White Sox to Make Grant Taylor a Starter in 2027, Also Set Plans for Hagen Smith

These may not be the right moves to make right now.

Oct 10, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor (31) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game five of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a great season that was eventually marred by a lack of starting pitching depth, the Chicago White Sox knew that they had to improve.

While they have yet to bring in a new arm that can lend a helping hand this offseason, we may have our first of potentially many answers for the 2027 rotation. During this week's GM meetings, White Sox general manager Chris Getz appeared on Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette's SiriusXM MLB Radio show called the "Front Office," and his comments were rather surprising.

Getz said closer Grant Taylor will move into the rotation in 2027, while breakout rookie Hagen Smith will stay in the bullpen. He added that the White Sox are still open to starting Smith down the road, but that time isn’t now.

So, is this the right move ahead of a year that will come with even higher expectations?

Will This Work for Grant Taylor?

Oct 8, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor (31) walks off the field during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game four of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Grant Taylor has been gradually working up to a multi-inning role during the 2026 season, he hasn’t pitched over 100 innings since before college, if at all.

We saw last season how starters on the White Sox were burning out towards the end of the season. While the 2027 season is likely to be shortened, thus beneficial for Taylor, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he has never had a “starter's workload”.

At LSU, Taylor also underwent Tommy John surgery before we could see if he could handle it. That four-inning save in October was amazing, but will we see him consistently shut down hitters every five days for five or more innings? That remains to be seen. His appearances with multiple innings were hit or miss at times. Will that become even more common as a starter?

And what happens to his stuff? His 100+ mph fastball is the bread and butter of what he does on the mound. Will that decrease significantly in velocity? There are too many questions to answer with this move, some positive, some negative.

One clear thing is that the White Sox will now need someone to close. Whether that’s Smith, an internal option, or an external option remains to be seen. Adrián Morejón, David Bednar (should either pitcher decline the qualifying offer), and Raisel Iglesias would fill the closer role rather nicely. At the same time, they could cost a lot to bring in.

At the end of the day, Taylor was amazing in a bullpen role last year, so why switch it up?

Will This Work For Hagen Smith?

Oct 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Hagen Smith (32) walks off the field during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game three of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Meanwhile, Hagen Smith was drafted No. 5 overall to be a long-term starter. Will that come to fruition? Likely, but he’ll need more major league seasoning first. After 22 games (including playoffs) with a 1.29 ERA, Smith could be a traditional closer or a multi-inning high-leverage reliever in the role Taylor had in 2026.

One thing we know: The White Sox pitching staff is going to look a lot different in 2027.