White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke today with members of the media, including James Fegan of the Chicago Sun Times, after the club was recently eliminated by the Guardians. Looking ahead to 2027, Getz said the Sox will continue to pitch this offseason.
This is not a surprising statement. Although the Sox had a good season, the rotation was not a strong point. The club’s starters have logged a total of 674 2/3 innings, the fewest of the league’s 30 teams. Their earned run average of 4.60 was better than that of four other clubs. Chicago deployed a chaos strategy in the postseason, with few traditional starts.
The use of openers obscures these divisions a bit, but the overall overview aligns with a deeper dive. Sean Burke, David Martin, Anthony Kay And Erick Feddé have been the club’s biggest innings eaters this year. Fedde is headed to free agency. Kay had a serviceable 4.44 ERA with a below-average strikeout rate of 18.2%. Martin had a 3.95 ERA but inconsistently. His ERA was 2.00 through the end of May, but 5.63 thereafter. Burke was similar but less extreme. He had a 2.99 ERA when he started on August 11, but a 4.66 ERA in his last seven outings.
The Sox tried to strengthen the rotation by adding Luis Castillo on the deadline but it was a disaster. He had an 8.42 ERA after the trade and was moved to the bullpen. A shoulder impingement placed him on the injured list in September. Getz suggested today that Castillo and Martin were hampered by season-ending injuries, with Martin due to a right calf issue that didn’t put him on the IL. “I can’t wait to see what these two players can do for us in spring training,” Getz said.
Castillo has a long history of success, with a career ERA of 3.75 in 272 games. However, he will soon be 34 years old and has been trending downwards lately. His strikeout rate was 27.3% in 2023 but fell to 24.3%, 21.7% and 18.9% over the next three campaigns. His contract still has one additional guaranteed year with a salary of $22.75 million. His trade value will decrease significantly with this contract, his recent performance and his injury. The Sox will be motivated to get him back on track next year.
Castillo, Martin, Burke and Kay should be in contention for roles on next year’s team. Getz also mentioned Noah Schultz And David Sandlin as possibilities. Both pitchers have potential but haven’t locked anything down yet. Schultz posted a 5.57 ERA in 74 1/3 innings this year. Sandlin had a 5.58 ERA in 40 1/3. They both have options and could be sent to Triple-A if the Sox make outside additions. Burke and Martin also have options but are more established at the big league level.
Getz added that he expects Grant Taylor And Hagen Smith to be a starter in the future, but has not made any firm commitments for 2027. Taylor had a great year out of the bullpen, posting a 2.25 ERA in 84 innings over 60 appearances. His 8.9% walk rate was around average while his 31.5% strikeout rate and 48% ground ball rate were both well north of par. He added 8 2/3 extra innings in five playoff appearances.
Taylor underwent Tommy John surgery in college and gradually increased his workload as a professional. He logged 19 1/3 minor league innings in 2024. Last year, he reached 63 1/3, major and minor combined. He pushed that number to 92 2/3 this year, regular season and playoffs combined. The Sox will likely try to increase that number even more next year, but reaching a full workload of 150-200 innings might be too much.
Smith was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft. He has tremendous strikeout skills, but also tremendous control issues. In 141 2/3 minor league innings, he struck out 33.4% of batters faced while allowing walks at a rate of 16.4%. He made his major league debut this year and the results were largely the same, with a 37.4% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate. He’s only thrown 86 1/3 innings this year, so there’s an argument for him staying in the minors to continue to hone his command and increase his workload in a less competitive environment.
Adding to the rotation via free agency would be wise and should be possible. The Sox entered the year in rebuilding mode and had spent little on the roster. According to Cot’s baseball contracts, the Sox spent $86 million on this year’s club. They were at $193 million as recently as 2022. A few players are signed through 2027, but there’s nothing planned for 2028 other than a $2 million option buyout for Kay. Getz said he hasn’t yet spoken to owner Jerry Reinsdorf about next year’s payroll.
It would be amazing if the Sox ran Tarik Skubal but there is room in the books for that. Even if they don’t pursue this pipe dream, free agency features Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Tyler Mahle and many other weapons.
It’s also possible the club could look to trade players from its position group. Their main infield in 2026 consisted of Miguel Vargas on the third, Colson Montgomery at shortstop, Chase Meidroth at second base and Munetaka Murakami at first base. According to Baseball America, the club’s top three prospects are shortstops. Roch Cholowsky is number one, Caleb Bonemer second and Billy Carlson third.
This could put some pressure on Montgomery. He hit 31 home runs this year, but also set a new single-season record with 227 strikeouts. His defensive reviews were mixed. He was credited with 10 outs above average, but earned a minus-four rating thanks to defensive runs saved. “He is well aware of the adjustments that need to be made,” Getz said.
For now, he should be safe. Carlson is only 20 years old and hasn’t even reached High-A. Cholowsky is 21 and hasn’t reached Double-A. Bonemer is also 21, hasn’t made it to Triple-A and the Sox have also moved him to third base and center field. As time goes on, the Sox may have to make some tough decisions. Murakami is only signed through 2027 and Vargas is a bad third-down defender. Maybe Vargas will move to first for 2028, opening up third base for Bonemer or someone else. But if Montgomery continues to hit at this rate as other shortstops emerge, perhaps an upset will occur.
Getz also mentioned the possibility of the Sox adding to the outfield with Randal Grichuk And Tommy Pham slated for free agency. However, Fegan points out that the club has already pushed infielders onto the turf. Sam Antonacci came in as an infielder but became the regular left fielder this year. He and Tristan Peters should be back next year and maybe Bonemer can force his way in as well. Braden Montgomery, Brenton Doyle and others are also in the mix. The Sox could add here but rotation is a much greater need.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images
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