CHICAGO - The White Sox didn’t plan on being here this soon. Not leading the AL Central.
Not making real deadline noise in early August. And definitely not looking like a club with a chance to keep pushing while also protecting its future.
Yet that’s the spot Chris Getz found himself in Saturday, when the White Sox general manager landed Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo in a move that signaled Chicago is ready to act like a contender, not just talk like one.
“We’re a day away from the trade deadline,” he said in a video conference call with reporters Sunday, “and we’ve got an opportunity to continue to build out this roster to give us a greater chance of making the playoffs and still set us up for future success.”
The timing matters. Chicago entered Sunday with a 58-52 record and a three-game cushion over the second-place Cleveland Guardians, who sat at 56-56 after losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The Sox also lost to the Tampa Bay Rays that day, but the division math still tilted their way. After the Castillo deal and another Guardians loss, FanGraphs bumped Chicago’s odds to win the division from 35.8 percent to 39.5 percent.
Getz made clear that this wasn’t just about making a splash. Castillo gives the Sox something they badly need: innings. Chicago went into Sunday ranked last among AL teams in starting pitching innings with 479 2/3.
That’s where the appeal of a three-time All-Star with a track record of durability comes in, even if this season has been uneven. Castillo has worked 99 2/3 innings in 2025, a total that would rank fifth on the White Sox staff. Chicago’s top two starters, Sean Burke and Davis Martin, are still only in their second seasons as full-time rotation pieces.
“We’re going towards uncharted territory for a lot of these young arms,” Getz said. “And to be able to provide Luis Castillo’s innings and ability into our group, that’s why our probability took such a large jump, in addition to our 2027 playoff probability.”
The results this year haven’t been pretty across the board for Castillo. He carries a 5.06 ERA and a 1.395 WHIP, and in his last three starts he’s given up seven homers.
But the rough stretch doesn’t erase the fact that from late May through July 21, his ERA was under 4.00. His fastball is still averaging around 95 mph, even if his strikeout rate has fallen to 19.4 percent, which would be the first time in his career he’s dipped below 20 percent.
The contract is part of the calculation too. Castillo is owed $22.75 million this season and in 2027, with a vesting option for $25 million in 2028.
That’s not small money, but the Sox have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and the organization has spent the last three seasons buried under 100-loss campaigns, including the 121-loss disaster in 2024. Attendance is climbing again, and the RSN viewership is picking up for a team that co-owns the network with the Blackhawks and Jerry Reinsdorf’s other team, the Bulls.
Getz sees that as a moment to press forward.
What the White Sox believe they’re getting is more than just innings. Getz said the feedback on Castillo’s makeup was “about as glowing as I’ve heard about any player,” and he thinks there may be room to work on the pitch mix or delivery.
“I think that there’s going to be opportunity to perhaps tweak an arsenal or some of the delivery,” Getz added. He pointed to director of pitching Brian Bannister and pitching coach Zach Bove, both of whom have already had success working with recent additions such as Jordan Hicks.
To make the deal work, the Sox sent Seranthony Domínguez, along with prospects Boston Smith and Nolan Jones, to Seattle. Domínguez had signed a two-year, $20 million contract before the season, but he had become the deposed closer in Chicago.
And the Castillo move may not be the last one. Getz said he remains against dealing a “top 100” prospect for a rental, but he’s open to that kind of cost for a player with control. He also said the Sox still plan to add more pitching before Monday’s deadline, and with Kyle Teel injured again, catcher is on the list too.
“I anticipate we do something,” he said of the catcher spot. “I just don’t know when and who’s going to be coming our way.”
For Getz, this is a very different place than the one he walked into when his first full season as GM turned into baseball’s punchline in 2024. The following winter, he traded Garrett Crochet for a package of prospects. Now he’s trying to keep the White Sox in first place, chase a possible bye out of the Wild Card round, and build a roster that can hold up under the pressure of a pennant race.
“It has been a long road to get where we are right now,” Getz said. “I don’t take any of this for granted. You can’t assume that you’re going to be in these positions every year.”
In Other News...
White Sox Bullpen Help Is Here But The Deadline Debate Isnt Over
The White Sox kept working the bullpen market by adding another veteran arm from outside the organization, this time in a deal with the Mets. New York sent Huascar Brazobn to Chicago for Double-A pitcher Gabe Davis and Triple-A pitcher Zach Franklin, continuing a deadline stretch that has already brought more turnover to the relief mix after the club moved Seranthony Domnguez and added Luis Castillo.
Brazobn gives Chicago another experienced option as the front office tries to stabilize the back end and sort out what this staff looks like over the final stretch. The move also underscores that the deadline conversation is not finished, because the White Sox have already shown a willingness to keep adjusting the bullpen while weighing how much more help still needs to come in. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Deadline Moves Leave One Big Question About This Roster
The White Sox spent the run-up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline trying to patch together a roster that still had clear needs, and they came away with a mix of pitching help and depth additions. Chicago landed right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobn from the Mets, added catcher Eric Haase on a minor-league deal, and also made a move for right-handed starter Jos Urquidy from Pittsburgh. The club even worked in a separate deal involving Castillo as it continued searching for answers on the mound.
What made the deadline haul interesting was not just who arrived, but how the White Sox chose to handle their new pieces. The front office clearly aimed to reinforce both the bullpen and the rotation, but the roster shuffle left one lingering question about how much immediate help these moves really provide. For a team still trying to stabilize its pitching staff, the bigger issue now is whether these additions are meant to plug holes right away or simply create more options for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Just Made An Outfield Move Fans Will Debate
The White Sox have spent much of this season searching for ways to tighten up a shaky outfield picture, and the latest move is a clear sign they are prioritizing defense. Brenton Doyle arrives from Colorado with a reputation as one of the games best glove-first center fielders, backed by a pair of Gold Glove awards and club control that runs through 2029, giving Chicago more than just a short-term fix.
The fit, though, is not going to be debated only on the basis of range and arm strength. Doyles recent offensive struggles are part of the calculation, and they will keep the conversation pointed at whether the White Sox are betting on his defense to carry enough weight while they try to extract more at the plate. For a club trying to reshape its roster with an eye on stability, this is exactly the kind of move that can look smart in one season and be questioned in the next. [Read more 🡒]