For the first time since 2022, the White Sox have an official closer. Chicago agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with reliever Seranthony Domínguez two days after trading Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for a pair of prospects.
No one expected Jerry Reinsdorf to actually use the extra change on a solid free agent, but this pleasant surprise is more than welcome.
Domínguez is coming off a strong 2025 season, split between the Orioles and Blue Jays: As a setup man, he accumulated a 3.16 ERA and an 11.9
K/9 rate in 67 games. Domínguez has also proven to be durable, pitching at least 50 innings in four consecutive seasons. His ability to stay healthy since missing 2020 and 2021 to Tommy John surgery will help take the load off of a bullpen that was often expected to carry games after the fifth inning.
Beyond stat lines, Domínguez fits in perfectly with a club that has an affinity for hard-throwing relievers with swagger. Domínguez’s fastball, which he used 43% of the time in 2025 and up to 60% in the beginning of his career, averaged 97.7 mph, ranking in the 94th percentile among MLB pitchers. To offset his four-seamer’s velocity, he swapped his slider and changeup for a splitter and sweeper this year. Although these pitches alone induced nearly a 50% whiff rate and helping Domínguez’s tally a 33.3 whiff percentage and 30.3 strikeout percentage overall, his new pitch arsenal also led to a 5.6% walk rate increase. Like many high velocity hurlers, Domínguez misses bats, but gets rocked when hitters make contact.
Domínguez is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition that elevates the Sox’s bullpen. The veteran reliever brings tenured success with playoff teams and a history of dominating in high-leverage situations. With very little to lose and a lot to gain, Chicago’s pitching staff looks more ready to hold its own against decent teams this season.
