‘Feel the build’: Getz confident White Sox can climb quickly

White Sox general manager Chris Getz provided a decent advertising slogan for the team to use in 2026:

“Feel the build.”

The Sox could finish as the most improved team in MLB this season. But considering they bottomed out at 121 losses last year, is that really worth celebrating?

Well, maybe. The second half of the season has gone reasonably well, though the Sox suffered their sixth straight loss on Wednesday afternoon 3-1 to Baltimore, dropping to 25-31 since the all-star break. The lone run came on a Mike Tauchman homer.

The real victory is how an offense loaded with rookies is tied for the ninth-best OPS among all teams in the second half.

“People can see and feel the build here,” Getz said while sitting in the dugout before Wednesday's game. “That was really the goal coming in, and we're going to find ways to improve this.”

Asked where he'd like to see those improvements, Getz mentioned bullpen and defense. When it comes to the position players, it makes sense to run it back with essentially the current lineup.

The question that can't be answered right now is whether second-half slugging stars like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero can pick up where they left off when 2026 begins.

Here are a few pertinent questions that can be addressed this off-season:

What's the rotation?

The Sox began this season with a fairly young starting rotation, featuring Shane Smith, Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon. Smith was an all-star, Burke and Davis were decent-ish, while Cannon had a season to forget.

Now they'll have Drew Thorpe and Ky Bush coming back from Tommy John surgery, plus top prospects Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal expecting to make major-league debuts. Young starting pitchers might be the strength of the organization, but they are unproven.

This season's designated veteran starter, Martin Perez, pitched well but missed a large chunk of the season with a flexor tendon strain. He left Wednesday's start against the Orioles in the fourth inning with shoulder soreness. Getz suggested there's mutual interest in Perez, 34, returning next year.

“I think next year is going to be different,” Perez said after the game. “This is a year to learn and I think we're going to be ready for winning next year.”

Getz admitted he was hoping Schultz and Smith would be ready to join the '26 rotation on Opening Day, and that seems unlikely. But if things go well, the Sox could have a glut of starters. Will they consider turning some of the guys listed above into relievers?

“That's a possibility,” Getz said. “You often times want to exhaust young pitchers to be starters, but in all reality, you want to put together the best pitching staff you can. I don't think we're at the point where we're just overflowing with starters. I hope that is different in the near future.”

How much will Sox spend?

This is kind of a trick question. Getz continued to say he expects Luis Robert Jr. to be in a White Sox uniform next season, which would mean picking up his $20 million team option for '26. Even if that happens, the Sox will still have one of the lowest payrolls in MLB.

The best place to spend money is probably to improve the bullpen. With outfielder Andrew Benintendi locked in for another two years, there aren't any obvious needs among position players.

How many catchers?

The Sox have two of the better young catchers in MLB with Teel and Quero, both acquired in trades. They've been splitting the catching duties, working in at designated hitter, and Teel could probably play first base if needed.

With both players hitting well as rookies, there's no hurry to make a decision here on keeping one over the other. Better to spend another season evaluating both. Whether to keep Korey Lee as a third catcher on the roster is the bigger issue short-term.

“The continuous development of those guys as catchers is the most important thing,” Getz said. “We're open-minded about how to take advantage of the catching role.”

Venable the right leader?

The Sox obviously sold Will Venable on joining a young club for his managerial debut, with the understanding he'll have a long runway to get comfortable with this group. So far, there's been no reason to expect any change to that plan.

“Will's had an excellent first season as a manager,” Getz said. “I talked about his steadiness and his consistency of message and his ability to connect. We might have a tough loss, but I know the following day when I walk into his office, he's ready to go and put together a plan to win that ballgame.”

How much better?

In the past decade or so, teams like the Astros, Orioles and Tigers have gone from 100 losses (or close to it) to the playoffs in two years. It's impossible to predict what will happen with the White Sox, but they could be ready to make a move by 2027, in theory.

“You don't want to set too low of expectations for a young group,” Getz said. “We have players that are performing better here than they did at times at the minor-league level. So I don't want to limit them by any stretch.

“Is there excitement, is there optimism? Absolutely. This club has proven that they believe in themselves, that they can beat anyone. They're fearless out there. That type of attack and approach is going to bode well for us. So, yeah, I don't want to limit them.”