13 White Sox Minor League Players Enter Free Agency Amid Uncertain Offseason – Sports Illustrated

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The Chicago White Sox face an uncertain offseason amid an expected lockout on Dec. 1. For now, free agency will go on as planned but will hit a wall come December. Several White Sox players have entered free agency on major league contracts.
However, there are some familiar faces not on the 40-man roster who are electing minor league free agency. More specifically, Future Sox has the list at 13 such players in the White Sox organization entering the open market this winter.
Aidan Anderson, Adisyn Coffey, Dylan Cumming, Jairo Iriarte, Jarold Rosado, and Tyler Gilbert are the pitchers who elected free agency. Of those names, two should sound pretty familiar. While Anderson, Coffey, Cumming, and Rosado have never pitched in a major league game, Gilbert and Iriarte have.
Gilbert was with the major league team from 2025 to 2026, pitching in 51 games (six starts). In 2025, he pitched in 46 games, recording a 3.88 ERA. In the six innings he pitched during 2026, it was a disaster for the left-hander. Gilbert gave up eight runs on 12 hits (two home runs) and four walks. He will now enter free agency in his age-33 season.
As for Iriarte, he was a major piece of the return from the San Diego Padres in the Dylan Cease deal that included Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala, and Steven Wilson. Wilson was subsequently traded for Tanner Murray and Everson Pereira in 2026. Iriarte and Thorpe were supposed to be big components of the White Sox future rotation. Unfortunately, Thorpe underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025 and has seemingly fallen out of favor with the White Sox organization. Meanwhile, Iriarte will enter free agency after pitching in six major league games for Chicago in 2024.
Catcher Korey Lee, first baseman Tim Elko, second baseman Andy Weber. and shortstop Riley Unroe will hit free agency this offseason. Of those names, two stand out. While Unroe and Weber haven't played in a major league game, Lee and Elko were once thought to be future pieces for the White Sox.
Lee was a former first-round pick by the Houston Astros known more for his glove and pop time than his bat. Chicago acquired him in a one-for-one swap involving Kendall Graveman in 2023. He struggled in Chicago during the 2023 season, slashing .077/.143/.138 in 24 games. In 2024, he got a lot of action in the record-breaking 121-loss season. Playing 125 games, Lee slashed .210/.244/.347 with 12 home runs and solid defensive metrics.
In 2025, Lee played in only 25 games but made a positive impact with a .257/.333/.429 slash line. Going into 2026, he was expected to play a huge role after Kyle Teel's injury in the World Baseball Classic. However, he never appeared in a major league game with Chicago despite the major injuries and inconsistency at the catching position.
Elko was thought to be the future first baseman by some before Munetaka Murakami came to the South Side of Chicago. The slugger played in 23 games during the 2025 season, slashing .134/.194/.328 with four home runs, including a Mother's Day three-run go-ahead blast. Unfortunately, Elko suffered a torn ACL that caused him to likely never appear in a White Sox major league uniform again.
Finally, outfielders Jake Cave, Joey Wiemer, and Junior Pérez entered minor league free agency. While all three names have major league experience, Pérez is the only one of the three to appear in a White Sox uniform.
Cave and Wiemer were minor league additions over 2026. Pérez was acquired from the Athletics during the season for Jackson Nove and would be one of over a dozen players to make their major league debuts with Chicago in 2026. In 22 games, Pérez slashed .171/.194/.429 with three home runs as a depth option for Chicago.
Many, if not all, of these names are set to depart the White Sox. However, Chicago's minor league depth has never been stronger, and its future never brighter.
Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.
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