The White Sox and right-hander Seranthony Domínguez are in settlement on a two-year, $20MM deal, stories Jeff Passan of ESPN. Passan provides that the Epitome Sports activities Administration is anticipated to be the nearer for the Sox. Chicago has a full 40-man roster and can want a corresponding transfer to make this official.
Domínguez, 31, has principally been an efficient setup man in his profession. He debuted with the Phillies in 2018 and tossed 58 innings with a 2.95 earned run common. His 9.5% stroll fee was a bit excessive however he struck out 32% of batters confronted whereas inducing grounders on 55.7% of balls in play.
He missed a lot of the subsequent three seasons attributable to harm, together with a Tommy John surgical procedure in 2020. Over the previous 4 years, he has been again on monitor and his manufacturing has had a considerably related form to his 2018 season. He has thrown at the least 50 innings in every of these 4 campaigns. Put collectively, he tossed 222 1/3 innings for the Phillies, Orioles and Blue Jays with a mixed ERA of three.60, a 27% strikeout fee, 10.7% stroll fee and 41.9% floor ball fee. He racked up 24 saves and 55 holds.
In 2025, he modified up his arsenal. He nonetheless featured a four-seamer and sinker within the higher 90s with a sweeper as certainly one of his breaking balls, however he switched out his changeup and slider for a splitter and a curveball. That led to a career-high stroll fee of 13.8% however his 30.3% strikeout fee was his greatest in a full season since his rookie debut. He grew to become one of many high setup guys in Toronto’s bullpen, making 12 postseason appearances as a part of that membership’s run to the World Sequence. He had a 3.18 ERA in these, although with extra walks than strikeouts.
It’s a little bit of a unstable profile however the stuff is tantalizing and his outcomes have principally been good. Coming into the winter, there was a transparent high tier of free agent closers which included Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams and Robert Suarez. Domínguez was within the subsequent tier of stable setup guys, together with Tyler Rogers, Luke Weaver, Brad Keller and others. MLBTR predicted Domínguez for a two-year deal price $18MM and he has are available only a hair above that.
Domínguez was related to golf equipment just like the Pink Sox and Twins in reported rumors however presumably had curiosity from different golf equipment as properly. The White Sox are an attention-grabbing touchdown spot for him. The membership is clearly in rebuild mode, having simply completed their third straight 100-loss season. Nonetheless, just a few of their prospects had good breakout seasons in 2025, together with Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel.
The Sox have responded with a considerably lively offseason. They bolstered their rotation by giving Anthony Kay $12MM over two years and Sean Newcomb $4.5MM on a one-year deal. Munetaka Murakami seemingly fell into their laps when nobody else wished to provide him a long-term deal, so that they signed him for $34MM over two years.
They did subtract Luis Robert Jr. this week, buying and selling him to the Mets for Luisangel Acuña and pitching prospect Truman Pauley, however normal supervisor Chris Getz stated that the cash saved from that deal can be reinvested within the staff. Robert was set to make a $20MM wage this 12 months, with a $2MM buyout on his $20MM choice for 2027. Assuming the Domínguez deal is equally unfold out throughout the 2 seasons, then he’ll be taking half of the cash that was slated for Robert’s wage in 2026.
Nobody is more likely to decide the White Sox to win the Central this 12 months however the membership is at the least attempting to make the roster extra respectable, which is commendable. Maybe there’s a state of affairs the place issues go particularly properly they usually hover within the race for just a few months. If not, all of their pickups have been for one or two years, preserving the long-term payroll broad open for every time they do return to rivalry. Of the signees, anybody who performs properly might be on the commerce block this summer season if the Sox are behind the pack.
For Domínguez, it’s doable he could have most well-liked a extra surefire contender however touchdown in Chicago offers him an opportunity to shut. As talked about earlier, he has picked up just a few saves in his profession however has principally been a setup man. If he fares properly within the ninth-inning job, maybe that can assist him land with a contender through commerce and it might assist his incomes energy when he returns to the open market two years from now.
He instantly turns into simply probably the most skilled arm within the bullpen. Newcomb, who may have an opportunity to earn a rotation job, is the one different pitcher on the roster with even three years of massive league service time.
Final 12 months, eight completely different pitchers recorded a save for the Sox. Jordan Leasure led the pack with seven, adopted by Grant Taylor with six. These two each have stay arms however are nonetheless fairly inexperienced. They’ll work setup roles with Domínguez within the ninth. If the youthful guys take a step ahead or Domínguez finally ends up traded, then the roles might change over the course of an extended season. It’s additionally doable the Sox make one other transfer if Getz nonetheless has some powder dry.
With Domínguez now off the board, the reduction market will get a bit extra barren. Díaz, Suarez, Williams, Rogers, Weaver, Keller, Ryan Helsley, Emilio Pagán, Kyle Finnegan, Raisel Iglesias, Phil Maton, Pete Fairbanks, Kenley Jansen, Gregory Soto and others have all come off the board. The group of men nonetheless accessible consists of Danny Coulombe, Justin Wilson, Andrew Chafin, Evan Phillips, Scott Barlow and extra.
Picture courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Mitch Stringer, Imagn Photos
