The curtain hasn’t closed on the White Sox yet this season, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2027 season-to-be-or-not-to-be. Entering next year with a payroll in the bottom third among all MLB teams and with a sizable pool of Triple-A talent to pull from, Chicago enters arbitration negotiations in an advantageous position. Of the six players who are eligible for arbitration, the Sox should keep three.
Miguel Vargas Buying our Vargas’ next three years of arbitration would be the
most strategic move from a financial and roster-management perspective. Coming off a breakout campaign where cracked the 30-home run threshold, more than doubled his WAR from last year, and took 101 free passes to first, Vargas is a player the Sox should focus on extending. At the plate and hot corner, he’s an integral to the success of the White Sox.
Even with three infield prospects among the Top 10, including new golden boy Roch Cholowsky, Vargas’ position on the field shouldn’t swing this decision. Vargas has played past his projected $5.4 million 2027 arbitration estimate, and tripling it to buy out his contract for the rest of the decade is a reasonable expectation for a team looking to squeeze every playoff game out of this young lineup. Going to arbitration over a guy who makes everyone in the lineup better and has been the heartbeat of the team for most of the season would be an egregious mistake.
Brenton Doyle
An August pickup at the trade deadline and the second-best glove in the outfield, Doyle’s projected $3.66 million arbitration is a fair price for his value. His perfect fielding percentage and the occasional pop in his bat outweigh his general inconsistency at the plate, and having a Gold Glove outfielder to pair with Tristan Peters when games come down to the wire will pay dividends, especially with Will Venable’s far-from-orthodox pitching philosophy.
Doyle may not be a starter, but the Sox need a veteran on the field to provide an extra line of defense and add stability to the young and streaky lineup. While Doyle doesn’t command a long-term deal, his presence isn’t taken for granted.
Huascar Brazobán
Brazobán hasn’t blown anyone’s socks off in Chicago, but cutting him loose would leave talent on the table. After bringing him onto the team in August, Brazobán’s performance dropped from the 2.56 ERA and 1.006 WHIP marks he set with the Mets earlier in the year. He knows how to miss bats, but when he came to the South Side he began to experience control issues. His 4.40 ERA and 1.395 WHIP after being traded may be a result of switching leagues, but it could also just be the typical volatility that comes with relievers. Either way, the Sox know he can pitch better, it’s just a matter of whether they can unlock that side of him.
Paying an estimated $1.6 million for a chance to bring out the best in Brazobán is worth the price of admission. Starting him out on the 40-man next spring also puts pressure on Brazobán to bring his A-game when he knows that several talented pitchers in Charlotte are chomping at the bit to snatch his spot. Competition and pressure will be the best way to see if Brazobán can exceed expectations.
Meeting these three players’ arb estimates and avoiding the ungainly process of a hearing still leaves three eligible players out in the cold. Catcher Joey Bart is in his final year of team control and will command an estimate $2.9 million; the White Sox undoubtedly prefer Jake Rogers as a veteran hand, especially because he will be less expensive. Reliever Chris Murphy, expected to earn just $900,000 in 2027, will be a game-time decision. And Jordan Leasure, rehabbing from TJS, expects only $1 million in arbitration but chances are the White Sox will not offer him seven figures.
