Dallas Keuchel may be gone, but it appears that his stench in the clubhouse remains. During an appearance on ESPN 1000 with Waddle and Silvy, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks alluded that Dallas Keuchel was leaking reports to the media about the White Sox clubhouse.
Hendriks was asked about the Bob Nightengale report of unrest, cliques, and the lack of player leadership inside the White Sox clubhouse. Hendriks shot down the rumors, saying that they were overblown and alluded to the fact that Dallas Keuchel may be the one feeding Nightengale information.
“Yeah, I’d love to know what his source is, Hendriks said about Nightengale’s reports of the team’s clubhouse complacency. “I want to know if it’s a former player who is currently not with us but still in the league from this year. So I’d be interested to see where that comes from.”
When asked directly if the player he was referring to was a former pitcher with a beard, he responded with:
“I think I’ve said enough already.”
7/14 Waddle & Silvy Pod- @WaddleandSilvy @TWaddle87
–@RobbieGould09 in studio
-Surprise call from @JayHasTweets
-Liam Hendriks talks Sox clubhouse & turning the season around
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— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) July 14, 2022
You don’t need to be a detective to figure out who he is talking about.
Hendriks has never been shy about sharing his opinion, whether it’s about baseball, gun control, or former teammates. Last year, he went on the record saying he was “not a fan” of Josh Donaldson when the two played together in Toronto. Calling out Keuchel is on brand for Hendriks.
At the same time, being a bad teammate is on brand for Keuchel. Dallas Keuchel’s tenure with the White Sox is a complicated one. He was brought in as a veteran leader on a young and hungry team.
In 2020 he posted a 1.99 ERA. But he also called out the lack of accountability and openly questioned the White Sox effort after a 5-1 loss to Detroit. On the surface, it looked like Keuchel was trying to step up and change the culture.
In 2021 it turned out to be hypocritical. Calling out teammates to the media is all fine and well when you are getting results, but when you are getting shelled, it tends to rub people the wrong way. He got lit up to the tune of a 5.28 ERA in 2021. This season it was much of the same. Keuchel hardly ever took accountability. He was DFA’d after owning a 7.88 ERA in eight games with the White Sox.
His tenure was mired by poor performance and throwing teammates under the bus. From an outsider’s perspective, it certainly rubbed fans the wrong way. Judging from Hendrik’s comments, his teammates didn’t seem too fond of him either.
This doesn’t mean that the White Sox don’t have their issues. They haven’t exactly passed the eye test. But Keuchel’s presence could definitely be a contributing factor to their problems this season.
