White Sox remain set on adding impact starting pitching, even after shifting Grant Taylor to rotation

LAS VEGAS – The White Sox are taking their best reliever in 24-year-old fireballer Grant Taylor, and moving him to the rotation. If general manager Chris Getz has his way, it will only mark the beginning of the club’s efforts to upgrade their starting pitching.

“It's our top priority,” said Getz during Tuesday’s media availability at the MLB General Manager meetings. “We feel pretty good about the depth, but we do want to find ways to upgrade the quality of the innings in the rotation.”

For Taylor, it’s the next step in a development plan that aimed to gradually push his workload toward starting during the 2026 season, and a reward for proving he can stay healthy after arm injuries marred his collegiate career and initial introduction to professional baseball. For the White Sox, it’s just part of addressing the glaring need that dominated their playoff strategy.

As Getz noted, it’s easy to list names that have, could or even should start for the Sox next year–Davis Martin, Noah Schultz, David Sandlin, Luis Castillo, Anthony Kay–and quickly reach a total larger than five. But the Sox finished their postseason run without a pitcher they trusted to use as a traditional starter–or as close as they come to it–beyond Sean Burke. In adding Taylor’s elite closer-level stuff to the rotation, and their pursuit of starters on the open market, that’s the category to which they’re truly looking to add.

“We've seen what Davis Martin has done, we feel like Noah Schultz is going to take another step,” Getz said, noting that Martin struggled with a right calf issue after a stellar start to 2026. “But yeah, we're certainly targeting individuals that we feel like can pitch in the middle, to the top of the rotation.”

The starter depth is the path to explaining how unconcerned Getz sounded about replacing an All-Star caliber closer, beyond Hagen Smith staying in a multi-inning relief role that sounds akin to what Taylor did this past season. Every team adds relievers every winter, but Getz rated it as a lower priority; not even as pressing as a right-handed outfielder to replace Randal Grichuk, or a new backup behind catcher Kyle Teel.

More likely, the biggest bullpen reinforcements will come from arms who don’t make the cut for the White Sox starting five, and Getz didn’t start handicapping the race for spots in November.

Instead, despite the anticipation of a frenzied offseason with teams looking to fill needs before an anticipated lockout on Dec. 1, the Sox GM said no indicators of quickened pace have emerged. The club is taking meetings with agents, including Scott Boras, and expect to hire a replacement for departed assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan soon. But Getz also said the 2027 payroll is still being determined, even if he spoke with the expectation he’ll have the budget room to get stuff done.

“I feel confident we're going to be able to sign some free agents,” Getz said. “[The money] will be there when it comes to a player we feel like will be a really great addition.”

It also might not need to come via free agency.

With William Bergolla Jr. and Caleb Bonemer expected in big league camp next spring–though the latter is working in the outfield and guaranteed to start in Triple-A–along with Roch Cholowsky and Billy Carlson in the lower minors, there’s a glut of infield talent throughout the organization. While Getz acknowledged he could one day draw from this surplus in a trade, he added that it’s “not something that I would say we're entertaining right now.”

The White Sox are trying to upgrade a playoff team, and under tighter timelines with a nearing lockout. At the same time, they’re preaching patience.

“That method has worked well for us,” Getz said. “We want to win more games, but how you go about that process is just as important.”