Chicago

White Sox

The 28-year-old Marsh had a 4.96 ERA in 33 starts and 10 relief appearances for the Royals between 2023 and ’24, but he hasn’t pitched in a game since.

He is coming off Oct. 2025 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, and the Royals never really had anything to say about his progress last season before taking him off their 40-man roster last month. Once healthy, he’ll probably spend time in Triple-A trying to work his way back to the majors.

Acuña has been a star in Venezuela the last two years, posting a .914 OPS in 2024 and a .939 OPS with eight homers and 12 steals in 39 games last year. Of course, it hasn’t really translated to the majors yet, and he probably would have been better off spending last season in Triple-A than being stuck in a bench role for the White Sox while being out of options. There’s still hope for Acuña as a potential regular or at least a frequently used super utilityman; he’s a legitimate center fielder and middle infielder, he shows league-average bat speed and he’s struck out only 19 percent of the time as a major leaguer. But he needs to play, and now that the White Sox are contenders, he’s probably not going to get that opportunity in Chicago.

He considered playing winter ball after missing the season, but since he and his wife have a baby due in December, he’s going to stay home. Baldwin should have a decent chance of winning a spot on the White Sox next spring, but it wouldn’t initially come with the playing time he figured to get if not for the injury last season. The switch-hitting 26-year-old has thus far batted .232/.279/.382 with 13 homers and nine steals in 136 big-league games.

There’s a pretty compelling case to be made for Cash after the Rays put together a remarkable 98-win season to capture the AL East division title. However, Venable should be in the conversation after helping lead the White Sox to a remarkable turnaround as they went from losing 102 games to making the postseason. Tracy took over as Boston’s interim manager in late April and managed to spark their unexpected turnaround.

Bush hasn’t pitched since undergoing Tommy John surgery prior to the 2025 season. He was one of the more prominent pitching prospects in the organization prior to the surgery. Perez .171 (6-for-35) with three homers and six RBI during a 22-game stint with Chicago this past season.

The 26-year-old Pauley hit .211/.257/.373 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 62 games for the Marlins in 2026. He will get another chance with the White Sox, but he’s a long shot to crack the MLB roster.

Shelton, a 2025 sixth-round pick out of the University of Florida, is hitting .277/.379/.511 with three homers in 15 games in Arizona. He came in at .244/.338/.488 with 24 homers and 14 steals between High-A and Double-A last season. The White Sox are grooming him as a utilityman, and he could prove to be a solid one in time.

This is noteworthy today of all days because Roffe was previously with the Milwaukee Brewers as an assistant director of domestic scouting. We just saw the role that the Brewers’ scouting and player development team had in shaping a World Series winner. Roffe will head up the domestic draft operations for the White Sox.

Bonemer, who had started playing the outfield this fall, started in left field in this one. The 43rd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft hit .251/.380/.550 with 37 home runs, 92 RBI, and 17 steals across two levels this season, ending the year with 71 games at Double-A. He will likely begin the season at Double-A, but the White Sox have shown a willingness to be aggressive with their prospects, so there is a chance that we could see Bonemer up in Triple-A early in the season, which would open up the possibility for him to make his MLB debut at some point in 2027.

Murakami had an awful day at the plate, and that included a strikeout with the bases loaded in one of the very few chances the White Sox created any sort of chaos. The 26-year-old’s swing-and-miss was readily apparent throughout the season — that’s really an understatement — but so was his power with 35 homers in his 127 games. The average will always be an issue, but Murakami’s power, potential to drive in runs and draw walks will make him relevant in leagues for the next few years at least.