White Sox GM Chris Getz says club will pursue starting pitching this offseason

What happened

White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke with reporters — including James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times — following the club's elimination by the Guardians, and made clear that starting pitching will be a priority this offseason. Per Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors, Getz pointed to a rotation that struggled for depth and durability all season, and said he looks forward to seeing what returning arms can do come spring training.

The declaration itself carries little shock value. The numbers behind it carry plenty.

Why it matters

Chicago finished 84-78 (.519), landing second in the AL Central, one game back, and was eliminated from the division race. A team that close to the top of its division has a reasonable argument that a functional rotation is the difference between a postseason run and an early exit. The White Sox made the postseason, but per McDonald's reporting, they leaned heavily on openers and non-traditional starts once they got there — a "pitching chaos strategy," as the piece describes it — which speaks to how much confidence the club had in its starters to go deep into games.

That approach can work in a short series. It is not a sustainable organizational identity.

The numbers

Chicago's starters logged 674 2/3 innings this season, the fewest of all 30 clubs. Their collective 4.60 ERA ranked better than just four other teams. Those two figures together describe a rotation that neither went deep into games nor was particularly effective when it did take the ball.

The four primary innings-eaters were Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, and Erick Fedde. Fedde is headed to free agency. Kay posted a 4.44 ERA alongside an 18.2% strikeout rate that McDonald characterizes as subpar. Martin's 3.95 ERA looks reasonable on the surface until you split it: a 2.00 ERA through the end of May, followed by a 5.63 ERA after that. Burke followed a similar arc — a 2.99 ERA through his start on August 11, then a 4.66 ERA across his final seven outings.

Per the report, Getz told reporters that both Castillo and Martin dealt with physical issues late in the season that affected their performance — Martin with a right calf problem that did not result in an IL stint. The calf issue offers some context for the second-half fade, though it does not fully resolve the question of what Martin looks like when healthy over a full season.

Luis Castillo was brought in at the trade deadline to address the rotation from outside. It did not go as planned. He posted an 8.42 ERA after joining the club and was moved to the bullpen before a shoulder impingement landed him on the injured list in September, per McDonald's reporting. Castillo carries a career ERA of 3.75 across 272 games and has a long track record of effectiveness — but he will soon turn 34, and his strikeout rate has declined in each of the last three seasons: 27.3% in 2023, then 24.3%, 21.7%, and 18.9% in the three campaigns that followed. His contract has one more guaranteed year at a $22.75MM salary. McDonald notes that his trade value will be significantly diminished given the contract, the recent performance, and the injury — and that the White Sox will be motivated to get him back on track rather than move him.

Where the club stands

The White Sox finished 84-78 (.519), second in the AL Central, one game back, and enter the offseason on a one-game winning streak. They were eliminated from the division race but did reach the postseason, where the rotation's limitations were managed through the opener-heavy approach described above.

The offseason picture on the pitching side is a mix of known quantities and open questions. Castillo, Martin, Burke, and Kay are all expected to be in the mix for rotation roles next year, per Getz's comments as relayed by McDonald. Getz also mentioned Noah Schultz and David Sandlin as possibilities. Schultz posted a 5.57 ERA in 74 1/3 innings this season; Sandlin had a 5.58 ERA in 40 1/3. Both are described as having potential without having locked anything in yet — which is a polite way of saying the internal options behind the top four are not yet a comfort.

Fedde's departure to free agency removes one of the four primary innings-eaters from the equation entirely, which makes the external pursuit Getz described not just a preference but a structural necessity.

What we don't know yet

Getz's comments establish intent, not a plan. No specific targets, contract parameters, or tiers of pursuit were reported. It is not known how aggressively the club will move in free agency versus the trade market, or whether Castillo's shoulder situation will affect how the club approaches adding depth behind him.

The extent of Martin's calf issue and its bearing on his 2027 availability is also unresolved. Getz expressed optimism about both Castillo and Martin heading into spring training, but that optimism is forward-looking and contingent — per the report, not a medical clearance or a roster guarantee.

It is also worth noting that the offseason is unfolding against a broader backdrop: one day before Getz's comments, MLB had reportedly proposed a 154-game regular season, expanded Division Series to seven games, and seeded-opponent selection potentially beginning as early as 2027, all contingent on a salary cap deal. If any of those structural changes take effect, the calculus around roster construction — including how many rotation innings a team needs to cover — could shift. For now, that proposal remains a proposal.

What to watch

### Will the White Sox add a frontline starter or target depth?

Getz's statement that the club will pursue starting pitching covers a wide range of outcomes, from a top-of-market free agent to a collection of mid-rotation arms and reclamation projects. The shape of that pursuit — and how much of the budget is already committed to Castillo's $22.75MM salary — will define what the 2027 rotation actually looks like.

The internal candidates bear watching through spring training as well. Burke and Martin both showed stretches of genuine effectiveness before fading; whether those early-season numbers represent a ceiling or a floor is the question the White Sox need answered before they can know how much external help they actually require. Schultz and Sandlin, meanwhile, are names to track as the club decides how much of its rotation future it wants to build from within versus pursue from outside.

The rotation was the gap between this team and a division title. Getz has said, publicly, that he knows it. The offseason will show what he plans to do about it.