Lazy, insular White Sox promote Chris Getz to lead baseball operations

Jerry Reinsdorf

For those who know me personally, you're well aware of how profoundly meaningful White Sox baseball is in my life. Being a Sox fan is a central part of my identity.

While I'm aware that there are more important things than baseball, there's no getting around the fact that the White Sox are part of the connective tissue of my existence. Some of the best friendships I have in my life were formed through a shared interest in Sox baseball, and the sense of community that exists within the fan base.

So, having said all that, it was a weird feeling earlier this week when I made the decision to opt out of the auto-renewal for the 2024 season ticket plan. The Sox invoiced us Tuesday, and I immediately filled out the form and effectively said, "No thanks, not now." 

Right now, I can't stomach what the Sox have become, on or off the field. We haven't enjoyed going to the ballpark for the past two years, and I don't have any hope that things are going to change anytime soon. Thus, it is time to reevaluate the decision on how to best spend those disposable dollars that typically go to the White Sox. I've been a season ticket holder for 19 seasons. 

I can't say for certain that I'm out for 2024, but at minimum, I'm delaying the decision until after the holidays, so I can see what direction the team goes this offseason.

The lazy, insular promotion of Chris Getz to lead baseball operations, a decision that owner Jerry Reinsdorf announced Thursday, is NOT a good start.

I commend Reinsdorf for finally moving on from former senior vice president Ken Williams and former GM Rick Hahn, both of whom were fired last week. That decision was welcome and overdue.

But whatever goodwill that came from that decision was lost when Reinsdorf simply promoted Getz, the team's player development director, who has been with the organization for seven years and is part of the problem.

There's a lot of stuff that could be said about this, but I'm going to offer you five takeaways:

1. Reinsdorf didn't conduct a legitimate search. This is the most galling part of the equation. During Thursday's press conference, Reinsdorf admitted that he didn't interview anyone else. This was an opportunity to reshape the future of the organization, and that opportunity has been kicked away because the owner was too lazy to conduct a thorough search.

Reinsdorf's reasoning: He "already knew" the candidates that were on his alleged list and didn't need to interview them. Here's my question for Jerry: "What about the people you DON'T know?" By failing to look outside the walls at 35th and Shields, Reinsdorf most likely missed a chance to meet the person most qualified for this position.

I understand Reinsdorf is 87 years old, and perhaps he doesn't have the energy to conduct such a search. Too bad. If that's true, then sell the team to someone who will care enough to put in the time and effort.

2. Getz wouldn't even have gotten an interview with 29 other franchises. What exactly is on Getz's resume? He's been in charge of player development for seven years. Can you name me one impact player the Sox have drafted and developed? Are there any mid- or late-round picks that have become surprise contributors? Have the Sox had any diamonds in the rough emerge? 

The Sox farm system has been ranked in the bottom half of the league for the past three or four years. There isn't a track record of success here. Are there teams out there that would clamor to add Getz to their organization? I don't believe so. I don't think he'd get an interview from any other team, if they had an opening to lead baseball operations. With the Sox, Getz gets the job without any interview process. This is ludicrous.

3. "Knowing" Sox players should not be considered a strength. Reinsdorf said Thursday, “Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience within our organization to this role. Most importantly, he knows our players, both at the major league level and in our system, knows our staff and is familiar with all aspects of our baseball operations department."

Actually, no, knowing the players is not the most important thing. The Sox are desperate for a fresh set of eyes to come in here and look at some old problems. Getz is not that. I wanted someone who has no personal relationship with any of the players, who won't have a problem getting rid of some entitled guys who are considered sacred cows in the organization.

The Sox don't need continuity. They need change.

4. The Sox are foolishly treating manager Pedro Grifol as an untouchable. During his introductory press conference, Getz contradicted himself. He said that no one is untouchable. Moments later, he declared that failing manager Grifol will be back for the 2024 season. Why? The guy is 53-81, and in case you haven't noticed, his team is getting blown out a lot lately. And if you haven't noticed, that means you're not watching, and I don't blame you for that.

The Sox have 28 games left in the season. What if they go 4-24? Reinsdorf spent time Thursday talking about how this has been the worst year during his time as owner of the Sox. Fair enough, but you know it's not over yet, right? The evaluation period isn't over yet. It continues for another month. Yet Getz has already declared Grifol safe, no matter how terrible of a job he does the rest of the way. 

5. Reinsdorf thinks the Sox can contend in 2024, LOL. Reinsdorf said he didn't want to go outside the organization because that person would need a full year to evaluate everything, and then 2024 would be lost. He claimed that Getz is the person best suited to author a quick turnaround and get the team back in contention next year.

All you can do is laugh.

Take a look at the roster, Jerry. Among position players, you have Luis Robert Jr. and a collection of overpaid scrubs. The projected 2024 starting rotation consists of Dylan Cease, who is having a rotten 2023, Michael Kopech, who has taken steps backward this season, and a host of replacement-level arms.

The Sox have almost nothing in place. Good luck fixing this by next March.

This Week in White Sox Baseball!!!! (7th Sector of Hell Edition)

Guaranteed Rate Field

One thing that I've learned being a White Sox fan: Don't ever say it can't get worse. It probably will.

Last year at this time, we were ready for the season to be over. The team was mired in mediocrity, on its way to an 81-81 finish in a year that was supposed to conclude with playoff baseball. 

Those were the good ole days in comparison to this, and it goes far beyond the team's 52-79 record on the field. Here's a log of some of the things we've endured in recent days:

Aug. 21: White Sox announce plans to explore relocation, either within the city of Chicago and its suburbs, or possibly even Nashville.

Aug. 22: Senior vice president of baseball operations Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn are fired, after years of underachievement.

Aug. 23: Rumors circulate that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will promote farm director Chris Getz to the GM spot, and hire failed former Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore in some sort of role to assist Getz.

Aug. 25: Two fans are shot in the left-field bleachers at Guaranteed Rate Field, while watching the Sox get blown out by the league-worst Oakland Athletics. 

Aug. 27: Rumors circulate that the Sox are considering three places for relocation: near the United Center on the West Side, Soldier Field, or the Arlington Heights location the Chicago Bears recently purchased.

Aug. 28: Reports indicate the gunshots Friday night most likely did not come from outside the stadium, meaning that someone managed to sneak a gun past security at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Good grief, this is all crazy. Any one of these topics could be a blog post. But I'd like to just make a few quick reactions. I don't think these problems are going away.

On the GM search: I really wish the Sox would conduct an external search for the best possible candidate, instead of just promoting Getz and hiring Moore, who worked with Getz and manager Pedro Grifol in Kansas City. This is just more cronyism. Sure, Moore has a 2015 World Series title on his resume. That cannot be taken from him, but he also presided over 13 losing seasons in 17 years in Kansas City. Why are the Sox trying to emulate the Royals anyway? Kansas City is the one team in the AL Central that's even worse (at least on the field) than the Sox.

Further, if things have gotten so bad (and they have) that you need to fire the top two men in your baseball operations, why would you just promote the guy who is either third or fourth in command? Wouldn't it be both obvious and imperative that a new voice is needed?

On stadium relocation: The Soldier Field idea is absolutely awful. That place is a dump, and there's a reason the Bears are looking to get the hell out of there. Because of its status as a historical landmark, there are limits on what you can do architecturally. Not to mention, that place is impossible to get to. The traffic sucks. The parking sucks. All of it sucks. Romanticize the lakefront all you want, but nobody is going to care about the "beautiful view" or the "Chicago skyline in the distance" when there's only 4,000 people in the stands on weeknights, because fans have decided that it's too big of a pain in the ass to drive to Soldier Field after they get off work.

I'm open to the United Center neighborhood idea. I love going to Blackhawks games. I'll go to Sox games in that area, too. Great!

I'm open to the team staying at 35th and Shields. I've been going there for years. Great!

I'm open to the team moving to Arlington Heights. That location is 4.5 miles from my house. Now I can come on weeknights after work. Great!

Soldier Field? Screw that, and screw anyone who thinks that's a good idea.

On the safety issue: I attended Saturday night's game. I was undeterred by the incident Friday, although I acknowledge it's a terrible look for the Sox. If they want folks to feel comfortable going to these games, they might want to think about upgrading those metal detectors -- immediately. Judging by the looks of them, I don't think the Sox have the latest technology.

Me personally, I don't spend my life worrying about what could go wrong. Gun violence, allegedly deadly viruses, domestic terrorism, whatever. I'm not afraid of any of it. Whenever one leaves the house, there's always a chance that something could go wrong. Hell, you could get in a fatal car wreck on your way to the grocery store. Does that stop you from buying food? Of course not. 

Our risk calculation has gotten way out of whack in this society over the past three years. I'm not going to stop my life because of various things that could potentially kill me. Yes, I'm aware there is a non-zero chance that I could be gunned down inside or outside the ballpark. I just don't care, because that chance is so small that it isn't worth thinking about it. 

My advice: Continue living your life. Don't give up the things you enjoy out of fear. One day it will be over for all of us. That's a fact, but don't sweat it.

See you at the ballpark on the next homestand.

White Sox fire Ken Williams, Rick Hahn

The announcement came during the dinner hour Tuesday night, and I almost spit out my pasta from the shock: The White Sox fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn. You can read the report from MLB.com's Scott Merkin here.

On the one hand, this needed to happen. I'm as pleased as I am surprised. That said, it's not a good sign when the highlight of your entire baseball season is seeing executives get fired, even though both Williams and Hahn have earned their dismissals.

The Sox were 49-76 going into Tuesday's play, and as Williams said in Merkin's story, "We have underachieved. This is what happens."

Thing is, this was the easy part for chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. The hard part is finding the right people to fix all the problems with the Sox. It's difficult not to be skeptical of this 87-year-old owner, who hasn't hired a baseball executive from outside of the organization in decades. 

How will he conduct the search? And who will help him with the search? Hopefully, it's someone other than his buddy Tony La Russa.

On the whole, this was a good day for Sox fans. The organization is crying out for new leadership. That, it will get. The question is whether it will get good leadership. That is the important part, and it remains to be seen.

White Sox reportedly conducting 'series of internal interviews'

I've mostly stayed away from discussing the 2023 White Sox here because, let's be honest, it isn't sane to care about the day-to-day results anymore. The team is 48-75 entering Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies.

But it's worth noting when Bob Nightengale reports something on the Sox. Of all the national baseball reporters, he seems to have the most direct line to owner Jerry Reinsdorf and senior vice president of baseball operations Ken Williams.

Here's his Sunday notebook. Most of this story is about baseball movies, but if you scroll down to the "Around the basepaths" section, the top item deals with the Sox. It reads:

"The Chicago White Sox are conducting a series of internal interviews to determine whether dramatic changes are needed inside the front office or the coaching staff. This has been one of the most disappointing and painful seasons in chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s tenure. 

"GM Rick Hahn has one year left on his contract while manager Pedro Grifol has two years remaining."

This is interesting on two fronts. First off, we rarely know contract lengths for non-players in the Sox organization. For whatever reason, somebody high up in the organization was OK with all of us finding out how many years Hahn and Grifol have left on their deals. 

What does that mean? We can only speculate.

Secondly, a "series of internal interviews"? What exactly does that mean? Are they all interviewing each other? How bizarre, but what do you expect from the Sox? 

This reminds me a little of asking politicians to vote for term limits. Good luck getting someone to say, "Yes, I deserve to lose my job." That doesn't happen often in the real world.

Here's the thing: The 2023 season started with Hahn outlining high expectations and talking about deep October runs. The Sox are light years away from that. As a matter of fact, they are now tied for the third-worst record in baseball -- they and the Rockies are both 48-75 entering Sunday's head-to-head matchup.

You don't need "internal interviews" to know dramatic changes are necessary for the Sox. You only need to know they fell way, way short of the bar they set for themselves.

Lance Lynn pitching well since joining Los Angeles Dodgers

Former White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn has been rejuvenated since the late-July trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At the time of the deal, Lynn was 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA across 21 starts with Chicago. That 6.47 ERA was the worst among qualified starting pitchers in all of baseball.

But since escaping the Sox and their "bad culture," the 36-year-old has discovered the fountain of youth. In four starts with the Dodgers, he's 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA.

Lynn received a no-decision Thursday night, but he tossed seven shutout innings in a 1-0 Los Angeles victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here's a look at the pitching lines for Lynn with the Dodgers:

Aug. 1 vs. Oakland: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Aug. 6 vs. San Diego: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs -- WIN

Aug. 11 vs. Colorado: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 9 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Aug. 17 vs. Milwaukee: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 Ks, 1 BB- ND

Total: 25 IP, 17 H, 5 R, 4 ERs, 25 Ks, 5 BBs

So, what's different? Well, the Dodgers told Lynn to throw fewer cutters and more four-seam fastballs. Obviously, it's working, and that's led to some irate Sox fans. Why didn't pitching coach Ethan Katz order this adjustment while Lynn was still pitching on the South Side?

Before we get too mad, let me point out one thing: Lynn hasn't been facing good offenses since he joined the Dodgers.

He has pitched against one mediocre offense (San Diego) and three bad offenses (Oakland, Colorado and Milwaukee).

The Padres rank 16th out of 30 teams in runs per game. The Rockies are 22nd, the Brewers are 24th, the Athletics are dead last. That's three bottom-10 offenses out of four.

So, I'm not 100% sold that Lynn is back on track for good. Here's my question: When a good offensive team adjusts to his new pitch mix, will he have a counter that will still allow him to thrive? 

I don't have a firm answer to that question. Just throwing it out there. It's something to watch.

And if you're feeling as though Sox players always improve as soon as they leave the team, don't despair. That's a myth. After all, just look at what Lucas Giolito has done through his first four starts with the Los Angeles Angels: 1-3 with an 8.14 ERA. Woof.

White Sox fans are really mad about Jake Burger trade

Jake Burger

White Sox Twitter is ablaze right now because Jake Burger is playing well for the Miami Marlins.

The Sox traded the popular, slugging third baseman to the Marlins for pitching prospect Jake Eder minutes before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

It doesn't look so good for the Sox so far, and fans are ready to riot.

Since joining the Marlins, Burger is batting .311/.380/.467 in 12 games (entering Tuesday's play). After the Marlins won his first game in Miami in walk-off fashion, Burger declared that it was "the most fun" he'd had on a baseball field "in a long time."

That statement implies he wasn't having much fun as a member of the Sox, and can you blame him? I don't enjoy watching the team, so I'm not surprised if he didn't enjoy playing for it.

Burger was seen delivering a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, capping a five-run Miami rally in a shocking 8-7 victory over the New York Yankees.

The good times are rollin' for Burger.

And Eder?

He's made two starts at Double-A Birmingham, and his ERA is 16.20. He's given up nine earned runs on eight hits across five innings. 

Yeah, that's bad.

I'm not going to panic about this trade just yet, but I understand the frustration. Eder is still only 24. He was one of the best prospects in baseball two years ago before he had Tommy John surgery, and some of the prospect guys -- notably MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis -- have expressed optimism about this left-handed starter.

As for Burger, I'm not entirely sure what his future holds yet. We know he has power. He's got 26 homers this season -- 25 with the White Sox. As a matter of fact, he's probably going to finish second on the Sox in homers for 2023, even though he'll be playing the remainder of the season with Miami. 

It's worth noting that Burger is a subpar defender, and he was hitting only .214 with a .279 OBP at the time of the trade. The Sox will miss his home runs, for sure, but they won't miss his low on-base percentage. 

Ultimately, over the long haul, I'm in wait-and-see mode with this trade. In the short run, here's what pisses me off about the Burger move: It means Yoan Moncada is still "on scholarship" at third base for the White Sox.

Entering Tuesday's play, Moncada was batting .229/.278/.353 with only four homers and 11 doubles in 55 games. He's been hurt and bad (again) this season.

Burger's presence on the roster gave the Sox a very viable alternative to put at third base during those periods when Moncada is hurt, bad or both -- that's the case the majority of the time, as Sox fans know.

Now, Burger is gone, and there's nobody who can play third base except for Moncada. It's Moncada's job through 2024, for better or for worse, and that annoys me because I'm ready to see the Sox move in a different direction at that position.

3 White Sox prospects make Baseball America's Top 100

The White Sox are playing as I type this Tuesday night, but I'm not watching the game. I'm indifferent about any outcomes for the rest of the 2023 season.

Instead, I'm writing a blog about prospects, while a game between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves is on my TV.

It's obnoxious that it's come to this, but here we are. Anyway, I was flipping through the August edition of Baseball America when I saw that publication's updated Top 100 list. For the first time in quite some time, that list contains three White Sox prospects. In case you were wondering, here they are:

Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 22). The Sox's 2021 first-round pick missed the start of the season with an oblique injury, which has limited him to 36 games. Upon his return, the shortstop tore up the Arizona Complex League, posting a 1.099 OPS in 10 games. 

Montgomery had no difficulties once he was promoted to High-A Winston-Salem, either, where he had a 1.088 OPS with three home runs and three doubles in 17 games. Opposing pitchers walked him 20 times, including three times intentionally.

So, the Sox promoted Montgomery to Double-A Birmingham. In nine games there, he's batting .179/.465/.357. The OPS is .822, and it's mostly because of a high on-base profile. Montgomery has walked 10 times (against 10 strikeouts) in those nine games. This is obviously a small sample size. We'll see if he adjusts to the level between now and the end of the year.

Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 35). Schultz, who just turned 20 years old earlier this month, was the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2022. A strained flexor muscle in his left arm delayed Schultz's season debut until June 2, but he's been overpowering in Low-A Kannapolis thus far.

They are keeping this kid on a strict innings count -- he's only thrown 27 innings in 10 starts. But across those 10 starts, he did not allow an earned run in nine of them. He had one bad outing where he gave up four earned runs, leaving his ERA at 2.33.

Schultz has struck out 38 and walked only six in those 27 innings. He's allowed 17 hits. Right now, the whole deal is to build up stamina and arm strength.

Edgar Quero, C (No. 75). In this magazine, Quero is still listed as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The 20-year-old catcher was traded to the White Sox, along with pitcher Ky Bush, in exchange for pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez last month.

The early returns for this switch-hitting catcher are good since he joined Double-A Birmingham. Quero has caught 12 games, batting .326/.377/.370. He's yet to hit his first home run as a member of the Sox organization, but he does have 12 RBIs.

Quero will take his walks. He has four of them with the Barons (against six strikeouts). For the season, he's walked 59 times and struck out 59 times, so he's shown good knowledge of the strike zone, which is something the Sox need.

He is young for the level, so I'm going to pump the brakes on anyone who thinks Quero can get to the majors in 2024. It's possible, but unlikely. The most likely scenario is he starts in Birmingham again next year, and hopefully earns a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte. Maybe he's the Sox catcher in 2025, if all goes well.

One other prospect to note: Baseball America picked a Minor League Player of the Year for all 30 organizations at midseason. Montgomery and Schultz weren't going to get this nod for the Sox, because of their injuries. 

Instead, the magazine bestowed that honor upon ... outfielder Terrell Tatum.

Tatum, who just turned 24, had an exceptional start to the year at High-A Winston Salem. He played 60 games there, batting .268/.434/.421. Note the high on-base percentage. Tatum drew 58 walks in those 60 games, and he turned a bunch of them into doubles. He had 32 steals for the Dash.

That earned him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The OBP is down a little bit there in 38 games, but the numbers are still encouraging on the whole: .262/.390/.376. Tatum has swiped 10 bags for the Barons, which puts him at 42 steals for the season.

A speedy outfielder who gets on base and steals bases? Umm, yeah, the Sox need that skill set, right? It will be interesting to see if Tatum can play his way into the team's plans.