​Jamie Sabau-Imagn ImagesWith the All-Star break less than a week away, and the trade deadline coming soon after that, there are a few things that are evident about the 2026 White Sox. To sum them up simply, this team is good, but they will need help to stay competitive after All Star game and into the playoffs.More specifically, this Sox team needs pitching. Headed into Tuesday’s 8-1 loss in the series opener against the Red Sox, their staff as a whole ranked 14th in baseball in ERA and 16th in fWAR. Separated into the starting staff and bullpen, the Sox starters 18th in baseball in wins above replacement and the bullpen, 15th.No isolated stat is going to tell a full picture, especially when it comes to a pitching staff, but what that does help illustrate is that as the trade deadline approaches, pitching is the area of the team in most need of being addressed.White Sox general manager Chris Getz will have to determine how aggressive he wants to be at this deadline; his team is outperforming nearly everyone’s preseason projections, so a more conservative approach at the deadline might be justified, the thinking being that another year of development internally and an upcoming offseason to improve via free agency will set the Sox up nicely for 2027.That approach would, of course, assume a couple of things: That the team’s development will continue on a linear path and that the ongoing labor negotiations between the owners and players’ association will end with an agreement that doesn’t put next season in jeopardy. Given both of those variables, striking while the iron is hot seems like the move to make.While it might not yet be clear what approach the Sox will take at the trade deadline, winning as many games as possible in this last homestand before the All-Star game may help spur an activity in the Sox front office.“I think Getz is always doing whatever he can to make our team better,” manager Will Venable said. “I think we’ll see where we are at during the Break. But this team continues to win and play good baseball and I know that everyone wants to continue to support that in whatever way we can.”Tuesday’s game helped illustrate why the Sox need to take an assertive approach to the August 3 trade deadline. Rookie Noah Schultz continued to show that his command isn’t sharp enough yet for the major league level. He lasted five innings but gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks. His most recent start raised his ERA over 6.00.“A lot of things that I definitely need to work on,” Schultz said. “The walks have been pretty high, something that I’m not too happy with. Something that I need to clean up for sure with mechanics. I thinking I’m finding out my identity as a pitcher with pitch mixes and seeing what to throw most and figuring out different lineups and how to attack them.”Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesVenable said Schultz will get one more start before the All-Star break — against the Athletics on Su