GM meetings: White Sox moving Grant Taylor into the starting rotation

LAS VEGAS — The White Sox have utilized Grant Taylor in a number of ways since the right-hander first reached the major leagues in June 2025.

He has been a closer and an opener — sometimes in the same series.

He has been called on for multiple innings out of the bullpen — most notably the remarkable four-inning save in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians.

After displaying his talents — and a 100 mph fastball — as a reliever, the Sox are converting Taylor into a starter.

“Grant, the plan is to put him in the rotation,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said Tuesday during the GM meetings. “That’s something that he’s definitely wanted to do for a stretch here. And we sat down, we’ve had a lot of conversations and we feel like this is the best time for Grant and for us.

“We feel like the time is now for Grant. And we’re confident he’s going to be really good as a starter and look forward to supporting him in that new role.”

Taylor, 24, went 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA and 10 saves in 60 outings (four starts) in 2026. He struck out 106 and walked 30 in 84 innings.

His postseason highlights included allowing one unearned run and striking out five while throwing 54 pitches over 2 1/3 impressive innings in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series against the Houston Astros and the four-inning save against the Guardians in Game 1 of the ALDS, in which he struck out six while allowing no runs on two hits.

“He was our most consistent arm — obviously (along with) Sean Burke in the rotation — and when I say consistent, consistent in the sense of pitching to the best of his ability more regularly perhaps than some others,” Getz said. “We were able to expose him to openers and multi-inning starts and using him in different spots throughout the game.

“And he’s just got so much confidence now because of the level of success he’s had. And now it’s time to make that next step. Being a starter, the routine in between and the built-in rest, I think is a way to really feel confident that this is the right decision for him.”

Taylor recorded four outs or more in 31 regular-season games in 2026, posting a 1.91 ERA (12 earned runs in 56 2/3 innings) in that scenario. Now comes the opportunity to keep providing length.

“When we think about Grant and keeping him healthy and productive, we do feel like this is the best route for him,” Getz said.

A switch to the rotation for Taylor has long been a topic of conversation. A second-round pick out of LSU in 2023, Taylor was a starter in the minors before shifting to the bullpen to monitor innings in anticipation of a big-league call-up.

He finished second on the team in saves this past season behind Seranthony Domínguez (12), who was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 1.

With Taylor going to the rotation, the Sox will have to reconfigure the back end of their bullpen.

“It’s going to be difficult to replace that level of talent in the bullpen, but, yeah, we’re going to look for opportunities to improve the bullpen and there’s so many different ways to go about that,” Getz said. “We’re going to look for opportunities to add players that we feel like are going to improve our roster.”

This move helps with a huge need for the Sox. Their top priority this offseason is starting pitching — along with a right-handed-hitting outfielder and catching depth. They will be in search of starters after relying heavily on the bullpen throughout the 2026 regular season and playoffs.

One reliever who made a big impact down the stretch, left-hander Hagen Smith, will remain in the bullpen. The 2024 first-round pick went 3-3 with a 1.29 ERA in 18 outings (one start) after getting called up from Triple-A Charlotte in early August. Smith struck out 41 and walked 16 in 28 innings.

He was used as an opener in three of his four postseason appearances. Over seven innings during the playoffs, Smith allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts and eight walks.

“The plan is for Hagan to be in a multi-inning bullpen role,” Getz said. “We think it’s best served for him to be in that multi-inning position to begin with, much like we’ve done with some other guys in the past. You know what he’s capable of in that bullpen. Last year, his stretch of success as a professional with the White Sox was in that bullpen role.

“We’re open-minded to where it may go. But in terms of planning for spring training, that’s how we have the blueprint set up right now.”