White Sox GM Chris Getz wraps magic season with goals to go further for 2027

When it ended, it crashed hard.

No one was prepared for the Chicago White Sox’s magical 2026 season. No one was ready for their ALDS collapse, either. Especially White Sox general manager Chris Getz.

"There was a sting in Cleveland coming up short," he said during a 45-minute Zoom call wrapping a surprising 2026 season that included a playoff run with a near berth in the ALCS.

It’s safe to say only a few considered a season like this possible for the White Sox. No one game them any chance to make the postseason, let alone finish over .500.

That’s why the overarching theme of this 2026 season wrap-up was about keeping the team together. 

Big picture view:

Getz made a few things clear on Wednesday morning.

First, the entire coaching staff will be offered contracts for the 2027 season.

That means hitting coach Derek Shomon, assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan and director of hitting Ryan Fuller will be back in 2027, even after the White Sox struck out 52 total times in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the ALDS, all losses.

The Guardians set a record for strikeouts in a game of no more than nine innings – regular season or postseason – when they got the White Sox to strike out 21 times in Game 5 as Cleveland eliminated the Southsiders.

Second, Getz formed a plan to improve his roster.

Getz mentioned he wants to improve the team’s outfield strength and starting pitching rotation. He’ll also look into moving some of minor league infielders to different positions.

These are organizational goals for 2027.

"It’s important to recognize how proud I am of our player group as an organization," Getz said, "And how excited I am for the future based on what we were able to establish this season."

The first and last parts of those goals, retaining the staff and switching player positions, is doable without any outside moves. That second part, acquiring pitching, is more of a philosophical debate.

What's next:

The White Sox want to add pitching. It’s easier said than done for a team that will now move like the AL Central contender it became in 2026.

It’s easier to just talk about it all because the White Sox rank 24th out of all 30 MLB teams in payroll, according to Spotrac.com, and Getz said he hasn’t discussed payroll for 2027 with White Sox chairman Jerry Reisndorf.

That will determine how the White Sox approach the free agent market.

Getz noted there will be a chance for Davis Martin and Luis Castillo, who ended the 2026 season hampered by injury, to find spots in the 2027 rotation.

Outside of internal options and free agency, there is the potential for trading for a starting pitcher with multiple years of team control. It would be one way to thin out the gathering of top prospects the White Sox have in their infield.

When asked about trading these prospects for key pieces to improve the team, Getz said that comes down to an approach where Getz needs to remove the emotions from it all.

"That objective information is vital," Getz said. 

Trading prospects would be the best way to acquire talent under team control, even if the White Sox have infielders Caleb Bonemer, Roch Cholowsky, William Bergolla Jr. and Billy Carlson in the minor leagues. Bonemer has been cross-training in the outfield, too.

Getz doesn’t want to break up the core of the roster unless he’s convinced trading prospects will bring the White Sox closer to a World Series.

"I’ve talked about maintaining this identity of the clubhouse and what has made this group special," Getz said. "I feel like we’ve got a really strong group to recognize when that chance needs to happen."

White Sox