With the trade deadline creeping closer, the White Sox look like a team ready to add rather than subtract. They sit one game up in the AL Central and hold a four-game cushion on the final playoff spot, which puts them in position to chase help for the stretch run. Colorado, on the other hand, profiles as a club that could be on the selling side, and that makes the Rockies a place to watch for Chicago.
One name that fits a bullpen need is Antonio Senzatela. The 31-year-old right-hander is already in his tenth season with Colorado, and after spending most of his career as a starter, he shifted to relief in 2025 after struggling badly as a qualified pitcher.
The move has worked. This season, he has a 2.93 ERA in 46 innings, and his fastball has jumped from a 95 MPH average as a starter last year to 97 this year.
He’s also kept strong ground-ball and walk rates, which has helped him stay effective. The money is the catch: Senzatela is owed $12 million this season and carries a $14 million club option for 2027.
Even so, he stands out as one of the better right-handed relief arms available, and Chicago could try to get Colorado to cover part of the salary by sweetening the prospect package.
If the White Sox want rotation help instead, Tomoyuki Sugano is another possible fit. The 36-year-old right-hander spent most of his career in Japan before signing with Baltimore as a 35-year-old last season.
He logged a 4.64 ERA in 30 starts for the Orioles and then joined the Rockies on a one-year deal. Through 16 starts this season, he has a 4.80 ERA and a 5.15 FIP, with Coors Field naturally working against him.
Sugano uses a seven-pitch mix, with most of his offerings grading around average, but his biggest selling point is simple: he can take the ball and soak up innings. He’s currently on the injured list with back spasms, though the injury is not expected to be long term.
Chicago could aim higher, but if the front office wants a cheaper route, Sugano could supply serviceable innings without costing much in prospect capital.
Jimmy Herget is another Rockies arm who could make sense for the White Sox. The former sixth-round pick has bounced around early in his career, but he appears to have found a home in Colorado.
In 59 appearances in 2025, he posted a 2.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, and he has carried that form into 2026 with a 3.52 ERA over 23 innings. Herget doesn’t overpower hitters; his fastball sits around 91-92.
But he leans heavily on sweepers and sliders, and he does a good job limiting walks. He’s also a fly ball pitcher, which has somehow played well in a hitter-friendly environment.
Because he remains under team control through 2027 at age 33, he’d be more than a rental. For the White Sox, that kind of right-handed depth and multi-inning flexibility could pair well with Grant Taylor and give the bullpen another useful look.
In Other News...
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The early conversation has centered on a handful of elite prospects, with Roch Cholowsky long viewed as the presumed front-runner before Grady Emerson surged ahead of him in MLB.coms rankings. The White Sox have stressed patience in player development, but this is the kind of choice that can define an era, especially with last years top pick Billy Carlson still sidelined since late May by a thumb fracture and the organization once again preparing to make a selection that will be scrutinized from the moment it is announced. [Read more 🡒]