📢 TOP STORY: From Rumor to Reality Check as the White Sox Reunion With a Starting Pitcher Never Materializes ⚡.DD
Former White Sox pitcher Adrian Houser signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
The White Sox could still use a starting pitcher to fill out the 2026 rotation, but it won’t be a familiar face from the 2025 roster.
Right-hander Adrian Houser and the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with a club option for a third year, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Houser pitched well for the White Sox in 2025 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in July.
Why an Adrian Houser reunion made sense for White Sox
Signing Houser certainly wasn’t do-or-die for the White Sox, but it would have made sense for a few reasons.
Houser, along with Yoendrys Gomez, Martín Perez and Aaron Civale each made at least nine starts for the White Sox last season, but they’re no longer on the roster, creating opportunity for others and need on the free agent or trade market.
The White Sox have arguably three surefire starting pitchers in 2026, including Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay.
Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon are likely also be part of the mix, though both had up-and-down 2025 seasons.
There’s also minor leaguers like Tanner McDougal and Duncan Davitt, who were recently added to the 40-man roster, as well as top-100 prospects like Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz, who could push for MLB debuts in 2026.
Injured pitchers like Drew Thorpe, Mason Adams and Ky Bush may be part of the mix when healthy, too.
While the White Sox may more starting options now than they did in 2025, there still aren’t many who they can pencil in for 150 innings as things currently stand.
That’s where Houser could have come in.
The White Sox recently signed Kay to a deal that pays him $5 million annually in 2026 and 2027, plus a $10 million mutual option for 2028 with a $2 million buyout.
Houser’s deal was a bit more pricy, but doesn’t seem to be out of the White Sox budget, especially considering he’s more proven at the major-league level than Kay, who’s coming over from Japan.
Part of Houser’s proven track record includes a stellar stint with the White Sox in 2025, which made for one of the best stretches in his nine-year MLB career.
In 11 starts and 68.2 innings, he recorded a 2.10 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with 47 strikeouts, 22 walks and nine quality starts.
That led to the White Sox flipping him at the deadline for Curtis Mead, Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples, a trade that likely netted the White Sox two major-league contributors in 2026.
However, Houser wasn’t as productive post-trade, recording a 4.79 ERA and a 1.34 ERA in 56.1 innings.
So perhaps the White Sox felt they sold high on Houser, 32, and that a repeat of his 2025 stint on the South Side wasn’t in store a second time around.
Free agent starting pitchers available
Houser’s deal with the Giants doesn’t leave the White Sox without options to fill out the 2026 rotation, either.
Here’s a look at who’s still on the board, according to MLB.com, with their corresponding age and 2025 wins above replacement.
- Framber Valdez (32, 7.7)
- Ranger Suárez (30, 7.5)
- Nick Martinez (35, 5.5)
- Chris Bassitt (37, 4.8)
- Michael King (31, 4.7)
- Zac Gallen (30, 3.9)
- Zack Littell (30, 3.7)
- Patrick Corbin (36, 3.6)
- Erick Fedde (33, 3.2)
- Justin Verlander (43, 2.9)
- Zach Eflin (32, 2.6)
- Miles Mikolas (37, 2.2)
- Nestor Cortes (31, 2.1)
- Tyler Mahle (31, 2.1)
- Lucas Giolito (30, 2.0)
- Andrew Heaney (35, 1.9)
- Michael Lorenzen (34, 1.9)
- Jose Quintana (37, 1.9)
- Albert Suárez (36, 1.8)
- Aaron Civale (31, 1.8)
- Chris Paddack (30, 1.8)
- Tyler Anderson (36, 1.6)
- Jon Gray (34, 1.4)
- Frankie Montas (33, 1.3)
- Martín Pérez (35, 1.3)
- Griffin Canning (30, 1.0)
- Chris Flexen (31, 1.0)
- Marcus Stroman (35, 1.0)
- Max Scherzer (41, 1.0)
- Austin Gomber (32, 0.9)
- Cal Quantrill (31, 0.9)
- Paul Blackburn (32, 0.6)
- Jordan Montgomery (33, 0.6)
- John Means (33, 0.5)
- Alex Cobb (38, 0.3)
- Germán Márquez (31, 0.2)
- Tomoyuki Sugano (36, 0.1)
- José Ureña (34, 0.0)
- José Urquidy (31, 0.0)
- Tony Gonsolin (32, -0.1)
- Mike Clevinger (35, -0.2)
- Wade Miley (39, -0.2)
- Walker Buehler (31, -0.4)
- Tommy Henry (28, -0.6)
- Anthony DeSclafani (36, -0.7)
- Roddery Muñoz (26, -1.9)
- Kohei Arihara (33, N/A)
- Tatsuya Imai (28, N/A)
