Chicago

White Sox

Julks hit .214/.275/.306 with the White Sox in his limited action. The 28-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and it makes room for Cam Booser after the White Sox acquired Booser in a trade with the Red Sox.

Booser should be a big part of the White Sox bullpen after forging a 3.38 ERA in 43 2/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2024. The left-hander is due $800,000 in 2025, and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031.

No word on the return, but multiple outlets report that the White Sox will send Boston a minor league pitcher. Booser was a solid performer for the Red Sox in 2024 with a 3.38 ERA over 43 appearances with a 43/16 K/BB over 42 2/3 innings. He’ll likely be a high-leverage reliever for the rebuilding and then some Chicago staff.

The deal is now official. Wilson hit free agency last month following his removal from Milwaukee’s 40-man roster. The soon-to-be 27-year-old righty finished last year with a respectable 4.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 82/31 K/BB ratio across 104 2/3 innings (34 appearances, nine starts). He’ll most likely operate in a versatile swingman-type role for Chicago, which is unlikely to translate into significant fantasy appeal.

Wilson, 26, elected free agency after being outrighted off the Milwaukee roster at the end of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander will be given a chance to be a starter by the White Sox, but won’t offer a ton of fantasy upside to begin 2025 even if he does earn a rotation nod.

Lipcius, 26, got off to a great start with the Dodgers’ Triple-A club last season and made a case for a callup when Max Muncy was sidelined, but he cooled off and never did get a chance with the major league team. Overall, he hit .271/.351/.458 with 25 homers in 140 games. His lone major league experience came with the Tigers in 2023, when he hit .286/.342/.400 in 38 plate appearances. There isn’t a lot of upside here, but he probably would have been one of the White Sox’s best players had he been with the club last year. If younger players fail to emerge, he might get a chance to step in somewhere; he has experience at third, second, first and in left field.

Thaiss is on the move again in a crosstown Chicago swap just a few weeks after being shipped to the Cubs from the Angels where he batted .208/.313/.342 with 22 homers and six steals in 771 plate appearances dating back to 2019. The 29-year-old former first-round pick never quite panned out in Los Angeles and projects as merely extra catching depth for the White Sox behind starter Korey Lee until top prospects Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel are ready to ascend to the big leagues.

Altavilla will get a chance to compete in spring training for a spot in Chicago’s bullpen after making five appearances last year for the division-rival Royals. The 32-year-old righty holds a serviceable 4.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 134/63 K/BB ratio across 119 2/3 innings (124 appearances) in the big leagues since 2016.

Getz added that Thorpe is expected to have a normal offseason and be 100 percent for spring training after undergoing surgery back in September to remove a bone spur from his right elbow. The 24-year-old righty struggled to keep the ball in the yard last season in his first taste of the majors, but possesses one of the most electric changeups in the game. He’s a late-round dart throw in extremely deep mixed leagues.

Gonzalez will turn 23 near the end of March, and the right-hander was so-so in Double-A with a 4.73 ERA and 92/46 K/BB over 19 starts — 24 overall appearances — in Double-A Portland. He does have a lively arm with a plus fastball and three solid secondary pitches, but the ability to control those offerings is still very much in doubt. For the fourth piece in a trade, however, Gonzalez is a fine get; one with the upside of a mid-rotation starter and the floor of organizational depth with bullpen option the most likely landing spot.