White Sox Linked To Two Future Hall of Fame Pitchers

With spring training quickly approaching, adding a veteran starting pitcher remains one of the top priorities for the White Sox to wrap up the offseason. Several free agent pitchers are still available, including future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. The pair have recently been linked as possible fits for the White Sox by Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

The oldest active player in MLB, Verlander will be 43 on Opening Day. He hasn’t slowed down much with age, however, as he put together a respectable 2025 season with the Giants. While his 4-11 record isn’t anything to write home about, the veteran right-hander recorded a 3.85 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.36 WHIP with 137 strikeouts over 152 innings across 29 starts with San Francisco in 2025. It is also worth noting that he improved as the season went on, posting a 2.99 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in his final 14 starts.

Scherzer didn’t experience the same level of success in 2025 as his former rotation mate. In 17 regular season starts with the Blue Jays, the 41-year-old recorded a 5.19 ERA, 4.99 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP, some of the worst numbers of his career. Still, his ability to miss bats remained intact, as he struck out nearly a batter an inning. He was also more effective in the postseason, pitching to a 3.77 ERA across 14.1 innings.

Inexperienced Starting Rotation

Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and the newly signed Anthony Kay figure to have secure spots in the White Sox starting rotation to open the season. Sean Burke, Sean Newcomb, Jonathan Cannon, and Duncan Davitt will likely be in the mix to earn rotation spots in spring training as well. Regardless of how the rotation competition shakes out following spring training, it will be a very young group with limited MLB track records.

With the youth and volatility of the starting rotation in mind, adding a veteran starter to provide stability and innings in the first half of the season seems like a good idea. Lucas Giolito, Chris Bassitt, Zack Littell, José Quintana, and Nick Martinez are other free agents who remain unsigned, but if experience is what the White Sox want, they won’t find anyone who fits the bill better than Verlander or Scherzer. Both have accomplished everything there is to accomplish, including winning multiple Cy Young Awards, World Series titles, and a variety of other personal accolades.

Logical Fits

Verlander or Scherzer would serve multiple purposes for the White Sox. The most obvious is providing innings and stability to a rotation with significant uncertainty. The team needs a veteran who can pitch deep into games, and either should be able to do that even in the tail end of their career. Beyond the on-field contributions, their presence on the team would be invaluable. Learning from and picking the brains of a future first-ballot Hall of Famer could pay long-term dividends for the team’s young pitchers.

It’s also not unreasonable to say that either could become a trade chip at the deadline should they pitch well in the first half, which could bring the White Sox more young talent via trade and pave the way for the likes of Drew Thorpe, Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, Tanner McDougal, and others to join the rotation in the second half of the season.

It seems to be more speculation than anything on Morosi’s part regarding the White Sox interest in either pitcher, as he also mentioned the Orioles, Padres, and Guardians as other potential landing spots in the segment. It’s fair to question if either Verlander or Scherzer would even consider signing with a rebuilding team like the White Sox given that they are at the tail end of their careers and would most likely prefer to sign with a contender. Scherzer in particular could be a tough sell, as it has been reported that he may wait until later in the season to sign with a team.

Calculated Gamble

The White Sox cleared $20 million off their books by trading Luis Robert Jr., creating flexibility in which Morosi noted. Even with half of that money now reallocated to recent free agent signing Seranthony Domínguez, the team should still have financial wiggle room to add a starting pitcher. Verlander or Scherzer fit the bill of what the team appears to be looking for and could be intriguing options on a one-year deal.