The White Sox reached a place few teams ever do: they turned three straight 100-loss seasons into a playoff berth. Then they went a step further and knocked out the Astros for their first series win in two decades during the Wild Card Series.
That made 2026 a clear success compared with where this club started. Still, the finish left a sting.
Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the ALDS and couldn’t finish off the Guardians, then closed the postseason by striking out 21 times in a nine-inning shutout against Gavin Williams and three relievers - an all-time record. The message now is simple enough: the rebuild has yielded real talent, but the next leap is the hard one.
The biggest question for the offseason is how much ownership and the front office are willing to do to support that position-player core. Much of the heavy lifting has to come on the pitching side, and general manager Chris Getz made that plain in his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday.
Chicago’s rotation was the team’s soft spot all year, and by the playoffs it was hanging by a thread. Sean Burke was the only starter who could really be trusted late in the season, while the rest of the group fell into full-on “Johnny Wholestaff” territory. Burke even faded a bit in the final stretch, but for most of the summer he looked like one of the better pitchers in the American League and emerged as the White Sox’ breakout starter.
Davis Martin looked like he might be that guy first. The Texas Tech product ran off an impressive 11-start stretch through May, only to unravel over his final 18 appearances with a 5.63 ERA.
Getz said Martin was dealing with a right calf issue that likely affected him. His rotation spot still appears secure, though his year made one thing clear: nothing is guaranteed.
Shane Smith offered another cautionary example. He opened the season as the White Sox’ Opening Day starter, only to start just three MLB games this year and allow 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings. The rest of his season came in Triple-A, where he posted a 5.57 ERA and a 16% walk rate as he slid down the depth chart.
The club tried to stabilize the staff at the deadline by taking on Luis Castillo’s $22.75MM salary for next season in a deal with Seattle that sent minor league catcher Boston Smith the other way. Chicago also moved the Seranthony Domínguez contract to the Mariners, trimming some of the financial pain. At the time, it was a buy-low gamble that made sense on paper: Castillo had a 5.06 ERA in 20 appearances, but he still looked like a pitcher who could provide innings to a staff that badly needed them.
Instead, the move got worse. Castillo’s velocity dropped, he shifted to the bullpen and then landed on the shelf with a shoulder impingement.
What once looked like a reasonable roll of the dice now looks underwater, and the market value attached to his deal has clearly fallen. If he were a free agent this winter, it’s hard to picture him landing much more than $8-10MM on a one-year contract.
There is also a vesting option for 2028, though Chicago probably won’t let him get close to the required 180 innings next season unless his performance turns around in a big way. For now, the Sox would like a mulligan and figure to float Castillo in trade talks this offseason, even if the likeliest outcome is that he stays put through Spring Training. He’s in the rotation picture at the moment, but there’s no guarantee he’ll still be among the top five arms when Opening Day arrives.
In Other News...
White Sox Face A Big Taylor And Smith Decision Ahead
Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith both gave the White Sox a glimpse of how impactful they can be in relief during the 2024 season and postseason, and general manager Chris Getz already sees starting potential in both arms. For now, though, Chicago is treating them as pitchers with starter upside rather than locking them into a specific lane, which leaves the club with some appealing flexibility as it keeps building out its long-term staff.
Getz has not settled on what Taylor or Smith will be in 2027, and the broader picture is still just as fluid. The White Sox plan to look outside the organization for more starting pitching, while the shape of that future rotation and the payroll plans around it remain unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Getz Just Framed The White Sox Plan Fans Will Debate
In his end-of-season press conference, Chris Getz used the White Sox postseason results as a springboard to lay out where the organization believes it is headed. The general manager revisited the deadline additions of Brenton Doyle, Huascar Brazobn, Joey Bart and Luis Castillo, framing them as part of a broader effort to keep the roster moving forward without losing sight of what comes next.
Getz also touched on first baseman Munetaka Murakami and made clear the front office values what he brings to the picture beyond this season. For a team still trying to establish a real foundation, the tension is familiar: push harder for immediate help, or keep protecting the long view and trust the rebuild to hold together. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Still Have One Huge Murakami Question After Breakout Rookie Year
Munetaka Murakami gave the White Sox plenty to feel good about in his rookie season, powering 35 home runs and posting an .825 OPS while quickly becoming a major part of the club's offensive mix. Now the bigger question around the first baseman is not what he can do on the field, but how long he will be around to do it, with the team and Murakami locked in extension discussions.
The talks got underway in late summer and have remained quiet since then, with the White Sox offering no official update on where things stand. For a player who already looks like a foundational piece after one strong season, the uncertainty adds another layer to an offseason that could shape the team's core for years to come. [Read more 🡒]