Former White Sox reliever Keynan Middleton, who was traded at the deadline to the New York Yankees, is back in Chicago this week as a member of his new team.
And when asked about the problems with his old team, he came out swinging. Middleton bashed the team culture, saying there were "no rules" with no accountability for players who showed up late for meetings and fell asleep during games and whatnot.
You can read the article from Jesse Rogers of ESPN here. For Sox fans, it's well worth your time.
The immediate thought is, "How credible is Middleton?" Well, he's very credible in my view. What reason would he have to make all this up? This Sox gave him a chance to revitalize his career this season, and to his credit, he pitched well -- well enough that a contending team wanted him at the deadline. I don't see any reason why he would have a personal ax to grind with anyone in Chicago.
Not to mention, former Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn, who was traded at the deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers, subtly backed Middleton during an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.
Former Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski asked Lynn directly about Middleton's remarks. Here's a transcript of how it went:
A.J.: Lance, did you see what Keynan Middleton said when he got traded?
Lynn: I did see what popped up yesterday, yes.
A.J.: Do you have any thoughts on that ... possibly?
Lynn: I can say this. ... Let me tell you what Key was wrong about ... <crickets>
A.J.: OK ...
<crickets>
Off-camera voice: We're ready.
<even more crickets>
A.J.: I get it.
So, Lynn told us what Middleton was wrong about, and that was ... absolutely nothing!
Thank you, Keynan Middleton, for calling attention to the dysfunction that has existed in the Sox organization for years and years.
As a fan, it's difficult when the team you've loved since you were a child absolutely stinks. It's difficult when that team is a national laughingstock.
But in some ways, this was the best day of the season for me, because a light is finally shining on the ineptitude and suffocating failure that exists in the White Sox organization. That failure has been murdering the fan base for several seasons now. We're long past the point of needing change.
The White Sox winning percentage for 2023 is below .400, and that's even after winning two out of three in Cleveland over the weekend. That's pathetic in a supposed "contention window."
We can only hope the embarrassment the Sox are enduring now sparks some turnover among the people in charge of this languishing operation.
Well written!
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