How Chris Getz Plans To Approach Free Agency With White Sox
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The White Sox made two notable moves on Tuesday, and based on general manager Chris Getz's comments, they could be among the team's most significant free agency transactions this offseason.
The team exercised a $20 million option for Luis Robert Jr. for the 2026 season, and veteran left-handed pitcher Martín Pérez declined a $10 million mutual option, triggering a $1.5 million buyout.
Barring an unexpected trade, the first move locks down the starting center field position, as Getz said he's "very much preparing" for Robert to wear a White Sox uniform in 2026. The second transaction frees up a spot in the starting rotation.
How Chris Getz plans to approach free agency
Getz said the team will look at available pitchers in free agency and have trade discussion to fill the void left by Pérez's departure. He's certainly not alone, noting that every club he's talked to is looking for starting pitching. There will be no shortage of options, either, with 63 starting pitchers mentioned in MLB.com's free agent list.
But instead of taking a big swing for top free agent starters like Framber Valdez or Dylan Cease, it's more likely that the White Sox make a short-term deal for a veteran.
"Free agency is an avenue to bring in players to help in the win total. But to go beyond this upcoming season I think would be a little premature considering the state of our club right now and the development of these young players," Getz said.
"More than anything, we want to strengthen our coaching staff, improve our processes with in the front office and go out there and try to win as many games as we can next year. That’s something we can control, and then in the future years, when we are approaching that ’27 season, we’ll adjust and put together the best club for the future that we can after the ’26 season."
That approach would be similar to how the White Sox acquired Pérez last offseason, signing him to a one-year, $5.0 million contract with a mutual option for 2026. He was effective when healthy, recording a 3.54 ERA in 56 innings, but missed about four months with an elbow injury and later suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
A 14-year MLB veteran, Pérez also made a significant impact in guiding an otherwise young White Sox pitching staff through the early stages of their careers. So from a leadership standpoint to providing quality innings, Getz anticipates targeting similar attributes when replacing Pérez.
The White Sox also have several internal options to fill the starting rotation, such as Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon and Yoendrys Gomez, who were part of the major-league rotation in 2025. The organization's top three pitching prospects –– Hagen Smith, Noah Schultz and Tanner McDougal –– could factor into the mix at some point, too, along with a group of pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery.
But some of those options may not be ready to join the big-league club on Opening Day, necessitating a move in free agency.
"We’ll take a look at it," Getz said. "Like we have in the past, if there are opportunities to improve the club, we are going to. Highlighted the need for protecting our young arms. We do have some arms underneath that are going to make an impact next year, but don’t anticipate that happening too much in the opening day of next season."
"So, it is a long list of free agents on the pitching front, both relievers and starters. We will be active. To what extent is yet to be seen. Free agency is just about to really kick off and we’ll get an idea of what the market is, but we do know we have areas we want to improve and there are different ways to do it. One of them is free agency."
There has also been speculation about a potential lockout affecting the 2027 season, as the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires in December 2026. But as it stands, that hasn't greatly impacted Getz's approach to this offseason.
"We’ve really haven’t factored in the looming CBA negotiations," Getz said. "It’s been more focused on continuing development of our young players, coming off a ’25 season which we were able to add some wins to the win column. We are looking to take additional steps and improve the club even further."
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Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack
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