Chris Getz isn’t done exploring moves just yet. In fact, he might only be getting started.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the White Sox GM remains “open to bringing in another starting pitcher” ahead of Monday’s deadline, even after acquiring right-hander Luis Castillo from the Mariners on Saturday night. The insight came from one of Rosenthal’s sources who was briefed on the team’s plans but spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Rosenthal added that with Castillo under control through at least 2027, plus a vesting option for 2028 if he reaches 180 innings next season, the White Sox may now turn to rental options to help solidify the rotation. As part of the Castillo trade, the Sox also absorbed Castillo’s $30 million owed through next season while offloading Seranthony Domínguez‘s $15.2 million, allowing their payroll flexibility to work in their favor.
When speaking with the media on Sunday, Getz touted Castillo’s postseason experience as one of the attractive qualities behind the deal.
“It’s really important when you’re talking about a pitcher and a starting pitcher and understanding their routine between their outings and how they handle themselves on and off the field,” Getz said. “And when you have a young, impressionable, hungry, excited group, to be able to insert someone that you know is going to represent what a starting pitcher is, who has that experience in the postseason, is going to have a positive influence within the clubhouse.”
“Now on top of that, someone that is not going to be scared, is a fearless competitor. The amount of people that I talked to regarding what he brings to the table in terms of being the competitor and the person, it’s about as glowing as I’ve heard about any player.”
Castillo notably owns a 2.25 ERA in 28.0 career postseason innings, most recently blanking Detroit in Game 2 of the 2025 ALDS. He later shut down the Tigers during a scoreless relief appearance in Game 5 of the same series.
The 33-year-old hasn’t seen the same sort of success lately, however, struggling through much of this season with Seattle. Across 99.2 innings, the right-hander has a 5.06 ERA and a 1.395 WHIP. It’s a far cry from the mid-3.00 ERAs and 1.1-range WHIPs he posted in each of his first three full seasons with the Mariners.
His strikeout rate has plummeted over the past few seasons as well, falling from 9.0 K/9 in 2024 to 8.1 in 2025 to 7.8 this year. The Sox will look to Brian Bannister and pitching coach Zach Bove to help right the ship, while hoping a change in scenery and overall situation can play in Castillo’s favor.
At his floor, Getz expects Castillo to provide the team with innings as several guys approach career-highs, though some of the ex-Mariners’ recent starts have given the White Sox confidence that he can still be productive down the final stretch. Getz also revealed that the Sox checked in on some of Seattle’s other pitchers but ultimately weren’t comfortable with the asking price, as he wanted to avoid the possibility of surrendering a top-100 prospect or a key piece of this year’s MLB team.
“When you’re having these conversations about potential rental starters or controllable starters, and you get an idea of what the cost is going to be, and candidly, with some of these meaningful rental starters that will be available here in the next day or so, we didn’t want to go into our top 100 prospects.”
As for other pitchers on the market, the White Sox have been casting a fairly wide net. Names they’ve been linked to so far include Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Shane Bieber, Trevor Rogers, and Reid Detmers, among others. How much Getz is willing to give up will ultimately determine his next course of action, though the White Sox would probably prefer to land an even bigger upgrade and make Castillo the second-best starter they acquire at the deadline.
Following Saturday’s trade, manager Will Venable provided further clarity on the rotation by saying that Noah Schultz will remain for the time being while Erick Fedde moves to the bullpen. Schultz’s short-term outlook could obviously change pending any further moves, so nothing is set in stone just yet.
And that’s not the only area where reinforcements may still be added.
Though he didn’t offer too many specifics, Getz made it clear during his Sunday media availability that the catcher position could also see an addition.
“I anticipate we do something,” he said candidly.
For more on the potential options behind the plate, our team recently took an in-depth look at some intriguing possibilities the White Sox could explore.
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Featured Photo: Mariners/X
