The White Sox Bullpen Has Plenty of Potential in 2026
With several returning arms poised to take a step forward paired with some valuable offseason reinforcements, the White Sox's bullpen figures to be much improved in 2026.
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The Chicago White Sox lost 102 games last year, and while they still wouldn’t have been near a winning record, the bullpen was a large factor in many competitive games that ultimately ended up as losses.
Chicago’s bullpen in 2025 recorded just 25 saves, the least in the league. Beyond just an inability to finish games, the unit walked the most batters of any bullpen in baseball. Granted, that bullpen was still much better than the unit from 2024, but alas.
Heading into a year that is more promising than the past few for Chicago, a combination of addressing the bullpen and expecting internal growth remained on the docket. The organization has done just that this offseason to put them in a position to at least hold their own in tight games this season.
Valuable Bullpen Additions
Three key pieces were added to the bullpen via free agency and trade, which certainly adds a layer to the few guys with high expectations from last year’s group.
The biggest addition of the winter on this side of the ball for Chicago was Seranthony Dominguez, who is expected to be the primary closer for the club.
The lack of a closer ended up as a detriment last season, and while he hasn’t been a closer for many consecutive years, Dominguez can take on that role.
He posted a 3.16 ERA with a strikeout rate north of 30% last season across 62.2 innings pitched. While his command drifted too often, he missed bats at an elite clip and minimized hard contact well.
After reaching the World Series with Toronto last year, Dominguez will bring experience to this unit.
Jordan Hicks, another reliever with ample big-league time, came over via a trade with Boston, which was partially a salary-clearing move for the Red Sox that also netted the White Sox pitching prospect David Sandlin.
“Preparation [wise], it was probably one of the best [offseasons] I’ve had. I’m really optimistic,” said Hicks.
Hicks transitioned into a starting role with the Giants in 2024 and started as such for them in 2025 before heading back to the bullpen and being dealt to Boston in the Rafael Devers deal.
Hicks will be purely a reliever for Chicago this season, where he has had more success previously. He posted a 3.29 ERA and a 1.1 fWAR season split between St. Louis and Toronto back in 2023, his last full season exclusively out of the bullpen.
“The pitching side of things is the same, [but] intent and knowing I won’t be out there for multiple innings, I know I can let it go a little,” explained Hicks about being purely a reliever.
Grabbing 100.7 mph on Wednesday in his first spring outing was a positive sign heading into the year for Hicks.
“I haven’t fully let it rip yet. I am optimistic about the velocity topping 103 or 104 at some point this year and hopefully sitting above 100 with the fastball,” said Hicks.
Working on maximizing a harder slider has been another emphasis for him, as he feels that it can be an even more effective offering out of the bullpen. He’s one of many fireballers within this bullpen unit.
“I don’t know if I’ve been a part of a bullpen with that many guys,” said Hicks on the number of arms on the roster who can throw 100 mph or higher.
Hicks is not locked into a key leverage role, but he could be deployed in a range from early relief up until the eighth inning as an experienced option.
The final guaranteed contract that figures to play into the bullpen mix is Sean Newcomb, who was brought in on a one-year, $4 million deal this winter.
Newcomb is in camp competing for a rotation spot for now, but he had an excellent second half of the season as a reliever last year, and the White Sox have a clear need for a left-handed leverage arm.
He started Thursday’s game against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits across two innings of work. Newcomb made a handful of starts for Boston at the start of 2025, but fared much better as a reliever throughout the year.
“I was able to be a starter in camp last year with Boston. It’s good to know where you’re going to be every five days,” said Newcomb after his outing.
The White Sox have a pretty clear first three with Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and fellow offseason signing Anthony Kay. Beyond that trio, Erick Fedde was signed a few weeks ago, and Sean Burke was a starter for Chicago throughout 2025.
Newcomb could also be in play for an opener role, as the team did have success with an opener throwing in front of Burke a few times in 2025.
“I’ve had experience doing both, and for me, it’s just a matter of going out and attacking hitters and putting up zeroes,” said Newcomb in regards to his comfort level bouncing between the rotation and bullpen.
With many young starters on the way to Chicago this season, too, Newcomb will likely factor into the bullpen even if he does earn the right to make some starts early in the year.
More Irons in the Fire
Joining those three newcomers is a trio of holdovers from last season, who are all still in the pre-arbitration years of their careers.
Mike Vasil, Grant Taylor, and Jordan Leasure are all but locks to be in this bullpen come Opening Day, although Vasil is also “being built up as a starter” alongside Newcomb.
Vasil was a breakout arm last season, when he posted a 2.50 ERA across 101 innings as the swingman for Chicago. He’ll be utilized similarly as a multi-inning option or potential opener this year.
He’s not flashy, and the stuff doesn’t stand out, but Vasil mixes six pitches well, which led to a ton of success, particularly with his trio of fastball variations and changeup.
“Getting ahead of guys and getting to two strikes within the first three pitches. Those are my recipes for success,” said Vasil.
He detailed his goal of planning after throwing a lot of innings last year so that he’s prepared for how teams will attack him this season. Adjusting his arsenal to maximize his movement plot has been an additional focus.
Vasil has tweaked his cutter from last year a couple of times, entering camp with more of a gyro-slider style, and has shifted to a harder, 4-seam cutter to avoid any blending with his breaking pitches.
“Last outing, it was a highlight for me. It was 88-90, as I continue to build up and throw harder, if I could get that into the low 90s, it would be an ideal pitch for me,” said Vasil.
He joked about how he’s not a fan of the new era of a ton of varying versions of a cutter, with everyone having a different moving version of the offering now.
Still clearly a younger arm relative to the new veterans, Vasil has shown leadership out of the gate in camp.
“Everyone’s comfortable and able to be themselves. We all have so much respect for the game. Combine that with guys being able to still have their own identity, that’s mix for a good culture for years to come,” said Vasil.
While being stretched as a starter, Vasil is prepared to serve in a versatile role again like last season.
“I realize how I was able to impact the team last year. Even being able to slide in for a few starts here and there. Ideally, this year, there are a lot more leads, so I’m throwing more leverage if that’s the case,” explained Vasil. “I love pitching, so I’m gonna do it…I just want to pitch and help this team win.”
His versatility will remain a key factor that makes him valuable for this team, much like Grant Taylor.
The difference is that Taylor could quickly become the clear top arm in this group with the stuff to match just about any reliever in baseball.
Taylor’s spring debut was electric, and he still has the potential to shift into the rotation down the line. For now, he’ll be deployed in a combination of leverage and multi-inning spots out of the bullpen, where he’ll consistently grab over 100 mph.
Leasure was granted the opportunity to close games at the onset of last season, but he struggled in many of those spots. However, his slider remains a clear plus offering, and he finished his first full MLB season on a high note while throwing in lower-leverage spots.
After throwing 96% fastballs and sliders in 2025 though, Leasure is emphasizing the usage of his other pitches this season.
“I’ve been mixing in a couple of two-seamers this spring. That may be the biggest help I get against righties this year…And then the splitter to lefties. I’m not gonna shy away from throwing that against righties, too, if I need to,” said Leasure.
The usage of a secondary heater is a clear trend throughout the organization to avoid batters sitting on a fastball with predictable shape.
“Because it holds velocity really well, it’s not [too] much slower and gives them less time to react. Whether it’s a cutter or a two-seam, you have something at a similar velocity going a different direction. [Batters] having to respect that opens up a lot for the off-speed,” explained Leasure in regards to this trend of multiple fastballs.
Leasure’s fastball, while being utilized at a 53.5% clip, was hit hard at times last season. Deploying a two-seamer at even a 5-10% rate should do wonders against right-handed batters.
With more depth in the bullpen in contrast to last year, Leasure can be eased into his role as he implements arsenal changes with less pressure to finish out games for the Sox.
Beyond that group of six, which is just about solidified with over three weeks until camp breaks, there is a wide range of arms in camp competing to claim a spot.
A pair of Rule 5 picks, Jedixson Paez and Alexander Alberto, will have to claim a spot in the bullpen to stick in the organization, but they face an uphill battle at this point.
Paez did have an encouraging spring debut this week, and the organization views him very highly as a potential starter in the future if he’s able to stick on the big-league roster as a reliever this season.
With Newcomb as the sole left-hander (who could even be an opener option), at least one more left-hander will join this group, leaving just one spot for both Rule 5 guys to compete for alongside many other veteran arms.
Tyler Gilbert is the left-hander with experience on the team last year and no minor-league options remaining, which may give him the edge. Brandon Eisert, Chris Murphy, and Ryan Borucki are all competing to make the team as well as a left-handed bullpen option.
The final two spots will be determined across the next month, with most of these names mentioned likely to appear at some point during the upcoming 162-game season. This unit as a whole is not going to be near the best in baseball by any means, but it should be much improved.
With that said, many of the new veterans are likely trade candidates come the end of July. But that doesn’t change the nature of this group for at least four months.
For a team with the aim of winning more, while more importantly progressing the young core, this unit will allow them to finish out games. That should go a long way in building out some confidence for this offense and rotation in 2026 and beyond.
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Elijah is the Chief Operating Officer for Just Baseball Media. He manages the operations of the company and oversees the management of our staff. Additionally, he…