Jim Bowden Says White Sox Aren’t Done Dealing After Urquidy Trade

The Chicago White Sox are good again. That sentence alone is enough to make anyone who watched the last two seasons do a double take. After back-to-back historically bad years, the South Siders are sitting in a playoff spot as the trade deadline approaches. And according to former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, they’re not just along for the ride.

Bowden, who now works as an analyst, appeared on GM Territory and did not mince words about Chicago’s intentions. He said the White Sox are buying aggressively, and he laid out three specific areas they’re targeting: another starting pitcher, a catcher to cover for Kyle Teel’s injury, and a bullpen arm. According to Bowden, the front office is already working the phones.

“Oh they’re buying big time baby. They know exactly where they are in the standings and these are the three things that they’re looking for. They’re calling GMs. They want another starting pitcher, they want a catcher because of the injury to Kyle Teel. Bullpen: they want another bullpen arm as well. One thing’s for sure: the Chicago White Sox are gonna buy buy buy at this deadline, baby!” Bowden said.

This comes after the White Sox made a low-risk move to acquire Jose Urquidy from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Urquidy, 31, is a reclamation project with upside. But Bowden’s comments suggest that was just the opening act.

What Chicago Needs Most

Adding a top-of-rotation starter would be the kind of move that changes the team’s trajectory. The White Sox have a solid core, but they lack a true ace. Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, and Casey Mize are all names that would fit. The problem? All three play in the AL Central. Trading within the division is always tricky, and the odds of the White Sox pulling one of those guys are slim. They’ll likely have to look elsewhere.

At catcher, the situation is more immediate. Teel is expected to miss at least a month, and the current backups aren’t producing. Edgar Quero and Drew Romo haven’t done much at the plate. Bowden pointed to Luis Torrens of the New York Mets as a potential low-cost target. Torrens is providing more offense than what Chicago has right now, and he plays solid defense. That’s the kind of move that doesn’t make headlines but keeps a team afloat during a key stretch.

Bullpen help is the third piece. Every contender wants more relief pitching at the deadline, and the White Sox are no exception. They’ve been leaning on a few arms heavily, and adding depth would take some pressure off.

The White Sox have been here before, sort of. They went all-in a few years ago and it fell apart fast. But this team looks different. The young guys are hitting. The pitching staff is holding up. And if the front office follows through on what Bowden is hearing, Chicago could be one of the most active teams before the deadline closes.