It’s no secret the White Sox struggled in close games last season. That’s one of the reasons that Chris Getz said he is looking to add bullpen help this offseason.
The White Sox 24 blown saves last season marked the fourth most in the American League, after converting on just over half of their save opportunities. The bullpen’s 4.16 ERA was also the sixth-highest mark in the AL.
Getz has already traded for right-hander Chris Murphy and added Duncan Davitt to the 40-man roster. But with the front office already signaling that free-agent spending will be limited, the club may instead lean on internal arms capable of taking a step forward. Here are three players who could play a significant role in the relief corps next season.
Jordan Leasure
Last season, Jordan Leasure led the team with a modest seven saves. However, the 27-year-old right-hander took a major step forward and could emerge as the type of back-end relief the team is looking for.
Leasure posted a 3.92 ERA over 68 games, striking out 81. While his 30 walks and 12 home runs allowed in 64.1 innings raise some concern, the hard-throwing right-hander struck out 30 percent of opposing hitters and held them to a .144 average in the second half.
This is a massive jump from his 2024 rookie campaign, which saw his ERA balloon up to 6.32. If Leasure can clean up some of his control issues, he has all the tools to be an effective big league closer.
Grant Taylor
Grant Taylor also figures to be a key piece of the White Sox bullpen next season. The LSU product flashed plenty of potential in his first 36 big-league appearances, but didn’t have the results to show for it.
After just 46 innings in the minors, the White Sox struggled to find a role for Taylor, who was working his way back from Tommy John surgery after being selected in the second round of the 2023 Draft. Before his call-up, six of his 15 appearances in Double-A Birmingham came as a starter.
Ultimately, the White Sox decided to slot him into the bullpen, bringing him directly from Double-A. While there was talks of making him a starter long-term, Getz indicated that the plan is to keep Taylor in the bullpen in 2026 in a multi-inning relief role.
In 36.2 innings, Taylor recorded six saves, posted a 4.91 ERA and struck out just over 34 percent of opponents. He also generated a 51 percent ground-ball rate, enough to rank near the top of the league had he thrown enough innings to qualify.
While Taylor was thrown into the fire early on, his presence gave Will Venable a much needed weapon to help close out games. His fastball averages nearly 98mph, making him one of the hardest throwers in the game, while his slider and curveball each produced a whiff rate over 30 percent.
Taylor really found his stride in the final month of the season, delivering eight scoreless innings with 15 strikeouts across nine appearances. His versatility and ability to go multiple innings could make him a key contributor in a variety of bullpen roles next season.
Prelander Berroa
After coming over from the Mariners, Prelander Berroa emerged as an intriguing arm out of the White Sox bullpen in 2024. In 17 games, he posted a 3.32 ERA with 26 strikeouts across just 19 innings of work. During that stretch, he limited opponents to a .217 batting average and generated a 34 percent whiff rate.
Berroa has a lively arm, with a fastball that averages 97 mph and a slider that produced a 43 percent whiff rate. However, he was placed on the 60-day IL in March after undergoing Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2025 season.
Taylor was able to return from the same procedure and continued to touch triple digits. If Berroa can come back healthy, his swing-and-miss stuff could make him a dangerous weapon late in games.
