Analyzing The White Sox Signing Of Seranthony Domínguez
Following the trade of Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets earlier this week, Chris Getz made it clear that the White Sox would be active in reallocating the money the team saved by trading Robert Jr. into other areas on the roster.
He wasted no time backing up his words. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported earlier today that the team signed right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez to a two-year/$20 million contract with a mutual option for 2028, strengthening the back end of the bullpen and addressing one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
Domínguez’s Player Profile
Domínguez, 31, is coming off a strong season split between the Orioles and Blue Jays. In 67 regular season relief appearances between Baltimore and Toronto, he recorded a 3.16 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, along with 79 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. He made 12 additional appearances in the postseason for the Blue Jays, allowing four runs in 11.1 innings with 10 strikeouts.
Taking a deeper look into his metrics, it is easy to see why the White Sox were willing to pay handsomely for his services. The 6’1, 225 right-hander ranked amongst the best in baseball in several key categories in 2025 per Baseball Savant, including hard-hit%, barrel%, K%, whiff%, average exit velocity, and fastball velocity, which averaged nearly 98 MPH last season. He was particularly good against right-handed hitters, as they slashed just .132/.269/.182 in 145 plate appearances.
Walks have traditionally been Domínguez’s biggest flaw, and those problems persisted last season. He walked more than 5 batters per 9 innings, including 11 free passes in the playoffs. Still, opposing batters hit just .198 off of him in 2025, with his splitter and sweeper in particular being his best pitches. Opponents hit .114 with a 49.5 whiff% in 47 plate appearances against his splitter and just .132 with a 49.1 whiff% in 57 plate appearances against his sweeper. When he throws strikes, he is among MLB’s best in generating whiffs and strikeouts.
Much Needed Bullpen Addition
With 322 career MLB appearances and 40 MLB saves to his name, Domínguez immediately becomes the most experienced member of the White Sox bullpen. Passan noted that he is expected to be the closer for the South Siders in 2026, which in turn creates a trickle-down effect for the rest of the bullpen. The team already features several interesting young arms like Grant Taylor, Jordan Leasure, Mike Vasil, and Wikelman González, who will all be able to move down an inning and assume less responsibility and pressure with Domínguez in the fold. Adding him to the mix raises both the ceiling and floor of the bullpen as a whole.
White Sox relievers combined for just 25 saves last season and the club was an abysmal 15-36 in one-run games. Improvements were sorely needed, and adding a proven reliever of Domínguez’s caliber for the highest leverage moments should help the ballclub lock down more wins when the margins are thin.
Potential Trade Chip
While Domínguez figures to be an integral piece of the White Sox bullpen for now, it is worth monitoring his status as a potential trade chip down the line. If he has a strong first half, the team could look to deal him to a contender in order to accumulate more prospects. Depending on how he performs, he could become a valuable trade commodity given that he will be under contract for the 2027 season as well. And in a scenario where he doesn’t live up to expectations, the contract is for only two years and won’t cripple the team’s payroll in the long term.
Final Takeaway
It’s hard to view bringing in Seranthony Domínguez as anything other than a good thing for the White Sox given where the team currently is in its rebuilding process. The move addresses one of their biggest weaknesses from last year, while also giving them another potential trade piece to cash in at the deadline. With $10 million of the $20 million savings from trading Robert Jr. now used, improving the starting rotation and outfield should be the next items on Chris Getz’s to-do list.