<p>It’s time for both sides of this great baseball town to come together.</p><p>No, not the fans. We know better than to ask for that.</p><p>Rather, we mean the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs" target="_blank" >Cubs</a> and <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox" target="_blank" >White Sox</a> themselves, for — a doff of the cap and a drumroll, please — the Sun-Times’ 2026 All-City Team is here.</p><p>Beat writers Vinnie Duber (Cubs) and James Fegan (Sox) joined frequent baseball scribe Jeff Agrest and yours truly in selecting a 17-man team: one player at each position in the field, a designated hitter, four starting pitchers, three relievers — one of them designated as closer — and a manager.</p><p>Four ironclad rules guided our process:</p><p>1. This is a 2026 honor. Reputation doesn’t matter.</p><p>2. If it’s too close to call at certain positions, lean into which players we’d rather write into a playoff lineup.</p><p>3. All players must appear at their primary positions. No exceptions!</p><p>4. OK, fine, Alex Bregman and Miguel Vargas both need to be in there somehow. Besides, if we journalists followed the rules, how would everybody know to hate us?</p><p>Our team:</p><h3><b>SP1: Sean Burke, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Leads Chicago starters in ERA, strikeouts, opponent batting average — closest we’ve got to an ace.</i></p><h3><b>SP2: Shota Imanaga, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>Other than the gopher balls — so many gopher balls — lefty has been effective.</i></p><h3><b>SP3: Davis Martin, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Sox were 10-1 over his first 11 starts. Finishing kick has been strong, too. (As for in between, don’t ask.)</i></p><h3><b>SP4: Matthew Boyd, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>Still one guy who — if locked in — can get you to the seventh inning of a playoff game.</i></p><h3><b>C: Carson Kelly, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>Good hitter, even better with men in scoring position. Not an All-Star, but we’ll take him.</i></p><h3><b>1B: Munetaka Murakami, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Hamstring injury derailed spectacular start. Still, top 10 in AL in homers, walks is big-time.</i></p><h3><b>2B: Chase Meidroth, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Sorry, Nico Hoerner, but this was an easy call. Meidroth has simply been the better batsman.</i></p><h3><b>3B: Alex Bregman, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>One of the best second halves in baseball, combined with stellar glove work. Tough call, though.</i></p><h3><b>SS: Dansby Swanson, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>Just too great on “D” — and Colson Montgomery didn’t get on base enough to unseat him.</i></p><h3><b>LF: Tristan Peters, Sox</b></h3><p><i>South Side’s best outfielder — an All-Star, don’t forget — gets bumped over by you-know-who.</i></p><h3><b>CF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>But you knew this already. Not bad, Mr. MVP.</i></p><h3><b>RF: Seiya Suzuki, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>His RISP work wasn’t the best, but you take the offensive totals every time.</i></p><h3><b>DH: Miguel Vargas, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Sox’ MVP — there’s no debate about that — simply has to be in our lineup.</i></p><h3><b>RP: Bryan Hudson, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Quality lefty with multiple impressive scoreless streaks and pinpoint control all second half.</i></p><h3><b>RP: Sean Newcomb, Sox</b></h3><p><i>Lefty hangs on to a spot despite a rough September.</i></p><h3><b>Closer: Grant Taylor, Sox</b></h3><p><i>The best reliever in town and the only sane choice for this role.</i></p><h3><b>Manager: Craig Counsell, Cubs</b></h3><p><i>Potentially winning 90 despite one pitching problem after another is nothing to sneeze at.</i></p><h3><b>DISSENSIONS IN THE RANKS</b></h3><p>In the end, we were in unison on all but three positions. Fegan backed Vargas at third base and Will Venable at manager, and I wanted Sam Antonacci in left.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center>
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<div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Miguel Vargas reacts after one of his American League-leading 91 runs scored.</p></figcaption><span class="line"></span><div class="Figure-credit"><p>Isaac Wasserman/Getty</p></div></div>

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</div><p><b>Fegan on Vargas: </b>Bregman and Vargas are statistically even, so let’s get sentimental. Vargas has been the rock of a Sox offense otherwise defined by streaks. He’s the proof of concept of their newfound ability to improve hitters. A universally beloved bilingual glue guy in a loose clubhouse, Vargas is the team MVP who laughs hard and works harder. Without him, Sox leadership is talking “meaningful progress” rather than playoffs.</p><p><b>Greenberg on Antonacci: </b>His defense is more mosh pit than ballet, but throw him off his spot because of it? Come on, man. He’s always on base, hits in the clutch and plays with his rear end on fire. How do you not love a young cat with a perverse desire to stand in front of 96 mph and get drilled by it? These Sox aren’t these Sox without his signature brand of — how to put it? — Antonacciness.</p><p><b>Fegan on Venable: </b>His in-game moves miss the mark at times; inarguable since he readily fesses up without prompting. But with how naturally fans and commentators have shifted to second-guessing every crucial move in a division chase, it might surprise locally how well Venable does in AL manager of the year voting, or how the baseball world still views his team cracking the playoffs as coaching alchemy, or how much his constant tinkering is not unique but actually–gasp!–the Sox adhering to modern trends.</p><p><i>Contributing: James Fegan, Vinnie Duber, Jeff Agrest</i></p><div class="RelatedList Enhancement" data-module data-align-center>

<div class="RelatedList-title">Related</div>

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<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/09/20/cubs-third-baseman-alex-bregman-leaves-game-after-being-hit-in-face-by-foul-ball" >Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman leaves game after being hit in face by foul ball</a>
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<a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/09/20/white-sox-moment-of-truth-al-central-playoffs-manager-will-venable" target="_blank" >White Sox have reached their moment of truth</a>
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Which Cubs and White Sox made it? Which didn’t? We present the Sun-Times’ 2026 All-City Team 2026

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