Position Battles - AL Central

We have almost reached the height of draft season and there is so much around the league that remains uncertain. Position battles are afoot and with the WBC taking center stage (and many of the top players away from their rosters) it further muddies the waters for playing time.

This week, the Dynasty Team will be looking into one position battle per team and try to identify some players you need to be prioritizing in your dynasty leagues. Paying attention to roster trends and news items is key this time of year to get a leg up on your competition.

Next up, the AL Central! Raj Mehta (@rajmheta.ca) gives his insight into how he sees some important roster battles shaking out.

Position Battles - Prospects LiveProspects LiveKyle Sonntag

Chicago White Sox - #4/5 Rotation Spots

Can Sean Burke nail down a rotation spot? (Photo Credit: mlb.com)

This time last year, the White Sox had a wide-open rotation, with a multitude of names vying for a spot. The only notable lock was Sean Burke, a starter with good stuff who ended the year on a high note, with a 1.42 ERA in 19.0 IP in MLB. Shane Smith, acquired by the team just a few months before via the Rule 5 draft, was one of the starters who earned a spot in that rotation — with an improved fastball and a new changeup, he pitched well in four spring starts (3.38 ERA, 3.36 FIP in 10.2 IP) and got the call as the White Sox’s 5th starter, bumping Bryse Wilson to a long relief role. With a stellar performance in the regular season (3.81 ERA, 4.10 FIP in 146.1 IP) that saw Shane Smith as the team’s lone All-Star representative, he was just named the Opening Day starter and figures to be one of the locks this time around.

This offseason, the White Sox signed a pair of arms with international experience in Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde, both of whom I also see as locks to be in the rotation. Kay, a former top prospect in the Jays system, was pitching in NPB the last two seasons and posted a sub-3 FIP across 24 starts in each of them. The 2025 season was better, as he threw 155 innings with a 1.74 ERA (2.55 FIP). Kay should be better this time around, now equipped with a deeper arsenal and good stuff from the left side. Fedde, a starter for the Nationals from 2017 to 2022, was one of the best pitchers in the KBO in 2023, pitching to a 2.00 ERA (2.38 FIP) in 180.1 IP across 30 starts. The White Sox signed him coming off that year, and he pitched well in his first year back in the majors to warrant a trade to the Cardinals at the deadline, a three-team deal that notably landed the Sox Miguel Vargas in return. He’s not as big of a lock to be in the rotation given his poor 2025 performance, and his deal is cheap enough to allow for a move to the pen, but if the White Sox want to get the most value out of him (i.e. a good prospect package at the trade deadline), they’ll have to keep him in the rotation and hope their pitching development staff can get the most out of him.

The bigger questions are in the final two spots, where three names are under consideration: Sean Burke, Davis Martin, and Sean Newcomb. As mentioned earlier, Burke was one of the more highly-regarded names in the White Sox rotation this time last year and was the Opening Day starter in 2025. He didn’t quite live up to expectations, though; the strikeouts went down to a 22.3% mark while the walks went up to 10.6%, resulting in a 4.22 ERA (4.92 FIP) in 134.1 IP. Martin’s strikeout rate also fell, but his fell from an already below average 21.4% down to just 17.3%. 2025 actually marked Martin’s best year by ERA (4.10), but it was also his worst year by FIP (4.64), so while he did have a solid year overall, it’s not expected to be sustainable without some changes. Newcomb is more intriguing given that he was a reliever last year, and the White Sox signed him in the offseason and are looking to convert him into a starter. He had good numbers last year (2.73 ERA, 3.04 FIP) and regularly pitched more than one inning in his relief outings, so he’s already somewhat built up with 92.1 IP last year. Newcomb is a lefty with a deep mix and average stuff, so it’s a question of whether or not he can still survive when his stuff takes a hit with having to pitch deeper into games.

As of now, the final decision on who gets bumped out can go either way. None of the three have been great in Spring Training so far, so it’s not like that can be used as a tiebreaker just yet. Something to keep in mind, though, is that Burke and Martin still have options, while Newcomb doesn’t. That doesn’t mean Newcomb is a lock to stick in the rotation, however — he was effective in a relief role last year, and he’ll be just fine if he were in that same role again this year. It more or less means that if Newcomb wins a job and one of Burke or Martin gets bumped off, the latter two would be optioned to Triple-A to serve as starting depth rather than moved to the bullpen. In other words, Newcomb is guaranteed to provide big league value out of the gate, while the same can’t be said for Burke and Martin.

I think Sean Burke should hold on to a starting role, but I don’t have a read on the final spot. Either Sean Newcomb will win it**,** and Davis Martin gets optioned, or Martin wins it, and Newcomb moves back to the pen. Leaning on the former, but could see the latter happening as well.

Cleveland Guardians - First Base/DH ( & maybe RF?)

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