Chris Getz wants Munetaka Murakami on the South Side long term

Getz opened the presser proud of the season, but he didn't pretend the ending felt fine.

That sting is real. The White Sox went 84-78, made the postseason and came within 1 win of the ALCS before Cleveland knocked them out in the ALDS. Nobody had this team doing that in March. Now Getz has to build on it, and step 1 is making sure the best player on the roster stays put.

Some background on why this matters. Murakami came over from Japan on a 2-year, $34 million deal, which made him one of the bargains of the winter. It also means he can hit free agency after 2027. Getz first admitted back in late August that the two sides had talked about an extension. He wouldn't share details then and he's still calling the talks private, but 'we certainly want him to come back and be here a long time' is about as clear as a GM gets in public. Murakami was the team's best player this year. If you let that guy walk with a year left, you're just renting him.

Getz also took on the trade deadline question head on. The Sox were contending in July, and plenty of fans wanted him to push in for this year. His answer: he tried to do more, but he wasn't paying for rentals with his top prospects.

You can argue with that after coming up 1 win short of the ALCS. You can also see the logic. A team that just stumbled into contention ahead of schedule doesn't trade its future for 2 months of a veteran. Getz kept saying 'fueling the foundation' all afternoon, and holding onto his top young talent is exactly what that means. Getz also expects the whole Major League coaching staff back, so Will Venable's group stays together after the year it just had.

The most interesting bit for next season came out of the roster talk. The Sox starters threw the fewest innings in baseball this year, so pitching is the obvious need. Getz also called out the outfield, where veterans Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham are both headed to free agency, and he floated a creative fix.

'Perhaps' is doing a lot of work there, but it fits the plan. The Sox have more infielders than spots, and moving 1 or 2 of them to the outfield is cheaper than buying outfielders. So the winter to-do list is: lock up Murakami, find starting pitching, sort out the outfield, and don't trade away the kids. A tall order for a team whose fans finally expect something again. Fair enough, after this year.