Chris Getz Drops Major White Sox News That Changes Offseason Plans

Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz dropped some major news on Monday during an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.

As Chicago pursues starting pitching this offseason and looks to revamp its starting rotation, Getz announced that right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor would be making the move to become a starting pitcher.

“Grant Taylor is going to be going into the rotation for us. We were excited about that. I know Grant is as well,” said Getz.

It's long been speculated whether Taylor could have a future in Major League Baseball as a starter. He was drafted as a starter, came through the minor leagues as a starter, and has clearly set his sights on becoming a starting pitcher one day.

Up to this point, the White Sox have opted against it, largely to maximize his impact on the MLB club and avoid any health concerns. But after a great 2026 season in which Taylor posted a 2.25 ERA over 84 innings pitched out of the bullpen, the White Sox are pulling the trigger.

Getz did acknowledge that Taylor's move into the rotation doesn't remove that need from the White Sox offseason to-do list. As talented as Taylor might be, there's still a lot of uncertainty about what he'll look like as a starting pitcher.

“He hasn't done it at the major league level and we've got to be able to protect him,” said Getz, who reiterated the need for the White Sox to add arms.

In addition to rotation pieces, the White Sox will now need to add a closer as well. The bullpen previously looked to complete outside of one left-handed pitcher that the White Sox could sign to replace Sean Newcomb.

While Getz did announce that Hagen Smith would be staying in the bullpen for the time being, Taylor being removed from the closer role creates a massive hole on the White Sox roster for a high-leverage relief pitcher.

Contending teams need someone to slam the door in the ninth inning. Grant Taylor became that guy. But now there's a complete void for Chicago.

So while the White Sox should still be looking to add one or two starting pitchers to their rotation, a closer just became one of the bigger priorities of the offseason.

Finding a reliable closer isn't necessarily going to be easy, either. The White Sox have plenty of talented bullpen arms, but asking someone to step into Taylor's role is a significant responsibility for a team with postseason aspirations.

We'll have more here at White Sox Roundtable in the coming days, covering every piece of White Sox free agency news and exploring options for who could replace Grant Taylor as Chicago's ninth inning arm.