The White Sox entered 2026 focused on development, but their strong start has Chris Getz leaving the door open for deadline additions.
From the beginning of spring training at Camelback Ranch, Chicago White Sox players have not been shy about setting lofty expectations for the 2026 season. The belief inside the White Sox clubhouse has always been that this was a playoff team.
But players are not always reliable narrators of what a team's chances are. More often than not, players will have belief at the start of any season, and the messaging from the White Sox hasn't exactly been in lockstep with that view.
Chris Getz and Will Venable have both been publicly optimistic about this year's team. But they've also been hesitant to make any clear predictions of success or set any hard goals. In their eyes, a successful 2026 season wasn't going to be defined by the team's record, but rather by the development of the young core that will lead this team in the future.
Even through a fun start to the season, the White Sox have maintained through both public statements and what has leaked to prominent insiders that they will not jeopardize the future for the sake of making a 2026 playoff push.
Yet with every day and week that goes by of the White Sox playing good baseball, the more real it becomes. It's June 4, and Chicago is 33-29 with a 3.0-game hold on an American League Wild Card spot.
And now, for the very first time, White Sox GM Chris Getz has admitted that his team could be buyers at the trade deadline.
Getz did a live interview with MLB Network this week and was directly asked if there's a possibility the White Sox could be buyers.
"I think it's a possibility. It is. We've been looking for opportunities to improve this roster at any juncture," said Getz. "The way these guys are playing... they're going to dictate this."
"Where are we going to be here in a month's time or two months' time? I don't know, but this team is coming together," Getz continued.
Getz believes that the biggest hurdle for a young team is developing the belief that it can win at the MLB level. The White Sox have that now, and he feels it's his job to monitor that and inject more energy into the team with acquisitions when the time is right.
Most teams in Chicago's current position would be tempted to stand pat and let things play out. In many ways, this season is "house money," and it's not worth jeopardizing anything long term if you don't realistically believe you can make a pennant push once the playoffs arrive.
I think that would be foolish.
As the White Sox have experienced with only seven playoff appearances in the last 65 years and more than 20 years since their last postseason series win, an opportunity to play October baseball cannot be taken for granted.
If the deadline is approaching and Chicago is in a similar position to its current one, 2.5 games back in the AL Central and 3.0 games up on a Wild Card spot, an addition should be a no-brainer. Outside of the obvious talent upgrade it can bring, there are also the intangibles at play and what adding can do for a clubhouse.
Look at someone like Rikuu Nishida. The White Sox brought up Nishida after a frustrating West Coast road trip, one where they arrived back in Chicago late on a Sunday night and had a day game the following Monday. Getz made the call to promote Nishida from Triple-A Charlotte in part because of what he could bring on the field, but also because of the energy and buzz he could provide.
Sure enough, Nishida recorded a hit, threw out a runner at home, and brought a palpable excitement to Rate Field during his debut. The White Sox won and went 6-1 during Nishida's first seven games with the club.
A veteran addition or two at the deadline could do something similar, even if they don't go big-game hunting for a household name.
Adding some new faces to this team tells the clubhouse, "We believe you can win the World Series." And it signals to White Sox fans that there's an effort being made to push for the playoffs.
That should be enough to keep butts in seats through the summer as Chicago looks to stay near the top of the standings.
Hearing Chris Getz acknowledge this as a possibility is refreshing. It shows that the front office is viewing things similarly to how the fans are viewing them. It also gives the fanbase more to look forward to.
For years now, the trade deadline has been a dreaded day when White Sox fan favorites get shipped off to other teams for pennies on the dollar. This year may be different. The GM himself admitted that this year's deadline could be one where the Chicago White Sox are buyers.
