With spring training approaching, the White Sox front office is signaling confidence in the current roster — but questions remain about whether meaningful help is still coming to the rotation.
The offseason for the Chicago White Sox has been a subtle success up to this point.
The team has been fairly active, making some unexpected free-agent signings and staying diligent in the trade market. While the White Sox are not expected to compete or play above .500 baseball in 2026, many national baseball writers are still presenting the organization as one of the winners of the offseason.
Not that there will be any banners raised or trophies handed out for a subjective view of an offseason — even if it’s one shared by many.
But the general consensus that the White Sox have done well does seem to indicate they’re at least heading in the right direction.
Yet there’s no denying that, in its current form, the White Sox offseason still feels incomplete. There’s more work to be done.
Fans want the team to add an outfielder after trading Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets. And arguably the more pressing need is starting pitching help.
The young crop of White Sox starting pitchers seems due for at least some regression in 2026. Without proven MLB reinforcements on the way, the rotation currently lacks both high-end talent and reliable depth. That’s not where you want to be entering a season in which you hope to take a meaningful step forward.
The cries for a free-agent addition are logical. But the question that remains unanswered is whether they’re realistic.
During the most recent episode of the White Sox ReKAP Podcast, White Sox GM Chris Getz was asked if he is comfortable with the starting rotation currently in place. His answer — littered with both positive and cautious quote fragments — is a bit difficult to decode.
“I feel pretty comfortable,” said Getz. “The way I view starting pitching — how many guys do we have that can take starts throughout a year versus ‘these are five guys.’ We all know that’s not realistic."
“You want arms that are taking starts that aren’t well below replacement level. You need guys that are competent, that can give you quality innings. Obviously, it’s great to have the higher-end guys, and we’re continuing to try to develop that and acquire that. But in the meantime, so and so goes down and can’t make the start — do we have options that can give us a quality start that day?"
“Certainly an area we’re still focused on right now," Getz continued.
I’ll start with the obvious and take things at face value. I don’t like the idea that the White Sox are “pretty comfortable” with the starting pitching in its current form.
That feels like a major oversight to me. One of the main goals for the White Sox this offseason was to acquire veteran arms — players considered true “innings eaters” — to protect the young starting pitchers in the organization.
Anthony Kay is the only player the White Sox have signed who we can confidently say will throw 100+ innings this season. But it does not feel like Chicago has added enough veteran experience.
The goal hasn’t been met. Then again, neither has Getz’s goal of adding “mature bats” to the lineup. All the White Sox have done offensively is non-tender Mike Tauchman, one of their more established veteran hitters, and trade away their longest-tenured position player in Robert.
The signings have included players like Munetaka Murakami, who will be a rookie in 2026 and is still an unknown when it comes to translating his potential to the MLB level, plus reclamation projects in the outfield with little to no MLB track record.
So just because the White Sox made public comments at the beginning of the offseason signaling certain objectives does not mean the club’s actions will ultimately follow through with that vision.
There is, however, a positive spin you could put on that quote from Getz. He clearly says it’s “certainly an area we’re still focused on right now.”
The White Sox are not ruling out the possibility of adding to the starting rotation. It’s entirely possible they intend to add another free agent but cannot say that definitively in case something falls through.
If Chicago isn’t able to get a deal done with one of their targets — for whatever reason — Getz has to manage the PR side and project confidence in the current mix.
This is my preferred interpretation, and the one I believe is the most realistic. But I should say this: just because the White Sox intend to add a starting pitcher — and probably will — doesn’t mean it will be someone who truly moves the needle.
Getz harping on the need for depth, spot starters, and quality starts if someone goes down carries a tone that suggests the White Sox may simply be looking to strengthen organizational depth rather than add a clear top-of-the-rotation arm.
Think less Lucas Giolito or Chris Bassitt, and more Erick Fedde, Aaron Civale, or Tomoyuki Sugano. Maybe even someone on a minor-league deal.
The White Sox want more arms and more options. But as Getz said, they’re comfortable with the current group… allegedly.
The clock is ticking on the White Sox to make their move. Pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks, and these veteran arms want to know where they’re reporting for spring training.