White Sox To Pursue Starting Pitching

White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke with members of the media today, 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 pursue starting pitching this offseason. It’s not a surprising declaration. Though the Sox had a good season, the rotation was not a strength. The club’s starters logged a total of 674 2/3 innings, the fewest of the 30 teams in the league. Their 4.60 earned run average was better than just four other clubs. Chicago deployed a pitching chaos strategy in the postseason, with few traditional starts. The use of openers clouds those splits a bit but the general overview lines up with a deeper dive. Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde were the club’s biggest innings eaters this year. Fedde is headed to free agency. Kay had a serviceable 4.44 ERA with a subpar 18.2% strikeout rate. Martin had a 3.95 ERA but in uneven fashion. His ERA was at 2.00 through the end of May but was 5.63 after that. Burke was similar but less extreme. He had a 2.99 ERA through his start on August 11 but a 4.66 ERA in his final seven outings. The Sox tried to bolster the rotation by adding Luis Castillo at the deadline but that was a disaster. He had an 8.42 ERA after the trade and got moved to the bullpen. A shoulder impingement put him on the injured list in September. Getz today suggested that both Castillo and Martin were hampered by injuries late in the season, Martin due to a right calf issue that didn’t put him on the IL. “Look forward to seeing what both of those players can do for us come spring training,” Getz said. Castillo has a long track record of success, with a career ERA of 3.75 in 272 games. However, he will soon turn 34 and has been trending down lately. His strikeout rate was at 27.3% in 2023 but dropped to 24.3%, 21.7% and 18.9% in the three subsequent campaigns. His contract still has one more guaranteed year at a $22.75MM salary. His trade value will be way down with that contract, his recent performance and injury. The Sox will be motivated to get him back on track next year. Castillo, Martin, Burke and Kay should be in the mix 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 in 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 some external 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 starters in the future but didn’t make any firm commitments about 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 another 8 2/3 innings over five playoff appearances. Taylor had Tommy John surgery in college and has been gradually increasing his workload as a professional. He logged 19 1/3 minor league innings in 2024. Last year, he got up to 63 1/3, majors and minors combined. He pushed that to 92 2/3 this year, regular season and playoffs combined. The Sox will likely try to push that number even further next year but getting to a full starter’s workload of 150-200 innings might be too much. Smith was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft. He has huge strikeout stuff but also huge control issues. In 141 2/3 minor league innings, he has struck out 33.4% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 16.4% pace. 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 only tossed 86 1/3 innings this year, so there’s an argument for him staying in the minors to continue honing his command and building his workload in a less competitive setting. Adding to the rotation via free agency would be sensible and should be possible. The Sox came into the year in rebuilding mode and had spent little on the roster. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Sox spent $86MM on this year’s club. They were at $193MM as recently as 2022. A few players are signed through 2027 but there’s nothing on the books for 2028, apart from a $2MM option buyout for Kay. Getz says he hasn’t yet talked to owner Jerry Reinsdorf about next year’s payroll. It would be stunning if the Sox made a run at Tarik Skubal but there’s room on the books for it. Even if they don’t chase that pipe dream, free agency features Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Tyler Mahle and many other arms. It’s also possible the club looks to trade from its position player group. Their primary infield in 2026 consisted of Miguel Vargas at third, Colson Montgomery at shortstop, Chase Meidroth at second base and Munetaka Murakami at first base. Per Baseball America, the club’s top three prospects are shortstops. Roch Cholowsky is number one, Caleb Bonemer second and Billy Carlson third. That 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 got a minus-four grade from Defensive Runs Saved. “He’s well aware of 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 reached Triple-A and the Sox have also been moving him to third base and center field. In time, the Sox may have to make some tough decisions. Murakami is only signed through 2027 and Vargas is a poor defender at third. Perhaps Vargas will move over to first for 2028, opening third base for Bonemer or someone else. But if Montgomery keeps striking out at this rate as other shortstops emerge, perhaps a shake-up will come. 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 been pushing infielders to the grass. Sam Antonacci came up as an infielder but became the regular left fielder this year. He and Tristan Peters should be back next year and perhaps Bonemer can push his way in as well. Braden Montgomery, Brenton Doyle and others are also in the mix. The Sox could add here but the rotation is a much more glaring need. Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images