Chris Getz’s unpopular decision not to trade Luis Robert Jr. and other veteran outfielders may not be a mistake — if he plays it right
For his first time as White Sox GM, Chris Getz didn’t gut his roster at the July 31 trade deadline. Unlike last year at the helm (and in the previous season, when he was the assistant GM) Getz took an inactive stance, trading only outfielder Austin Slater and starter Adrian Houser. Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi, who were all on the trading block, remain on the team.
While moving on from Houser, the best player on the team, is reasonable, trading Slater and not Tauchman doesn’t seem logical on the surface. Slater’s .228/.290/.409 slash line with five home runs and 12 RBIs is noticeably inferior to Tauchman’s .291/.372/.472 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs. Tauchman is playing the best he ever has this year, which makes him a perfect sell-high trade candidate. Yet, the Sox are keeping him.
The rationale behind holding onto Benintendi and Robert is much clearer. Benintendi has $32.2 million left on his contract from 2026-27, and his performance in the last two years isn’t compelling enough for a team to take on even without the salary burden. His .236/.305/.432 slash line and 13 home runs this year are especially undeserving of the $17.1 million Chicago’s paying him, so why would any team want to bail the Sox out of the financial corner they’ve put themselves in? Robert has fared even worse than Benintendi this year, slashing .213/.300/.353 while mustering 11 home runs. Although Robert’s 27 bags swiped and .353/.441/.549 July slash line are somewhat redeeming, his upside isn’t worth the discount offers Getz fielded at the deadline.
With two years left on Benintendi’s contract another year of control over Tauchman and two years of pricey team options on Robert, what’s next for the Sox?
If the Sox play their cards right, this year’s results set the table for a playoff run starting in 2028. I know it sounds ludicrous, but let me explain.
With a veteran outfield capable of providing Gold Glove-level defense and 50+ home runs, the Sox have a stronger offensive baseline than fans would like to admit. A fixed lineup emerges by adding Edgar Quero’s power, Chase Meidroth’s consistency, and Colson Montgomery’s balance of both. These six hitters provide an offense that is capable of going toe-to-toe with bigger and better teams.
But the Sox need more than that: An ace to lead their inexperienced rotation. Chicago also needs a bullpen boost, as Charlotte isn’t an adequate supplier of relievers, including a true closer. Grant Taylor is their nominal closer now, but his pitching role should shift as the Sox experiment with his role.
For the Sox to become contenders before 2030, they have to spend more than $100 million on their payroll moving forward. That’s right, Jerry, start moving some money from savings to checking now.
This year’s trade deadline produced more questions than answers. To not regress in their rebuild, the Sox need to be spenders in the offseason from now through 2027, at least.