Chris Getz has been asked how he’d measure success in 2025, adding the caveat, “knowing that wins and losses might be a difficult measure.”
The Chicago White Sox general manager pointed to contributions from catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, infielders Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas, and pitchers such as Shane Smith and Mike Vasil.
“Looking back, if you would have told me they were going to come up here and do what they have done and shown the fight that they have, I would have been pretty happy,” Getz said before Wednesday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. “With that being said, we acknowledge there is plenty of work needed to be done.”
The Sox dropped their sixth straight game on Wednesday, losing 3-1 in front of 10,919 at Rate Field.
Starter Martín Pérez exited in the fourth inning with left shoulder soreness. He pitched a ball to Jackson Holliday and immediately signaled for the training staff.
“I just felt sore,” Pérez said. “I’m not going to force anything. I don’t want to get hurt again and have surgery or something. I was trying to be smart because if I keep pushing, I’m going to hurt my elbow too. It was a great time for me to tell them to take me out.”
Chicago White Sox pitcher Martín Pérez pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Pérez allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 3 2/3 innings during his seventh appearance (sixth start) since returning from the injured list on Aug. 13. He initially went on the IL on April 19 with left elbow inflammation.
“(He) got evaluated there by the trainers,” manager Will Venable said. “Nothing initially overly concerning, but he’ll get an MRI tomorrow and see where he’s at.”
The Sox (57-96) were swept in the three-game series as they inched closer to a third consecutive 100-loss season. The Sox went 0-6 against Baltimore this year, going winless against the Orioles in a season for the first time in franchise history.
With the season coming to an end a week from Sunday, Getz looked back on 2025 and ahead to the offseason on Wednesday.
For the areas the team will address, Getz began with pitching.
“That’s an area you always want to deepen and strengthen,” Getz said. “We’ve had parts of the year that our bullpen has done really well. There have been some times when it kind of let us down. You look at some of the one-run losses (33), OK, how do we turn those into wins. It’s deeper than just having a better bullpen because we know it comes down to scoring runs and preventing runs.
“But to strengthen the bullpen and deepen the bullpen, knowing how to navigate a 162-game season, it takes more than a 13-man pitching staff and an eight-man bullpen. It’s continuing to build depth and finding ways to strengthen it.”
Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz, left, speaks to manager Will Venable before the White Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Getz then shifted to the defense.
“Look at defensive play across the diamond — there are areas that you feel good about, but also we need to tighten our defense and get a little bit more detailed just to go out there and take away some hits that could prevent some runs,” Getz said.
Luis Robert Jr. has aided in those defensive efforts in center field for the Sox since 2020. The Sox hold $20 million club options for Robert for both 2026 and 2027, with $2 million buyouts for either season. Getz said a left hamstring strain that has had Robert on the injured list since Aug. 27 “doesn’t really change anything” when it comes to their thinking on the situation.
Photos: Chicago White Sox lose 3-1 to the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field
“When he hurt his hamstring, we knew that was a possibility that there might be an injury that hits him or someone else,” Getz said. “But Luis has obviously proven that he can be an impactful player, and it doesn’t need to just be in the box. He’s still in a White Sox uniform. We anticipate him being in a White Sox uniform next year and continuing to strengthen our group up the middle.”
While noting some of the team’s offensive improvements since the All-Star break, Getz also kept in mind that this is the longest season some of the players have ever encountered.
“Some of that (second-half success) is the maturing of some of our young hitters,” Getz said. “Some of these guys haven’t played as deep into the year that they have (in 2025) ever in their careers. That’s one thing that needs to be addressed in the sense that when you are assessing everything, we’ve got to know some of these guys haven’t played as many games as they have.
“Having a 17-game stretch of no off days (during late August and early September) and having the durability to not only show up every day, but to perform at a high level, those are areas that need to be focused on.”
The Sox are evaluating it all.
“There are plenty of areas that need to be improved on, we have to understand the strengths of the player,” Getz said. “There will be opportunities to add to this group. And if appropriate, we’ll go ahead and try to attack that.”
Originally Published: September 17, 2025 at 6:29 PM CDT