Chris Getz summed up the feelings of the majority of the White Sox fan base in just five words during the GM meetings in Arizona. “I don’t like our team.”
It was a sentiment that manager Pedro Grifol echoed. It’s no secret the White Sox culture isn’t conducive to winning. Gone are the days of White Sox Grinder Ball Rules, replaced instead with reports of players skipping practice, leaders who did not hold players accountable, and poor play on the field. Blowing up a roster that just lost 103 games would be justified and Getz made it clear that nobody on the roster is untouchable.
A report from ESPN’s Jesse Rodgers listed Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez as key contributors to the cultural issues. Rodgers specifically cited their lack of work ethic saying “Moncada is no hard worker who is there for his teammates. It’s the guys you know. Eloy is kind of happy-go-lucky but isn’t really the hardest worker at least according to the people I talk to,” Rodgers said during an interview on the Kap & J Hood Show in August.
That report came as no surprise to anyone who watched the White Sox last season. There were nights when the team looked disinterested in playing, quit after trailing early in games and had little regard for fundamental baseball.
Getz is trying to change this and his early moves reflect that. On paper, the White Sox do not look like a better team. In fact, they look much worse than they did entering the 2023 season.
After the White Sox traded Aaron Bummer to the Braves in a trade that netted them five players Mike Soroka, talked about how “giddy” he felt after talking on the phone with Getz about the White Sox vision.
Nicky Lopez, another one of the players included in that deal shed some more light on what that vision was.
“Just the vision of playing hard baseball,” Lopez told reporters during a Zoom interview after the trade. “A hard 90, playing 110 percent, creating an identity that we are going to play the game hard, we’re going to do the little things right. We’re going to pick it we’re going to throw it.
“All this stuff is obviously cliche when you’re talking about winning baseball. But I’ve seen this team be really, really successful being across the diamond and playing against them for the last five years and not many of it is different. The team is not different… It’s just a cultural change, or maybe it’s a change of the way we believe in ourselves or think. Mentality is a big thing.”
Playing hard baseball is what made the White Sox so successful in 2005 and why the Diamondbacks went to the World Series last season. But talk is cheap. Last offseason Pedro Grifol talked about how prepared the White Sox were going to be every night during his introductory press conference. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
While none of Getz’s early offseason acquisitions have moved the needle, there is some reason to believe a culture is changing.
Getz’s first big move of the offseason was declining Tim Anderson’s $14 million club option. It was a tough decision considering Anderson was a multi-time All-Star, batting champion, and the face of the franchise. But the 30-year old shortstop had been dealing with some off-the-field distractions and his attitude last season was anything but positive.
Getz has also added three players that fit his vision of an improved defensive team. They also all have a chip on their shoulder.
Part of the issue that former general manager Rick Hahn had was locking up the majority of the White Sox core to lucrative long-term contracts before they had proven themselves in the big leagues.
The moves admittedly seemed savvy at the time given how good players such as Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, and Luis Robert were projected to be. However, because these players had been paid, some of their incentive to play hard had been taken away. This was especially evident when watching Moncada and Jimenez play.
Soroka, Lopez, and recently added Paul DeJong will all have something to prove next season.
Soroka went from being an NL Cy Young contender in 2019 to missing two consecutive seasons due to injury. He pitched seven games last season and posted a 6.40 ERA. He is hoping to revive his career in Chicago.
Lopez was a non-tender candidate for the Braves, who now has a chance to be the White Sox opening day second baseman. He grew up in the Chicagoland area, attending Naperville Central High School. His connection to the city runs deep.
DeJong was traded by the Cardinals, the only team he had played for since 2017, and then was released by the Blue Jays and Giants in the same season. The Antioch, Illinois native is itching for a bounce-back season.
In a wide-open division, the team can still enter the 2024 season with some hope of competing even if the roster has some clear holes in its current state
That is not to say the White Sox will be good next season. Far from it. But these early moves from Getz show that he is putting his money where his mouth is. More moves are going to be made. Bummer will not be the last player to be traded away this offseason. It is out with the old and in with the new. For better or worse the vibe is going to be different next year.
