The Chicago White Sox were not expected to fling money around this offseason, so it should come as no surprise that they have been mostly silent while other teams around baseball have been making big moves over the last week.
However, the hope was that the White Sox would at least do something to address some needs, and perhaps one of the most critical holes on their roster is at closer.
Jordan Leasure led Chicago with seven saves in 2025, but the team didn’t really have a go-to closer. Leasure also logged 3.92 ERA while issuing 4.2 walks per nine innings, so he isn’t exactly an ideal fit for the back end of the bullpen.
Relief pitchers have been flying off the board at a blistering pace, and now, the cupboard is getting pretty bare. Further compounding the issue is that Pete Fairbanks, widely viewed as a potential target for the White Sox, has now seen his price increase thanks to the fast-moving market.
Will Chicago be left holding the bag?
The Chicago White Sox are in trouble when it comes to adding a closer
Fairbanks logged a 2.83 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, allowing 45 hits and registering 59 strikeouts over 60.1 innings of work. His 3.63 FIP was a bit concerning, but his 1.044 WHIP was definitely impressive.
Unfortunately, the White Sox could be priced out on Fairbanks, as Noah Phalen of Southside Showdown notes.
“Fairbanks’ asking price is unclear, but closers of similar caliber have been landing $10-15 million a season on the open market,” Phalen wrote. “In a competitive market with contending teams involved, the White Sox are unlikely to be the team to overpay to sign the player and may even have to add extra to convince Fairbanks to come to a rebuilding team.”
Phalen makes a salient point. Fairbanks is 31 years old and would surely prefer to sign with a contender, which Chicago is certainly not. For that reason, the White Sox would almost certainly have to go above and beyond to convince the right-hander to take his talents to the Windy City.
This may not necessarily be a bad thing, though, as Fairbanks is clearly on the downturn based on his rapidly declining strikeout numbers.
Still, the White Sox need a closer, so the fact that they may have already been locked out of the market is depressing.
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