The message the Chicago White Sox send out increases in importance as they navigate a difficult start to the season.
Telling fans the players haven’t given up is Job 1.
“No, it’s a good group. The morale’s not a problem. It’s a bonded group. If this performance level continues then any group is going to fissure at some point. But I don’t think we’re close to that at all right now. If anything, like I said earlier, I think the hardship is bringing them together a little bit stronger and focusing them on what matters, and that is getting results on the field.”
That was what former general manager Rick Hahn said on April 27, 2023, when the Sox began a homestand with a 7-18 record.
Fast-forward to Friday night before the Sox lost 11-1 to the Cincinnati Reds to fall to 2-11 before an announced crowd of 11,337 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“This group is competing,” GM Chris Getz said. “The makeup of our clubhouse is strong. I say that when you’re hit with adversity, the on field struggles and losses or injuries, it’s a tight-knit group that’s going to continue to work. All we can do is stay focused and continue to show up everyday and put forth our best effort. It’s my job to continue to motivate everyone.”
New face. Same message.
Hahn’s team never recovered from its 7-21 start, eventually leading to the firing of both him and executive vice president Ken Williams on Aug. 22nd.
After a brief search for a replacement, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf promoted Getz nine days later to be Hahn’s successor.
“What do I owe the fans?” Reinsdorf said he asked himself. “And I think one of the things I owe the fans is to get better as fast as we can possibly get better. Speed is of the essence. I don’t want this to be a long-term proposition.”
White Sox general manager Chris Getz takes reporters’ questions before a team workout at Guaranteed Rate Field Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The alleged search included no names outside of Getz. Reinsdorf explained that bringing in someone outside the organization would waste time.
“I started thinking about the speed that I owe the fans, I realized that if you bring in somebody from the outside, it’s going to take him a year,” he said. “He’s going to have to evaluate everybody in the organization. I could bring Branch Rickey in, if he was available, and he’d have to evaluate everybody. So you lose a year.
“And here I had somebody inside who was very, very competitive, and it might even be the guy I would select if I had to talk to all these other guys. So I came to the conclusion that if I’ve got a guy inside who can do the job, why not? Why not do it inside and save a year? And that’s basically how I got to Chris.”
Getz’s first move was to announce manager Pedro Grifol would return in 2024. Getz famously pronounced at the general managers meetings in November: ”I don’t like our team.”
Sox fans concurred.
Getz proceeded to make significant moves, including declining the options of Tim Anderson and Liam Hendriks, acquiring multiple players for relievers Aaron Bummer and Gregory Sanchez, dealing ace Dylan Cease during spring training for multiple prospects and bringing back Mike Clevinger after the controversial starter exercised a mutual $12 million opt-out and went five months without drawing interest from the other 29 teams.
Beggars can’t be choosers, but in this case it’s unknown whether Clevinger or the Sox were the true beggars.
Either way, Clevinger is no longer Hahn’s problem. He’s now Getz’s. No matter how the Sox paint a picture of Clevinger as a great clubhouse presence, his reputation precedes him, and it will not be easy to shed when he comes up in a couple of weeks. Another message to Sox fans was sent.
White Sox starting pitcher Mike Clevinger reacts after giving up a home run to Rays right fielder Luke Raley on April 30, 2023, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Getz focused on defense, pitching and being “more athletic” as he put the 2024 team together. “We’re looking for players that understand what it takes to be on a winning ballclub,” he said at the GM meetings.
The Sox collected comeback candidates on short-term deals, hoping a change of scenery would do the trick. It’s only two weeks in, and injuries have hurt, but the Sox offense obviously hasn’t produced, which means the athleticism hasn’t been noticeable either.
After their 5-0 loss to the Reds on Saturday, the Sox have scored a major-league worst 30 runs in 14 games with five stolen bases. They have been shut out five times and at 2-12 matched the 1968 team for the worst 14-game start in franchise history.
Eight of the 11 position players used in the game are hitting .200 or under. When right fielder Kevin Pillar — who had one of the two Sox hits — was picked off first in the bottom of the ninth, fans chanted: “Sell the team.”
Reds right fielder Stuart Fairchild lifts his glove after diving to catch a ball from White Sox designated hitter Gavin Sheets in the fourth inning on April 13, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The pitching, meanwhile, struggled outside of a few individuals, notably Garrett Crochet and relievers Michael Kopech and Jordan Leasure. The starters entered Saturday with a combined 5.00 ERA, ranked 23rd. The bullpen had issued 6.2 walks per nine innings, second worst in the majors. Veteran Bryan Shaw, who also was re-signed for unknown reasons, was designated for assignment Friday.
Grifol’s handling of Kopech in the closer’s role figures to be an ongoing focus, as Kopech likely will become Getz’s most valuable trade commodity. A dominant closer on a losing team is a luxury few rebuilding clubs can afford, and keeping Kopech healthy for the next three months will be Getz’s biggest concern. Kopech is stretched out enough to go multiple innings but not on consecutive days.
“In an ideal world, let’s play eight and give the ball to Michael,” Grifol said before the game Friday. “We’re not in an ideal world right now, we’re 2-10. When we smell a game, we’ve got to go get it. Those are the games that can put us in a position to win two, three, four in a row. In an ideal world, I want to hand him the ball three days in a row.”
The inevitable “Grifol Watch” already has begun, a byproduct of a terrible start following a 101-loss season. His .360 winning percentage (63-113) was the worst of any manager in Sox history. It might not be his fault, but the longer this continues, the more he looks like a dead manager walking.
Having former manager Tony La Russa hanging around the clubhouse as an “adviser” doesn’t help matters. It only reminds fans of Reinsdorf’s unpopular decision to replace Rick Renteria with La Russa after the rebuild had turned the corner.
The message mattered then, and it matters now more than ever.
So what message are the Sox sending today?
