Could playoff-hopeful White Sox go all in to acquire Mason Miller?

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The 2026 White Sox can be a World Series-caliber team.

That statement would have brought numerous eyerolls and maybe even a fever check or two if uttered back in January, February or March. But with the team sitting atop the American League Central and holding the AL’s No. 2 seed, it’s now far more fact than fantasy.

There were expectations of improvement in the midst of this latest rebuild. But this Chicago team is good, the AL is less than overwhelming and there’s more in play for the talented young crew behind the division title.

How does general manager Chris Getz build on this current excellence as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches? Might I suggest Mason Miller, the Padres’ virtually unhittable closer.

For starters, there’s no certainty Miller will be moved from the Padres. If the right-hander with the 0.84 ERA, 26 saves and 79 strikeouts against 15 walks in 42 2/3 innings through Friday is traded, the return figures to be astronomical.

Miller is under arbitration control for the next three seasons and won’t be a free agent until 2030. Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller sent Leo De Vries, the 19-year-old shortstop who is currently MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect, to the Athletics when acquiring Miller in a trade at last year's Deadline.

Some in the know believe a package to obtain Miller presently would need to include a player of that same ilk as De Vries. So, do the White Sox have that sort of player to headline this sort of deal?

They do if Getz is willing to make available a player such as top prospect Caleb Bonemer. The 20-year-old shortstop, who doesn’t turn 21 until Oct. 5, has 24 home runs, 60 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and a .915 OPS between stops at High-A Winston Salem and Double-A Birmingham entering Friday’s action. Bonemer exited Friday's game after being hit in the head by a pitch in the third inning. He continues to be evaluated but preliminary tests indicated no concussion.

Bonemer (Pipeline's No. 16 prospect) is thought to be pretty close to untouchable, but it brings about an interesting decision for Getz applied in general to acquiring a player at Miller’s lofty level. Getz certainly doesn’t want to take apart what he and his staff have so meticulously built, but then again, you can only win the season ahead of you and that’s 2026.

Some people might read my idea and point to a White Sox bullpen with a 2.24 ERA over the last 24 games entering Friday's series opener against Houston and move that area down the list of priorities. Starting pitcher and a catcher are of more pressing concern.

That plan makes sense to win the AL Central and get to the playoffs. Championships, of late, rely in the postseason on a deep and talented bullpen. Think of late-inning situations against the White Sox with Miller, Grant Taylor, Sean Newcomb and Bryan Hudson, not to mention potential ’26 relief additions from within such as No. 4 prospect Tanner McDougal from the right side and Hagen Smith (No. 51 overall) from the left side.

Manager Will Venable would be able to shrink the game at the most important time of the season.

All of these thoughts are not to wash away the need for a starter who can add quality innings and the same for a catcher with Kyle Teel being sidelined six to 12 weeks due to a high left ankle sprain. Most importantly, it’s all steeped primarily in the hypothetical.

In fact, if Getz was in the dugout on Friday while the media was waiting for Venable’s pregame media session, the whole Trade Deadline could have been laid out for him through our discussions. Alas, Getz was not around.

Of course, the division title is the focus for Venable and his charges, and nothing currently beyond that point as I wrote about on Thursday’s off-day. There are some talks about certain additions’ fits in this top-notch clubhouse, but Venable has full trust in Getz’s plan.

“Well, yeah, totally trust what he’s doing. There are things we are talking about as we are getting through these days and ideas are coming up,” Venable said. “I’m doing everything I can to get these guys in a good place to go out and win tonight. There’s some crossover, but we are both really busy doing our job.”

“Sometimes you want to play like you are a GM and try to figure out the moves and figure out who we are going to trade for,” Taylor said. “That’s one of the things where you can fall into a different mindset and not be focused about your actual job. I try to leave that to the guys who get paid for making those decisions.”