a "3 questions" article about the Winter meetings. 

Chicago White Sox: 3 questions entering the winter meetings

Of note:

- “It’s very truthful that we are not shopping him (Luis Robert), because we’re very comfortable having him in a White Sox uniform, knowing what he’s capable of doing. Now if it makes sense for both parties to work out a deal, then so be it. But we’re planning on him being in uniform for us next year.”
- “To have three guys who can be quality catchers at the major-league level. There could be a time for reallocation or repurpose to make the roster a little bit more functional. Is that time now? I don’t think so. I don’t. But down the road, you never know.”
- While it remains to be seen how the rotation shakes out, Getz said both Mike Vasil and Grant Taylor will remain in their relief roles.
- “We have an ability to cover those positions and be fairly productive,” Getz said of the corner spots, “but I think there’s going to be some opportunity in just balancing that attack a little bit better (with a lefty bat).

Robert is 100% being shopped despite the typical “GM speak” from Getz.  No other mention of outfield moves which probably makes sense given Robert posturing.

It seems like we’re very open to moving a catcher if a quality offer comes in.

Vasil staying in the bullpen is now 100% confirmed as others had said.

A decent LH corner infielder will likely be added in FA.  My money remains on that being a 1B rather than 3B and the primary target being O’Hearn given his price tag and connection to Fuller.

Not mentioned in your post, but Getz mentioned Burke & Cannon would be competing for rotation spots (unlike Smith & Davis) which suggests that another SP will be added.

[WestEddy]

Just now, Chicago White Sox said:

Robert is 100% being shopped despite the typical “GM speak” from Getz.  No other mention of outfield moves which probably makes sense given Robert posturing.

It seems like we’re very open to moving a catcher if a quality offer comes in.

Vasil staying in the bullpen is now 100% confirmed as others had said.

A decent LH corner infielder will likely be added in FA.  My money remains on that being a 1B rather than 3B and the primary target being O’Hearn given his price tag and connection to Fuller.

Not mentioned in your post, but Getz mentioned Burke & Cannon would be competing for rotation spots (unlike Smith & Davis) which suggests that another SP will be added.

I've read elsewhere in reporting that the Sox still plan to add another SP. The field for the #4 & #5 spots shouldn't just be Davitt, Cannon and Burke. Their Rule 5 pick should be in the mix, along with another FA with something to prove. 

Jim or James at SoxMachine mentioned they could see the Sox targeting a SP in the Rule 5, then using him like Vasil out of the BP. Wild that we could have 3 100 IP relievers there. 

I think Robert gets moved. Quero and Sosa definitely have to be on the block. 

[WestEddy]

Boob has been messing up a lot, lately...

 

This is from Bob Nightengale. Sounds like it might be the busiest winter meetings of all time, actually! pic.twitter.com/qNipmEWOGL

— James Fox (@JamesFox917) December 7, 2025

 

[WhiteSox2023]

8 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Robert is 100% being shopped despite the typical “GM speak” from Getz.  No other mention of outfield moves which probably makes sense given Robert posturing.

It seems like we’re very open to moving a catcher if a quality offer comes in.

Vasil staying in the bullpen is now 100% confirmed as others had said.

A decent LH corner infielder will likely be added in FA.  My money remains on that being a 1B rather than 3B and the primary target being O’Hearn given his price tag and connection to Fuller.

Not mentioned in your post, but Getz mentioned Burke & Cannon would be competing for rotation spots (unlike Smith & Davis) which suggests that another SP will be added.

Haha, yup.  You say you aren’t shopping him and then follow up with this statement…

- “It’s very truthful that we are not shopping him (Luis Robert), because we’re very comfortable having him in a White Sox uniform, knowing what he’s capable of doing. Now if it makes sense for both parties to work out a deal, then so be it. But we’re planning on him being in uniform for us next year.”

Edited December 8 by WhiteSox2023

[Chicago White Sox]

Pirates have made a 4 year offer to Schwarber per Rosenthal.  You know your favorite franchise has hit rock bottom when Bob fucking Nutting is trying to blow your biggest free agent contract out of the water.

[WhiteSox2023]

1 minute ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Pirates have made a 4 year offer to Schwarber per Rosenthal.  You know your favorite franchise has hit rock bottom when Bob fucking Nutting is trying to blow your biggest free agent contract out of the water.

The comments are even clowning how cheap the Pirates are.

 

[WhiteSox2023]

10 hours ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Pirates have made a 4 year offer to Schwarber per Rosenthal.  You know your favorite franchise has hit rock bottom when Bob fucking Nutting is trying to blow your biggest free agent contract out of the water.

And it did.  So the Sox are the last team to have never offered a player a contract above $75 million.

“The Pirates have made Kyle Schwarber a four-year offer, sources told The Athletic.

The report says it’s probably worth more than $100 million.”

[WestEddy]

1 minute ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

And it did.  So the Sox are the last team to have never offered a player a contract above $75 million.

“The Pirates have made Kyle Schwarber a four-year offer, sources told The Athletic.

The report says it’s probably worth more than $100 million.”

The Sox offered Wheeler over $100M. They offered Machado close to $300M. 

[WhiteSox2023]

2 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

The Sox offered Wheeler over $100M. They offered Machado close to $300M. 

Was that the total value of the Machado contract if he hit every incentive?  🤣

You’re right though — the Sox and the Pirates are the last two teams to never have signed a player to a $100 million dollar contract and the largest for the Sox is Benintendi at $75 million.

Edited December 8 by WhiteSox2023

[Bob Sacamano]

12 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Was that the total value of the Machado contract if he hit every incentive?  🤣

You’re right though — the Sox and the Pirates are the last two teams to never have signed a player to a $100 million dollar contract and the largest for the Sox is Benintendi at $75 million.

Pirates signed Reynolds to over $100M deal. Pretty sure A's are the only other team.

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

14 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

The Sox offered Wheeler over $100M. They offered Machado close to $300M. 

Wheeler, your point is valid. It was the highest offer and strong possibility he accepts when you offer the most.

With Machado though.... I could offer 3 million for the house Ishbia is building on the lake, but it doesn't make my offer serious since there was no real chance he would accept when he could get much more guaranteed from other buyers. That said, Pirates have already spent more money than the Sox on a guy. 

Edited December 8 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[Sleepy Harold]

 

[WhiteSox2023]

50 minutes ago, Sleepy Harold said:

 

Good.  He can get injured again for another team and miss half the season.

[WhiteSox2023]

56 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Pirates signed Reynolds to over $100M deal. Pretty sure A's are the only other team.

You’re right.  And the Rays gave Longoria a $100 million dollar extension years ago.  It is the A’s and Sox remaining.

[Bob Sacamano]

2 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

You’re right.  And the Rays gave Longoria a $100 million dollar extension years ago.  It is the A’s and Sox remaining.

The even more recent, Wander Franco deal. Though they’re not going to be on the hook for that one anymore.

[caulfield12]

3 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

And it did.  So the Sox are the last team to have never offered a player a contract above $75 million.

“The Pirates have made Kyle Schwarber a four-year offer, sources told The Athletic.

The report says it’s probably worth more than $100 million.”

A-Rod.

Tanaka.

First two.

[caulfield12]

2 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

You’re right.  And the Rays gave Longoria a $100 million dollar extension years ago.  It is the A’s and Sox remaining.

Rumored Nick Kurtz extension will likely be the first.

https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-candidates-for-big-contract-extensions

If he won't agree...still have SS Jacob Wilson and C/DH/1B Shea Langaliers.

Edited December 8 by caulfield12

[poppysox]

43 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Rumored Nick Kurtz extension will likely be the first.

https://www.mlb.com/news/athletics-candidates-for-big-contract-extensions

If he won't agree...still have SS Jacob Wilson and C/DH/1B Shea Langaliers.

The lack of 100 million dollar contracts doesn't bother me.  I understand the negative impact of giving a hugh percentage of yearly payroll to one player can have if they go south.  Heyward and Dunn are examples of contracts becoming burdensome for the Chicago teams.  My complaint is that Jerry is not spending to the level our fans deserve on a reasonable total yearly payroll, say 175-200 million.