The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a multiyear sponsorship with CME Group, marking the first jersey patch in the franchise's 125-year history. The deal, set for the 2026 season, positions CME as the official global exchange partner for the team. This partnership highlights Chicago-rooted values amid the team's ongoing rebuild.
The Chicago White Sox, one of the last MLB teams to adopt jersey patches after the league's approval in 2023, have selected CME Group for this milestone. The agreement ensures the CME logo appears on home, road, and alternate uniforms, including the Nike City Connect design, for all Spring Training, regular-season, and postseason games starting in 2026.
Brooks Boyer, the team's executive vice president and chief revenue marketing officer, emphasized the importance of a partner aligned with Chicago's heritage. "In a perfect world, you find someone who shares a lot of your same values, a lot of your same corporate values. A commitment to Chicago," Boyer told MLB.com. He noted that the White Sox turned down other opportunities, prioritizing local connections during their rebuild, which included three straight seasons of at least 100 losses. Recent positives, such as a 28-37 second half in 2025 and the signing of free-agent first baseman Munetaka Murakami in December, facilitated talks with deep-rooted Chicago companies.
CME Group chairman and CEO Terry Duffy, a southwest side Chicago native and lifelong White Sox fan, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership. "I always loved baseball, played it as a kid, and my grandfather used to take me to Sox games all the time," Duffy said. "I was a big White Sox guy and still am."
The patch design varies by uniform: a blue logo on a white background with black border and lettering for home pinstripes; blue on gray with black lettering for road grays; and blue on black with white lettering for City Connect and alternates. It will debut in Cactus League play on February 20, 2026, against the Cubs at 2:05 p.m. CT, followed by the regular-season opener in Milwaukee on March 26 at 1:10 p.m. and home opener versus Toronto on April 2 at 3:10 p.m.
Beyond the patch, CME gains prominent signage behind home plate at Rate Field and other promotions. MLB mandates multiyear deals for such sponsorships, and Boyer hopes the bond endures. Duffy praised the subtle yet visible design: "It’s not going to be something that you are going to miss. Yet it’s not something that’s a billboard." The partnership echoes CME's successful tie with the NHL's Blackhawks from 2008-19, during which the team won three Stanley Cups.