The Chicago White Sox made the following additions to their 2025 projected active roster:
- Mike Tauchman, rightfield
- Josh Rojas, third base
- Matt Thaiss, catcher
- Brandon Drury, infield
- Austin Slater, outfield
- Michael A. Taylor, outfield
- Martin Perez, starting pitcher
- Bryse Wilson, starting pitcher
- Cam Booser, relief pitcher
- Shane Smith, relief pitcher
Smith, a rule five draft pick, comes into the season with no MLB experience. Shortstop Colson Montgomery is new to the majors as well, with no MLB service time. Given the historically poor season the White Sox posted in 2024, it’s not surprise there was a high roster turnover.
Tauchman gives the team a good leadoff hitter. He gets on base, but generates little power. He will at least extend a number of first innings. Rojas brings nothing to the table offensively, but sports an excellent glove at third base. Given the rather low strikeout rates of the starting rotation, there will be plenty of balls in play. Rojas should plug a defensive hole at the hot corner.
Thaiss, Drury, Slater, and Taylor make up the new bench. All are low production offensive players, none of them young. Taylor offers great defense in the outfield, otherwise these players will hold roster spots as the team rebuilds.
Perez slots in as the ace, but in the last two seasons proved his great 2022 campaign was a fluke. He projects to an ERA in the mid fours. Wilson is the more interesting signing as he pitches at seasonal peak age of 27. Despite coming to the majors young, his career never took off as he proved to be a low K, high HR pitcher. His strength comes from limiting walks. Pitchers like Wilson is why the White Sox are going to need a good defense this season.
Booser plays as a 33-year-old in 2025, having made a pretty good MLB debut in 2024. He should post decent three-true outcomes for a middle reliever. Smith might turn out to be a nice acquisition. He will debut in his early prime, and his minor league numbers indicate a high K, low home run pitcher. That’s a good combination.
The White Sox roster is a combination of past-prime players and inexperienced major leaguers (and the two do intersect). Fourteen of the 26 hold less than two years of major league service time. This is not a rebuild, this is trying to put an MLB team on the field until the farm system can produce some talent. The team will improve, mostly because it’s difficult to play that badly two seasons in a row.