3 free agents White Sox can sign to avoid being the worst team in baseball in 2025

The 2024 Chicago White Sox were quite literally the worst baseball team ever put together during the modern era.

The good news is that the season is finally over, and now the White Sox can head into the offseason looking to use free agency and their farm system to drastically improve this roster. It's going to be a challenging couple of months, and contention is long way away. Chicago is going to need to overpay and take risks on struggling or injured players to convince talent to come to the South Side. But it's still going to be a very important time for the future of the White Sox franchise — and maybe they can avoid another historically bad season while they're at it.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. OF Christian Pache

Looking at the White Sox and then looking at the free agency pool, it's pretty tough to find players that would want to play in Chicago and fit the team's timeline. But young outfielder Pache might fit the bill on a one- or two-year deal.

A former top prospect in the Braves system, Pache has spent big league time with Atlanta along with the Phillies, Athletics, Orioles and most recently the Marlins. He's struggled at the plate wherever he's been, but the athleticism and defense that were his calling cards as a prospect remain, and he also has yet to see consistent playing time. He's often left to shuffle back and forth between the Majors and Minors, and the 25-year-old has simply never been given the chance to find his stride in the big leagues.

What better place to come and play everyday than the worst team in the league?

There aren't many players that should be seen as "not good enough" to play for the White Sox. Pache likely wouldn't be looking for a long-term home if he signed with the team. Rather, he would be looking for everyday playing time in an attempt to prove himself to other teams — and recoup some future value at the trade deadline if he does produce. If Pache wants to bet on himself, his best chance to do so is with the White Sox next season.

2. INF Amed Rosario

Rosario bounced around a few teams last year, going from the Rays to the Dodgers to the Reds. The Dodgers waived him and he was horrible in Cincy, but, given his plus hit tool and his defensive versatility, Rosario will find a place with another big league team this year.

The White Sox won't be landing any big free agents, so they have the money to overpay for somebody like Rosario. Last season, they paid a bit more than market value for Erick Fedde, before flipping him to St. Louis at the deadline. This offseason, they could make the exact same move with Rosario. Chicago could opt to try to sign him for more than he's worth in the hopes that he performs well and they can eventually trade him for prospect capital; postseason contenders are always looking for guys with speed who can play several valuable defensive positions, and who knows, maybe Rosario's bat bounces back a bit.

Chicago's rebuild isn't happening through free agency. It's happening through the farm system. They can afford to overpay for Rosario, as long as they don't lock themselves into a long-term contract with him. Giving him a two-year deal worth $8 million to $10 million would likely bring him to Chicago for the 2025 and 2026 season.

1. RHP Walker Buehler

It would be pretty difficult for a front office to try to bring a pitcher to come throw for the worst team in professional baseball. The White Sox defense and offense are both so horrendously bad that there's not a pitcher on the planet that would like to be there. But, with a case like Walker Buehler's, it might make sense.

Buehler has gone through a litany of health issues over the past few years, and he returned in 2024 not looking much like the Cy Young candidate that he has been in the past. There's a chance that he never returns to form. But there's also a chance that he just needs a fresh start with a new team to prove that he can still pitch at the highest level, now two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be bringing back Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, a ton of prospect arms and maybe some free-agent pitchers this offseason. While Buehler has been homegrown piece for them over the years, there's a chance that Los Angeles lets him walk this offseason. If the team does let him go, why not take a a one-year deal with the White Sox, who would overpay for the privilege, to prove to the league that he can recapture his elite stuff?