Pedro Grifol's presence is proof that Jerry Reinsdorf has given up

Does anyone have a good baseball reason why Pedro Grifol is still employed as White Sox manager? 

The Sox lost again Thursday afternoon, 5-3 to the Houston Astros at Guaranteed Rate Field. That drops their 2024 record to 20-56. 

This, on the heels of last year's 61-101 campaign. That leaves Grifol with a 81-157 record, which will pencil out to a less-than-robust .340 winning percentage. 

There's a temptation to say it can't get any worse, except it can, and it will -- because Grifol still has a job and will probably remain Sox manager for the remainder of this godawful season.

Bob Nightengale isn't necessarily my favorite national baseball writer, but we've seen through the years that his information on the Sox is pretty good. When it comes to the thinking in the front office on the South Side, you can trust Nightengale.

I've got the print edition of his recent column by my side, and here's what he wrote:

"The White Sox believe it would make no sense to bring in and pay another manager when the team’s fate isn’t going to change no matter who’s in the dugout. Grifol is in the second year of a three-year contract for about $3 million. The White Sox are expected to reassess this winter to determine whether a managerial change is needed."

"The team's fate isn't going to change no matter who's in the dugout."

OK, it is true that the roster is bad, trades are coming, and this team is going to lose more than it wins the rest of the season. That point is not in dispute.

But those of us who watch this team daily are tired of seeing the lethargic, sloppy play under Grifol. Defense was a huge point of emphasis this offseason. Guess what? The Sox rank last in baseball in defensive runs saved. The baserunning and situational hitting remain terrible. These are the things we were told would improve. If anything, they've gotten worse.

There are 86 games left in the season. That means there are 86 chances for the Sox to get better. No, the overall record isn't going to be good at the end of the year, but what sense does it make to squander this time playing under the direction of a "leader" who has proven that he cannot get the best out of his players? What exactly is Grifol going to improve?

What we're witnessing right now is not Major League Baseball, yet the Sox continue to charge the fans Major League prices for tickets. No wonder nobody is going. I haven't been to a game this season, and I have no intention of going. It's a waste of time and money.

And for the record, I've attended 366 Sox games over the past 19 years. So I don't want hear any shit about how "fair-weather" Sox fans supposedly are. I've sat through plenty of losing games and losing seasons, but the breaking point comes when the team stops trying.

Grifol's presence here is proof that owner Jerry Reinsdorf has given up. I'm not even blaming general manager Chris Getz for the lack of change on the bench. I think Getz wants to fire Grifol, but Reinsdorf won't let him because that would require "paying two managers" or whatever.

What fans want is an acknowledgement that team brass sees what we see, and that's an effort that is completely and utterly unacceptable on most days. 

This is a disgrace of a team, yet the Sox are sitting there saying, "No point in changing anything. We suck regardless. Oh well."

If the Sox don't care, why should you or I?