2026 Lineup Discussion

[SoxBlanco]

Figured it would be nice to have to have an  ongoing offseason thread to discuss potential lineups. Feel free to make a separate one for facing a righty/lefty. As more moves are made, we can update predictions, but for now, assume Robert is still on the team. 

[CWSpalehoseCWS]

If the season started tomorrow, I would roll with this:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. C - Teel (L)
3. SS - Montgomery (L)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. 1B - Murakami (L)
6. 3B - Vargas (R)
7. LF - Benintendi (L)
8. DH - Quero (S)
9. RF - Baldwin (S)

 

[chitownsportsfan]

5 minutes ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

If the season started tomorrow, I would roll with this:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. C - Teel (L)
3. SS - Montgomery (L)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. 1B - Murakami (L)
6. 3B - Vargas (R)
7. LF - Benintendi (L)
8. DH - Quero (S)
9. RF - Baldwin (S)

 

This is basically my lineup. You can rotate Beni, Mura, Teel in with Quero at DH. Kinda a sexy young lineup really. Baldwin has a chance to be a player imo. His fielding was horrific but park in RF and see what he can do to start the year imo.  His EV numbers suggest with everyday playing time he could improve to an average regular bat assuming his defense isn't bottom 30th percentile in RF. 

Chase has something to prove, but so does almost everybody other than Beni, who is just playing out the string. A nice change in this stage of the rebuild.

[nrockway]

Benny is a liability in left. Honestly just cut him. 

[TheFutureIsNear]

Add 1 more bat at RF or 3B and figure out who deserves a starting spot between Vargas/Sosa/Baldwin/insert name of fringe player on the roster

[Chicago White Sox]

1 hour ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

If the season started tomorrow, I would roll with this:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. C - Teel (L)
3. SS - Montgomery (L)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. 1B - Murakami (L)
6. 3B - Vargas (R)
7. LF - Benintendi (L)
8. DH - Quero (S)
9. RF - Baldwin (S)

 

That’s my primary lineup against RH starters.

[SoxBlanco]

9 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

That’s my primary lineup against RH starters.

What do you got vs a LH?

[Chicago White Sox]

Against LHP:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. 3B - Vargas (R)
3. DH - Sosa (R)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. SS - Montgomery (L)
6. CA - Quero (S)
7. 1B - Murakami (L)
8. RF - Pereira (R)
9. LF - Hill (R)

And to be clear, I don’t love the idea of Hill on this roster, but I’m using Fangraphs’ 26 man projection as my basis of available players.  As such, against LHP, our best LF option is Hill by default due to plus defense and a career 115 wRC+ against lefties (SSS).

[Bob Sacamano]

2 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Against LHP:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. 3B - Vargas (R)
3. DH - Sosa (R)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. SS - Montgomery (L)
6. CA - Quero (S)
7. 1B - Murakami (L)
8. RF - Pereira (R)
9. LF - Hill (R)

And to be clear, I don’t love the idea of Hill on this roster, but I’m using Fangraphs’ 26 man projection as my basis of available players.  As such, against LHP, our best LF option is Hill by default due to plus defense and a career 115 wRC+ against lefties (SSS).

Baldwin is a switch hitter. Why not start him over Hill?

[Bob Sacamano]

4 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Against LHP:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. 3B - Vargas (R)
3. DH - Sosa (R)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. SS - Montgomery (L)
6. CA - Quero (S)
7. 1B - Murakami (L)
8. RF - Pereira (R)
9. LF - Hill (R)

And to be clear, I don’t love the idea of Hill on this roster, but I’m using Fangraphs’ 26 man projection as my basis of available players.  As such, against LHP, our best LF option is Hill by default due to plus defense and a career 115 wRC+ against lefties (SSS).

Also, Benintendi is fine against lefties in his career and had an .849 OPS against them last year.

[Lukakke Appling]

Hill has hit lefties well over his career.

[caulfield12]

16 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Against LHP:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. 3B - Vargas (R)
3. DH - Sosa (R)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. SS - Montgomery (L)
6. CA - Quero (S)
7. 1B - Murakami (L)
8. RF - Pereira (R)
9. LF - Hill (R)

And to be clear, I don’t love the idea of Hill on this roster, but I’m using Fangraphs’ 26 man projection as my basis of available players.  As such, against LHP, our best LF option is Hill by default due to plus defense and a career 115 wRC+ against lefties (SSS).

Murakami his lefties better than rights until proven otherwise.

Move Robert down to 5 and Montgomery up to clean-up

Flip flop Murakami and Quero.

[Chicago White Sox]

14 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Baldwin is a switch hitter. Why not start him over Hill?

He was very bad against LHP last year as a righty.  Maybe that changes at some point in time, but Pereira is a natural partner for him.

[ChiSoxFanMike]

20 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

Against LHP:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. 3B - Vargas (R)
3. DH - Sosa (R)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. SS - Montgomery (L)
6. CA - Quero (S)
7. 1B - Murakami (L)
8. RF - Pereira (R)
9. LF - Hill (R)

And to be clear, I don’t love the idea of Hill on this roster, but I’m using Fangraphs’ 26 man projection as my basis of available players.  As such, against LHP, our best LF option is Hill by default due to plus defense and a career 115 wRC+ against lefties (SSS).

Quero has to be way higher than that against lefties. He absolutely mashes them.

[Bob Sacamano]

1 minute ago, Chicago White Sox said:

He was very bad against LHP last year as a righty.  Maybe that changes at some point in time, but Pereira is a natural partner for him.

I meant play him over Hill. Give the at bats to someone interesting at least

[Chicago White Sox]

15 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

Also, Benintendi is fine against lefties in his career and had an .849 OPS against them last year.

Last year yes, but I don’t believe he’ll ever replicate a .287 ISO again (his career avg against LHP is .134) and his defense is god awful.  Candidly I don’t want him on team as I think he’s got a 1 win ceiling at this point in his career and gun to head I’m taking the under on that for sure.

[caulfield12]

6 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

Quero has to be way higher than that against lefties. He absolutely mashes them.

Sure, switch him with Vargas then.

Except he has a tendency to clog up the base paths compared to Teel/Vargas/Meidroth.

Edited 11 hours ago by caulfield12

[Chicago White Sox]

8 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Murakami his lefties better than rights until proven otherwise.

Move Robert down to 5 and Montgomery up to clean-up

Flip flop Murakami and Quero.

Zero chance I’m moving Robert anywhere below 4th in the lineup when he has a career 130 wRC+ vs. LHP.  He’s got to be a top 4 hitter against LHP.  I could see a strong argument batting him second though.  That being said, I kind of like the idea of keeping him in the 4 hole regardless of pitcher handedness and letting him focus primarily on impacting the baseball rather than getting on-base.

I could be convinced on swapping Montgomery & Murakami for sure.  Whomever ends up better against LHP should be in the 5th hole IMO.

[Chicago White Sox]

14 minutes ago, ChiSoxFanMike said:

Quero has to be way higher than that against lefties. He absolutely mashes them.

So do Sosa & Vargas though.  Honestly, I need to see Quero impact the baseball more and hit less ground ball before I move him up above any of the other guys.  If Meidroth can’t get his OBP to the levels I’m expecting (.370+. vs LHP), then he could eventually move down.  But I want high OBPs in front of my best two power hitters against LHP in Sosa & Robert.

[Boopa1219]

I’m trying to make a lineup and don’t know where to put guys, that’s good and a welcome change. 

[The Mighty Mite]

9 hours ago, CWSpalehoseCWS said:

If the season started tomorrow, I would roll with this:

1. 2B - Meidroth (R)
2. C - Teel (L)
3. SS - Montgomery (L)
4. CF - Robert (R)
5. 1B - Murakami (L)
6. 3B - Vargas (R)
7. LF - Benintendi (L)
8. DH - Quero (S)
9. RF - Baldwin (S)

 

No Sosa?

[oldsox]

9 hours ago, nrockway said:

Benny is a liability in left. Honestly just cut him. 

Other than his throwing, he does an adequate job in left.

[Chicago White Sox]

21 minutes ago, oldsox said:

Other than his throwing, he does an adequate job in left.

He’s last place in OOA for LF at -34 runs from 2023 to 2025.  That’s out of 32 guys with 1,000+ innings at the position during that timeframe.  And if I break his OAA down between range and arm, he’s still dead last in range at -22 runs.  To illustrate how bad that is, the 5th worst is at -11 runs or half of how bad Benintendi is.

[fathom]

Benintendi DH, Sosa gets traded, they sign a corner outfielder for less than 10 million and the catchers lead off is my contrarian prediction 

[caulfield12]

9 minutes ago, fathom said:

Benintendi DH, Sosa gets traded, they sign a corner outfielder for less than 10 million and the catchers lead off is my contrarian prediction 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/previewing-the-2025-26-free-agent-class-corner-outfield.html

Andujar 

Conforto

Grichuk

Hays

Kepler

Marte 

Refsnyder

Winker

Bader's going to be over $10 million