Anthony Kay makes 35….Let’s Check In On This White Sox 40 Man Roster
To say it was a surprise to see the White Sox making a signing on Wednesday morning would be an understatement. Mind you, this is still not confirmed by the team, but all the big shooters confirmed it, so I think we can assume it’s good. My Monday Night Au Jus guest BZ saw this as a potential fit for the White Sox, so read his thoughts on the subject.
Is the Pacific Rim to 35th Street Pipeline a Market Inefficiency?
I did have one thought on this transaction. It is eerily similar to the Erick Fedde signing in the winter of 2023. People are going to start speculating that Getz has found a market inefficiency with these signings. These re-tread pitchers that went to the far east, re-worked their repertoires and became renewed. I don’t think they have.
I think at time and place, much like the signing out of options hitters that they can offer playing time, the White Sox can not only offer role certainty to these players (pitch your ass off till our kids are ready), but they can also take on the volatility of the potential performance that other teams might not want to. A similarly priced pitcher that didn’t have to go to Japan or Korea to re-work their pitch mix should be more dependable and lower volatility. Good on them, but this is a trick that will expire.
This moves the White Sox from two no-brainer Starting Pitcher spots filled (Shane Smith and Davis Martin) to three. Sean Burke is probably in there as well, but given he got sent down late in the 2025 season I won’t quite give him the nod just yet. That also brings the White Sox 40 man roster up to 35. I hear it every time I engage in a discussion about the White Sox roster churn. “The White Sox 40 man has a lot of fat to be cut”…..does it? Let’s dive in!
Does The White Sox 40 Man (Currently at 35) Have Fat to Cut?
All crappy teams (White Sox included despite the excitement of those viewing a second half performance from too close to the aquarium) are going to have questionable players on their 40 man roster. Incentives vary depending on where you are in the competitive cycle, so this isn’t going to be an exercise of “I don’t like player X and I would replace him with player Y“. That’s dumb and a waste of time. You can do that ad nauseam. No, my approach is in type of players and what is left to be acquired to fill those last 5 spots.
The White Sox Position Players are a Fine Mess
Maybe you can squint and see dead weight or proverbial “fat” on the White Sox projected 13 MLB position players. I really don’t. I guess if you could make the Curtis Mead spot a left handed version of that player you might do that. Korey Lee is redundant, but not cuttable. You can trade Lee to someone, so he’s not “fat”. Derek Hill is your back up CF for the regularly scheduled injured incumbent. Everson Pereira is your volatile upside play.
Any of the bench players having an option would be a boost. But this is really the kinda group you get when you are bad. I can really only see an argument for Andrew Benintendi. Beni has no trade value and no future here. That’s a spot you don’t really need on the 2026 White Sox. However, a majority of the fanbase is rooting for a more expensive and possibly not materially more effective Ryan O’Hearn to be signed. So maybe holding Beni and letting him take major league quality plate appearances isn’t the worst use of a spot.
What About the Other Other Position Players
Please only mind the players in beige as they are signified as 40 man roster players. Now, the big homey Sleepy Harold, my recent guest on the Au Jus did single out one of these guys very recently.
I know almost nothing about Cowles, but I’d argue every 40 man has this guy. A 6th infielder type, preferably one with options that can handle shortstop just in case shit hits the fan. White Sox fans generally don’t like these players very much. Especially when they end up having to be in Chicago for months at a time.
But at this point in a rebuild they are what they are. Luminaries such as Braden Shewmake, Jacob Amaya and Vinny Capra have all manned this position in the past. Ben Cowles is just the latest and greatest, if not him, it’ll be someone else, but it’s not really fat. It’s a cod liver oil supplement.
Tanner Murray was just acquired as 2b / 3b depth with some potential upside. I get the argument that this would be better served as an outfielder, as opposed to an infielder, but you really don’t have a 3b on the big league club when you think about it. You have some guys cosplaying 3b, so I’m thinking this is fine. Last, but not least, my goddamn play cousin. Bryan Ramos.
Maybe Bryan Ramos is the fat on the 40 man. Although I’d put him in the same bucket as Curtis Mead. An out of options player with potential that has just yet to realize it and if you believe my blog from early October, they should probably ride him all the way till the end of spring training before making a decision on if this 26 man roster can hold his defense and power upside.
Starting Pitchers
The starting 5 doesn’t feel fully set at this point. You’d love to acquire someone that encourages Jonathan Cannon to rent an apartment in Charlotte. And another one just in case Sean Burke shows up to spring training and can’t hit the broad side of a barn. The two injured pitchers sorta are what they are, pieces of previous trades that look the part of a number 5 starter and have minor league options. Even if you don’t believe in Ky Bush or Drew Thorpe they are valuable 40 man currency.
The newly made (shoot your cuffs) Duncan Davitt and Tanner McDougal are most definitely not “fat” on the 40 man. If anything, this group feels light. The average major league team uses more starters than this in a full season. Probably where some of the remaining open 40 man spots will eventually go.
What About The Bullpen???
The bullpen is usually the spot where people tell me “Beef, there’s a ton of fat on this 40 man”. I get that, but also, how many “good” relievers should a bad team really buy? One maybe two….so I can see that, but also, you can maneuver this so you don’t really dump anyone. They legitimately have one 40 man reliever that is injured in Prelander Berroa (who might be the most interesting bullpen story heading into 2026).
You also only have one 40 man reliever in the minors in Jairo Iriarte. Iriarte is basically as fat as the fat on the 40 man gets, however, you always like to have “guy with big tools who somehow can’t throw strikes and only throws as hard as he should on the 3rd Wednesday of the month“. Maybe the White Sox would prefer this spot belong to a washed starter that could throw 3 innings and has no stuff, but I don’t. At some point you have to turn a lost cause into a true killer out of your pen. It sucks that this version was a main piece from a trade for Dylan Cease.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no way saying this is a good bullpen. Just saying, this is what a rebuilding bullpen looks like. When you replace, let’s just pick a guy, “Bryan Hudson” you are very likely to replace him with a Bryan Hudson quality reliever. I know some of yous yearn for the Rick Hahn era when they spent like 40% of the payroll on bullpen guys aka “THE SUPER BULLPEN”, but fuck that and I hope that don’t happen.
Who Should Get the FINAL 5 Spots on the White Sox 40 Man before they hit the Desert in February?
Again, I won’t be naming specific players, these are just “types” if you will, that I think make sense to fill out the roster.
#36 – Rule 5 Draft Pick that Will Be a Pitcher and Will NOT Be Nearly As Good As Shane Smith
It’s important to remind people that getting someone as good as Shane Smith in the Rule 5 Draft is some generational shit. You just don’t get those guys often in that draft. Teams generally block you from guys with that much upside. Luckily Milwaukee fucked up and we profited. When there is a $20 bill on the ground, you still need the skill to pick it up.
#37 – Left Handed Hitting Outfielder that Can Also Cover First Base That Probably Should’ve Just Been Mike Tauchman and Truthfully Still Could be Mike Tauchman.
I wasn’t upset that the White Sox got rid of Mike Tauchman. I like him. He played well last year. I don’t know what 2026 holds for him. What is curious is that he had a .356 OBP in 385 plate appearances and I truly wonder how they are going to replace that. Regardless, I expect one veteran bat that hits left handed.
#38 – Another Starting Pitcher That We Will Probably Lose Faith in By Mid-March
I’d expect one more Starting Pitcher acquisition, could be via small trade or free agency. A “Banny” guy most likely. With Zach Bove in house, maybe it’ll be someone he’s helped select. Regardless, digging in on the fringes of major league quality players often leaves you wanting more and that’s my expectation for this spot.
#39 – Premature DFA from a contender of a player that hits too good to not be on these White Sox
This isn’t an add for HIMS. But some good team will cut a guy loose that is too good to be true. He might still suck for the White Sox and be cut before my birthday, but it’s something to hope on.
#40 – Minor League Bullpen Arm That Has a GREAT Spring Training and Has All the Prospect Hounds Hyped, Only to sport an ERA That Starts With an 8 in Chicago and eventually gets returned to Farm Team Anonymity
It’s a story as old as time. Reliever Jacob May! You know you want it. It might even work out (it probably won’t). Someone will champion this player very hard and I will meme them for years.
Does the White Sox 40 Man Roster Have a Bunch of Fat on it…..NOT REALLY….well, not for us.
-BeefLoaf
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beefloaf108
Low information White Sox Fan. Big Feet Energy ORIGINAL 108er Like Whore 2019 Opening Day #SoxMath WINNAR Mediocrity Personified