11:45am: The White Sox expect to hire someone not currently in the organization as Grifol’s replacement, Getz announced to the Sox beat (X link via James Fegan of Sox Machine).
11:20am: A disastrous White Sox season reached a boiling point Thursday morning, as the team announced that manager Pedro Grifol, bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar have all been fired. Former big league outfielder Grady Sizemore, who joined the staff this past offseason with the broad and generic title of “major league coach,” will take over as interim manager through season’s end. The White Sox said their search for a full-time managerial replacement will begin immediately, and a decision will not be made until after the season.
Minor league field coordinator Doug Sisson, who’s previously served as a first base coach with the Royals (2011-12), will serve as Sizemore’s bench coach for the remainder of the season. Justin Jirschele, who’s been managing the White Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, will step in as third base coach. Mike Gellinger, who has been a hitting coach with the Sox’ Rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, will be the assistant hitting coach in place of Tosar.
“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” general manager Chris Getz said in a statement within this morning’s press release. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”
In his own statement, shared with Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Grifol said: “Grateful to Jerry, Rick and Kenny for the opportunity. I have health and a loving family. I have a spiritual foundation that gives me incredible strength, peace and freedom. This won’t break me. As a matter of fact it only motivates me. The next thing I do in my life, I will do it for the love and passion I have for this game and for the sole purpose of serving others.”
Hired in the 2022-23 offseason, Grifol had a long track record as the bench coach for the division-rival Royals. He’d been a part of several managerial searches prior to landing the job in Chicago, and the expectation was that he’d bring a fresh, younger voice after the Sox’ short-lived reunion with Tony La Russa lasted less than two seasons.
Grifol indeed brought a new perspective, but it’s fair to say things didn’t work out at all as planned. After a 93-win season in 2021 and a .500 finish in 2022, the Sox entered the 2023 season hoping to compete for the AL Central title. Instead, by midseason the team’s results had been so miserable that GM Rick Hahn and executive vice president Ken Williams were both fired — the first real baseball operations turnover on Chicago’s South Side in more than two decades. Assistant GM Chris Getz was elevated to the GM’s chair and began on a teardown of a top-heavy roster full of injured and/or underperforming veterans.
The points about the GM shuffle and rebuild are worth emphasizing, because it’s only fair to point out that no manager could’ve realistically taken the product Grifol has been handed — particularly in 2024 — and turn out anything resembling a competitive team. That said, Grifol’s White Sox just endured an astonishing 21-game losing streak — tied for the second-longest in MLB history — and there’s been plenty of evidence that things weren’t running smoothly even before that almost unfathomable swoon.
Even last season, right-hander Keynan Middleton outwardly slammed the White Sox’ clubhouse culture after being traded to the Yankees, lamenting that there were “no rules” and “no consequences” despite claiming that there’d been “rookies sleeping in the bullpen during games” and other players missing team meetings and fielding drills. That doesn’t appear to be sour grapes from one player, either; veteran righty Lance Lynn was asked that same day about Middleton’s comments, and though he didn’t delve into specifics Lynn noted that he’d been with the Sox even longer and that Middleton was “not wrong” in his critiques of how things were run.
Matt Spiegel and Shane Riordan of 670 The Score in Chicago reported around the time of the trade deadline that the White Sox had a “fractured” clubhouse (video link). Spiegel indicated that an attempt from Grifol to motivate the players by emphasizing that they’d be remembered as being responsible for producing the worst team in MLB history was not well-received, with a few veterans talking to Grifol and raising issue with his messaging. Riordan heard similar stories and added that someone in the clubhouse told him: “It’s been really tough in there. Pedro is a really good guy, just not the man for the job.”
In his two seasons with the White Sox, Grifol has an 89-190 record. As Jon Greenberg of The Athletic observed prior to the trade deadline, Grifol was on pace to finish the season with the third-worst winning percentage in history among managers who’ve led at least 315 games (which Baseball-Reference deems a “qualified” manager to sit in the all-time record books). He’ll fall shy of that 315-game minimum, but Grifol’s .319 winning percentage would indeed sit as the third-lowest mark for any qualified skipper. The Sox have seen a losing streak hit 14 games on a two occasions this season, and their current 28-89 record has them on pace to break the 1962 Mets’ modern record of 120 losses in a single season.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that Montoyo had been fired. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported that Rodriguez was being let go and that Sizemore was the interim manager.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Not all his fault of course, but it’s hard to be on track toward setting the all-time record for losses in a single season and still keep your job.
The White Sox traded every player with any kind of value. The manager could only do so much with what he had and in a no win situation.
Like who? You need to show your work.
Cease and gulp, the one and only pham lol.
Cease is great. The other guys like pham make little to no difference.
All Cease gets you is they don’t lose 20 in a row. That’s about it.
You probably don’t get to 120 losses with Cease either, but 110 losses is still on track to be the worst in MLB this year.
Giolito, McCann, Hendricks, Cease, Abreu (He had over 100rbi six times in 9years, not counting 2020 when he won MVP, and hit 30+ HR five times), TA, Eloy before he became injury prone. That leaves just Moncada, Crochet and Robert – all of whom will be gone after this season – as the remnants of the team Renteria led to the PO in 2020. True, Grifol was a bad manager but he was the perfect puppet for jr, who just needed a body in the dugout. Getz is clearly the one who should be fired.
Getz is clearly the one who should be fired.
======================
Why? I like most of his moves.
You can have Abreau back.
Avenger- None of those guys you mentioned was worth a crap. And most of them weren’t traded they were FA’s. so the only one on your list that counts is Cease. The rest were worthless and have been ever since.
Can have TA too.
OH man, and remember Renteria was fired to get Tony LaRussa , who is now consultant, his managers job back.
Getz’s “moves” that you cherish are like the moves you get from taking a laxative.
Things would be worse had they kept Giolito, Hendricks, McCann and Abreu.
Fact is – the team peaked early and underperformed to expectations.
Whether that underperformance is the result of bad managers or poor player evaluation, that’s up for debate.
What’s not up for debate is that everyone they traded or let walk prior to 2024 except for Cease have all performed worse…. so letting those folks go is not an issue.
Right?
You can’t argue that you should have retained guys who aren’t even playing in the league right now!
White Sox trades by Getz included Cease, Fedde, Jimenez, Kopech, Pham, DeJong, Burger, Bummer, Santos, and Grossman off the top of my head. Burger might have been his predecessors and Grossman is a borderline MLB player.
lesterdnightfly
Getz’s “moves” that you cherish are like the moves you get from taking a laxative.
========================
I’m not a WS fan, which is why I ask. But I never get an answer. How do you rate his few moves?
Burger was a Kenny Williams special.
The amazing part was waiting until they won a game to actually fire him and his staff. Losing twenty consecutive wasn’t the right timing. I wonder if he would still have his job if the losing streak was still intact.
Abreu sucked after he left the Sox, and was trending downward. TA played the Injury game, along with Anderson Moncada and Jimenez. At the very least they refused to take care of themselves and the witless conditioning staff has no clue what they were doing.
Grifol admitted to the press last season (with a team worth a damn) that he had no idea, and after 3/4 of the season (and only after ex players aired this dirty laundry), that he had NO IDEA the clubhouse had no leader or direction. He is lucky he lasted THIS long. I would have canned that sucker like a ham after he said that.
No one can rate Getz’s moves.. Not yet, anyone trying is just out to lunch. Im no fan of Getz either, but that last thing you can critique are his moves as GM, other than sticking with Grifol for as long as they did (Grifol should have been fired after the first 10+ game losing streak)we will not know for certain until a few years from now likely. Plus lets face it, Jerry-atric Reinsdorf is not moving him any time soon.
“At the very least they refused to take care of themselves and the witless conditioning staff has no clue what they were doing.”
If Robert doesn’t know the name of the bench coach, I doubt he or Eloy know the name of anyone on the conditioning staff. Call me a cynic, but Robert just doesn’t seem like a guy that cares what a “staff memeber” has to say.
“Losing twenty consecutive wasn’t the right timing.”
Right…? I thought being 6-24 at the end of April was as good of timing as any.
Robert’s main issue is he doesn’t have an angry mode, thanks to ‘expert’ coaches and managers like LaRussa (who basically phoned his appearance in) and Grifol (who was lucky he never locked himself out of the stadium). Too much pandering like he was already the next Mike Trout before he did anything.
Robert needs a guy to get into his face, poke him in the chest, and say you have not done a damn thing, is that how you want to be remembered? Having no ‘marbles’.. Remember Pedro Cerrano from Major League?
Yeah getz has done an ok, not spectacular, but not horrible job so far
He’s only been here for about a year and he inherited a horrible situation
I would give him 5 years minimum until he should be fired because Chicago won’t be good for a looooooooong time
McCann left like 30 years ago
True but his pre and post game comments were the worst from any manager I ever saw. White sox post game with Ozzie and chuck would constantly knock Pedro.. same with Frank Thomas and anyone else they had on.. then you look at his in game decisions and they were atrocious just like his comments. Can’t teach guys with his kind of attitude. It’s horrible for the players and the coaches and the fans. He was pure trash from day 1. Tons of BS. It’s great news to see he is gone. Now if JR would just leave and we could get a proper owner we could make some progress. Gonna take a ton of spending and trades to get the farm and team back.
The amazing thing is they are picking next year to launch their brand new TV Network. Who’s going to pay to watch this crap? The only team worth watching will be the Hawks. The other two are complete fails.
What @purplewidow said x10.
Finally, if only a shred of, accountability in the org Finally someone taken to task for being mediocre and not being able to do their job. Right or wrong, the manager takes the fall, and should have much much eariler this season, if only to show these players you cannot just suck and keep your job. After hearing Frank Thomas talk in the post game I would love to see him coach this team, but I doubt he wants that kind of stress.
Even after trading Cease there was nothing about the roster that indicated they would be this bad. There were still a fair amount of veterans on this team that could have kept them at least somewhere near .500. You don’t get to be this bad without poor preparation and total discord between the coaching staff and the players which presumably means that Getz still hasn’t addressed the team’s biggest problem which was different rules for different players
Coming into the season the White Sox were projected to be a 110 loss team. 120 is slightly worse, but they were expected to be horrendously bad. They have not disappointed on that front.
They were projected to have the same or similar record to 2023(61-101).
No Aiden, there were projected to lose 110 games. Still have my bet slip taking the over.
Who? Cease? Because last time I checked Robert and Crochet was still in White Sox purgatory. Eloy had absolutely no value and Fedde and Pham value was minimal.
‘It’s a weak team, but it did have Crochet, Fedde, and Robert on the team.
And it still has Crochet and Robert.
Crochet led the American League in strikeouts at the All-Star break. Should still be in the top 5 going into the Cubs series.
But he can’t pitch for long. Last five games he went like 3 or 4 innings. And his SO rate the last 2 games wasn’t great.
Sox will probably still take both games from the Cubs. I swear I’ve never seen a team play down to their competition as much as the 2024 Cubs.
With Tallion and Steele going against the Sox as long as the pen keeps pitching the way they have been the Cubs should be fine against the Sox and take both games. They only have 9 games left against playoff teams with 3 each with the Dodgers, Guards and Phillies. And the Phillies might have clinched by then and be in shut down mode. But you’re right they really haven’t taken advantage against the teams they should have. I still say all they really need next year is a Short Term Closer( Tanner Scott maybe?) and a decent hitting C. I’ve watched this guy Neely now and he looks good, Plus whoever they decide to bring back from this years pen and they should have a decent supporting cast for next year and most of all it’s deep. If Hoyer keeps it in his pants and doesn’t spend stupidly anymore it’s all going to be fine. By the way did anyone notice they snuck Alcantara onto the 40 man? Maybe if he starts off well he gets a cup of coffee. Get rid of the dead weight and find some bench players and it’s all good. Sasaki would be a luxury but it might be like winning the lottery.
The Cubs snuck Alcantara on to the 40 man? He was “snuck” on to the 40 man 2 years ago.
I can’t believe I never noticed. I didn’t think he was that old that he needed to be added. Well there’s still plenty of 40 man waste to get rid of that’s for sure..
One of the issues with international signees is they have to be added to the 40 man at such a young age.
If the Cubs play to their potential, they should end the month 5 games over .500. Unfortunately, they play down to their competition so I’m not holding my breath
I was just at the White Sox vs. A’s game at the Oakland -Alameda County Coliseum. Everything seemed fine. I had no idea anything was wrong.
Bout time
About tim.
The greatest manager in the game wasn’t going to make that team any better than what it is currently.
It’s pretty funny fans think they can properly rate a manager weather he’s good or not while he’s managing a triple a team at the mlb level.
Fans thought Hyde in Baltimore should have been fired. They get on managers for the dumbest things. He doesn’t know how to manage a bullpen! Look what lineup he set today’s not having the slightest clue that the front office tells the manager how to do those things now.
Grigol is the greatest manger in the game?
I mean, it was a dumpster fire of a roster right from day one.
About time! Now if they could fire everyone above Grifol, including Jerry R!
Yes, let’s see Getz fire himself.
As a cowboys fan I feel your pain
He gone!
If Getz wants “energy” he should consider bringing back the last White Sox manager who actually had a pulse in the dugout…Rick Renteria.
I’m a Cubs fan and thought Reteria got the shaft both times he was in Chicago. But I thought it was especially bad with the Sox. He had the team heading in the right direction and then got hosed firing him after getting the team to the playoffs and improving pretty much every year. And then his replacement was a guy who hadn’t managed a game in 10 years and the game had dramatically changed in those 10 years.
Some team would be smart to hire that man. I think if he were given a legit chance he could be a really good manager. He commands the clubhouse, understands the game, and has shown he can develop players. Look at what he got out of the Cubs in his one season with a bunch of young guys and no name guys.
Yes. Renteria inherited a Cubs team that was on the cusp of being a contender in 2014. He righted the rebuild ship after it stalled under Dale Sveum in 2012 and 2013. Ricky helped get Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro back on track while also becoming the first MLB manager for key young prospects like Javier Baez and Jorge Soler.
Joe Maddon took the Cubs to the playoffs in 2015 and won a World Series in 2016 with the help of many more impactful graduating prospects like Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber to say nothing of the veteran free agents who were signed that included Jon Lester, John Lackey, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward.
A.J. Pierzinski
ASaps: Finally! Someone besides me who understands the tremendous job Renteria did with the last rebuild, which was a success until jr and tlr blew it all to hell.
It’s ironic that Getz said the team is seeking a manager who can change the culture in the clubhouse and help young players develop. Renteria had that reputation as a manager and coach in the minors before both the Cubs and White Sox hired him to be their skipper. He fulfilled those goals but never had a real opportunity to stay the course and actually win with all those promising prospects aside from the pandemic shortened 2020 season on the southside which was his last as an MLB manager.
After the org (in other words the owner) stabbed him in the back, I seriously doubt Renteria would EVER come back to the White Sox in any capacity. Maybe if Jerry-actric Reinsdorf was removed as ‘ the Chairman’ or the team was sold.. Maybe..
The Cubs had their famous ‘Curse of the Billy Goat’ that lasted for 71 years (1945-2016).
When Renteria was unfairly fired following the 2020 playoffs I imposed the ‘Curse of Ricky’ on the White Sox that can only be broken in one of two ways. Rehire Renteria or lose Jerry Reinsdorf forever as their owner. The good news for Sox fans is that JR is 88 and this curse will be much shorter in duration. 🙂
Darn, they were .500 in their latest two games.
WS domination is ruining the game.
“Darn, they were .500 in their latest two games.”
I can hear Schriffen saying this…
I did not think that anyone could ‘out-homer’ Benetti, then this Schriffen guy comes along and says: ‘hold my beer’
The difference is Benetti is a Sox fan. Schriffen is faking it and it’s obvious.
Funny how the game after they broke the streak, he and Gordo were talking about the purpose and energy the team had… until they didn’t. Clowns…
And how incredibly gay is his catch phrase, “Southside stand up.” It seemed so empty when he said it after losing 21 games.
The 90s were gay
Great. 22 more years of Chicago baseball suck and then gayeties to look forward to at 90. Just shoot me now!
win a game and get fired…what a biz
Went out on a high note…
It helps him answer the “Tell me about a time you had to deal with adversity and how did you overcome it” question.
Grifol actually lost his last game in Oakland giving new interim manager Grady Sizemore a head start for another long losing streak on the southside.
ONE game, out of 22.. Yeah, long time coming. He may not have been the sole issue, but he was part of it, the team obviously reflected their manager.
They’re so bad. I think it’d be funny to see how they play with no manager at all
No. Make one of their players become player-manager.
Can they hire an AI bot to patrol the dugout? Is that “legal” in Manfred’s circus??
“Make one of their players become player-manager.”
Definitely.
They have been.
Kind of.
Translation: “We gave Pedro a dozen guys with muskets and powder horns and told him to take that reinforced pillbox. He failed.” Someone has to take the fall for this deliberate deconstruction of a competitive team…and, it ain’t gonna be ownership.
Just stop. This guy had a team last season and did nothing, they got worse, then he had to admit that he had no clue, after about 3/4 of the season-and ex team members calling it out mind you, that there was a lack of leadership in the locker room. This guy is a joke, his pre and game comments were laughable. You could tell in the post game that Ozzie DESPERATELY wanted to destroy him, but was holding back.
He definitely is not the whole problem but was part of it and you cannot fire the roster.
The White Sox were projected to win 68.5 to 69.5 games in 2023. They won 61. Las Vegas betting lines were not that far off. They were expected to be bad and they were just a little worse.
Interestingly enough, Hahn and Williams were fired 8/22/2023 and that stretch from then to the end of the season was NOT the worst of the year.
Grifol deserves to be fired for not even trying to change an already bad culture, but he is not the issue. That comes from far above him on the totem pole.
Yeah, the owner needs to go, but Owners do not fire themselves and accountability MUST be shown, or it will never matter who is in that locker room if they mediocre results being rewarded.
The problem with the White Sox is that the manager is not allowed to keep the players accountable. Not in the minors or in the majors. Its been that way for years. Talk to guys that have left there. They all tell the same story of star prospects and players getting to do whatever they want with no accountability. Getz was part of creating that culture from 2017 until now, but the order appears to come from the top since it persists.
Getz had no authority in that org until last season (and anything he did before was likely more an indictment on Williams and Hahn than Getz). Im not say Getz is not part of the issue, especially with development, but you cannot slam a guy who has been a GM for about 1 year and typically trades are not won or lost right away. Besides, as long as Reinsdorf is at his perch then Getz stays as Reinsdorf is loyal to a fault.
Getz was the Director of Player Development. He literally ran the minor leagues. Then as AGM he was still in charge of the minor league system, just with a new title.
But you are right. No one including the GM and manager has had the authority to hold players accountable because of JR. Reinsdorf is the issue. Always has been. Always will be.
Two months overdue.
Let is know when this is historic.
Actually 4 months Should never have been brought back after admitting, after 3/4 of the season (and explayers commenting), that he had no idea the locker room was leaderless last season.
Gabe Kapler, will you answer the call?
That would be interesting!
Would he serve for a team he almost ruined their perfect game? Maybe.
Odds are pretty good that Kapler replaces Schumaker in Miami when he’s let go at seasons end. However, Schumaker could be someone the White Sox target for their job over the winter.
If they want to infuse some kind of life into this team for the remainder of the season put Ozzie back in the dugout
Ozzie is never going to manage in the majors again, he’s a PR nightmare.
And that what this team needs! Someone to swear and kick butt and damn the consequences.
PR nightmare? Yknow what a PR nightmare is? losing 21 games in a row.
Any type of PR for this team now is a good thing.
If that is true, the Marlins are going downhill as Kapler is not even an average MLB manager.
Schumaker made sure that the Marlins could not exercise an option in his contract and will be a FA manager at season’s end.
Ugh.
Knowing Reinsdorf he’ll bring back Ozzie Guillen. He loves retreads. LaRussa didn’t work out a second time, but maybe Ozzie will.
Nah, Ozzie has been crapping on Pedro all season on the post-game show and campaigning for the job. So Jerry won’t hire him out of spite.
Actually Ozzie has been holding back, same with Frank in the post game shows, part of baseball’s code.. If Ozzie was dumping on Pedro I would hate to see him unbridled.
Ozzie said that he is too old to manage anymore, and even if we WERE to come back he said there will be no interviews, just give him the job. So basically a non starter
Calling Tony LaRussa.
He’s sitting at the bar in Jerry’s office. You don’t have to call.
Even LaRussa’s not drunk enough to answer that call
John Farrell hasn’t had a gig in what? Seven years? His time has come.
And now we know who the happiest man on earth is today. At the very least, the most relieved.
While I am sure Pedro’s ultimate goal was to be a manager, he didn’t see nor could have he prevented the train wreck. Breathe, take the rest of the season off, get paid and go back to coaching for a different organization. A win/win day for Mr. Grifol in the long run.
Yeah, get does get some blame this season. I do hope Pedro succeeds as a manager elsewhere.
How could it be win win for Grifol? Grifol hasn’t been able to use two wins in the same sentence since March
It was pretty obvious from the beginning that the job was way too much for him. He was nowhere near ready to manage a College Team much less a Major League team. But we have doubts it’s a Major league team that the White Sox are anyway. He was just willing to work for peanuts while the Sox pay off TLR and Hahn and Williams. I laughed mightily when I heard they want to hire Schumacher. Why would he want any part of this mess?
I want Kristin Bell to leave her show business husband and two kids to come sleep with me for a couple of weeks, and I have as much chance of that coming true as the White Sox have of hiring Schumaker.
Creepie
Very Creepy
Best thing to happen all season for them
Whoever is interim, please get in the face of these underperforming guys like Benintendi and Robert. And Moncada, is he hurt forever or coming back, finally?
Moncada should belong in the “Anthony Rendon Hall of Injuries”
Get in their faces for what? You ain’t gonna accomplish anything positive in the 6 weeks left of the season by going on a tantrum tirade, especially when the order is to find someone else from outside the organization to take over next year. All you can do is change the coffee filters, shine your shoes and prepare your resumé.
Moncada milked the Sox like a bursting cow, and they let him. Ow my this and that, I mean he played well at one point.. to get his extension..
May the Reds follow the trend.
He will be the fall guy for management’s failures, for sure. Not that his game managing is blameless at times.
And there it is!
Your move reds
No. That’s insulting to the Reds. They may be under-preforming, but to say they are anywhere near the White Sox, that’s downright insulting.
That’s not what I meant exactly, more so that it might be time to look at a change in manager.
It’s too bad that the owner — the architect of this failed franchise — can’t be fired.
This was literally the worst built team in the last 50 years and they fire the manager. Ok…but the architect of this horrible jumpstart fire is Getz. He should be gone first. When you start the year planning to start 3 of the 5 worst hitters in the ML and then you don’t score runs. Who thought that was ever going to work….Getz
He didn’t assemble the roster, he inherited from the Rick Hahn/Kenny Williams shitshow.
Hummm. Nicky Lopez / DeJung / Martin. The other guys can hit but can’t stay healthy. Adding those three guys who can’t hit was rediculous.
Your also missing the 2003 Tigers roster was far worse than the 2024 Wsox on paper wise.
I don’t think you had to put the last 50 years in there. I think there’s no doubt they are the worst ever.
I think people need to go back and look at the 2003 Tigers roster. There is a real argument that their roster was worse.
This. Bobby Higginson, Dmitri Young and Matt Walbeck were the most established MLB players on the roster getting any real playing time. Dean Palmer only got into 26 games in what would be his final season. Not a single veteran starter on the roster (though Steve Sparks, who was a 9 year veteran starter made 42 relief appearances) and the oldest pitcher to start a game was 26 years old. Alan Trammell was a terrible manager with an even worse roster who was hired out of nostalgia. We did get to see the first 20 game loser (Mike Maroth) since the days of four men rotations so there was that
but the architect of this horrible jumpstart fire is Getz.
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Nonsense. He hasn’t even been there a year yet. What did you expect in the 11 months he’s been there?
Joe—you are being way too kind to Getz….he has been with the Sox 2017 as player development lead and then in 2021 assistant GM. He has been contributing to the mess—probably more directly than any GM title—for seven years.
He’s probably been to blame for a lot longer than we realize and just now is in front of the firing squad due to this “title”.
It’s been seven plus years, not 11 months.
If you want to lean on the last 11 months—they are certainly much, much, much more dreadful during this period of time than any point of the last seven years.
But he’s only had the final say in the past 11 months. We have no idea what his opinions were during the draft. Or what his interactions were with Williams.
I can only go by what Getz has actually done.
It’s safe to say 11 months ago wasn’t as bad as it is now. The only thing that falls under Getz’ watch is 28-89. He’s had the final say in the roster that is on the field today.
It certainly may be under the directive from above, but in the last 11 months they have gone from a bad team to one of the worst of all time.
Please, I don’t totally disagree with you, but you are being way too kind insinuating that he hasn’t had contributions to this disaster for a good number of years. Being Director of Player Development and Assistant GM has to be brought into the equation a little bit. And, let’s be realistic—other than a handful of months in 2021—when in the last 12 years or so, has this team been any good???
And what platers did Getz develop?
Most fans will remember his infamous ‘I did not know the locker room was leaderless’ comment after 3/4 of the season last year (when the team was far better BTW).
Long time coming, him and his lapdog Rodriguez who kept sending guys home to see the catcher having a cup of coffee waiting for the runner.Im still amaze that Thames (hitting coach) still has his job.
He is not the sole issue, but was part of the problem and you cannot fire the roster..
Duh.
The White Sox are projected to finish 39-123.
Yikes.
Ah yes the yearly sacrificial lamb to scapegoat all the problems on so the fanbase doesn’t realize how incompetent the GM has been. This year it’s the White Sox and their field general.
11 months on the job. His only draft class signed about 2-3 weeks ago. How is this his fault?
So let’s just dismiss his seven years of director of player development and assistant GM to relieve him of any blame. Joe, you’re one of the bright ones here on a daily basis…..please don’t cherry pick and leave out 90% of the chapters. You are much better than that.
That aside, how do you criticize his GM moves? I mean I get it, the whole Player development issues, his fawning over ex Royals everything, but most trades need a few years to see if they are good or not and these guys for the most part look pretty good so far.
I get that Getz should not have been made GM, but if he happens to stumble into being a good GM with good trades and acquisitions then I think most can live with that.
Good things so far: trades for Eloy, Cease(debatable), Dejong, converting Crochet into a starter(by far his biggest win so far), Fedde signing, putting Kopech in the BP(at least he was smart and not put him the rotation), increasing depth(rich in pitching) in the farm like depth purposes signings(FE Dominic Leone, Justin Anderson Rafael Ortega, Chuckie Robinson, Wilmer Difo, Tommy Pham, Mark Payton to name a few).
Bad things so far: Keeping Pedro(though it might not of been his decision to begin with) Mena for Fletcher trade, balking the Fedde trade(refusing to accept the proposed Twins offer), signing Maldy(completely unnecessary), signing Brebbia, Hill, Clevinger, Pillar, refusing to take out Gavin Sheets in the outfield, his defense proposal plan and not upgrading the offense. Your right of the Ex Royal fawning. So at best he’s neutral so far.
Head hurts after third line
Hard to do competent gm things when you’re reporting to reinsdorf sadly.
It would be hilarious if they came up #7 in the Draft Lottery. Tanking only gets one so far nowadays (as it should)
Can;t be in the lottery 2 years in a row. They get to pick 10th at best.
@painherz – I think that’s right since they had a top 6 pick this year and aren’t a revenue sharing team, they’ll get the 10th pick in 2025 as the team with the worst 2024 record.
They should bring back Ozzie. Bring him back as an interim, with the promise that he can
1-keep the job if he plays .500, and
2-He will get a legitimate interview for the 2025-2026 seasons regardless of record.
Nah. They need an outside manager.
No one of any quality will take this job. They’ll probably promote from “within”.
Sadly there aren’t too many managerial candidates of any quality left out there. Most teams are just looking for yes men to play human Strat-O-Matic with the analytics department actually running the team. It’s why we’ve seen guys like Tony LaRussa, Bruce Bochy and Ron Washington get opportunities to manage again after in some cases several years in-between jobs
From within means: see who in the Royals organization is willing and available.
Tony deFrancesco or DeMarlo Hale both deserve a shot.
DeFrancesco managed the Astros AAA teams to .545 winning records when their big league club was losing 100+ games a year.
Hale was also a minot league manager and Francona’s bench coach in Cleveland when the Guardians were ascending.
They both know their baseball.
Understanding a lot of people can’t stand Ozzie, he is a good manager. There is baggage, but given how irrelevant WSox are main thing is he can get more out of what they have. Not sure this short stretch-but in offseason.
What they really need to do is poach some talented position player development personnel off Balt/Atl or whoever that can implement sound teaching at all the minor league levels.
If nothing else, Ozzie will be entertaining. He’s also not afraid to rip into some of their underachieving “stars” like Benintendi. Bring him back!
A.J. Pierzinski should be the next manager
No thanks. Last person the White Sox need to see again is Ozzie.
Why don’t you step up and manage them, Joe? You have all the credentials….
I’d have to root for one Sox team and manage the other Sox team. Too confusing.
but then, you would finally have a pair of sox
I heard Pedro is talking to the St Louis Cardinals. With Molina as his sidekick
New manager, new GM, new coaches, new players, etc. won’t do any good until Reinsdorf sells the team.
The manager is the least of their problems
Getz isn’t the reason Robert is hitting like .200 and striking out all the time. Getz didn’t sign Benintendi for $75MM and allow him to hit around .200 and fail to catch the ball in LF. Getz didn’t sign Moncada and watch him be injured all year with apparently no effort to come back and play in 2024. Getz didn’t change the lineup every day or move guys from SS to 2B to 3B from one day to the next. Getz didn’t change the batting order every game. Getz didn’t rest RPs for one day even if they only pitched one inning the day before. Getz wasn’t responsible for Eloy sucking on the Sox and now hitting lights out in Baltimore. And, one more thing, the Sox didn’t win last year with Hahn’s old roster and Getz isn’t responsible for JR being a cheap OLD miser.
Some people are forgetting that Getz didn’t assemble the roster. Sure he does get very little to some blame like Pedro, but everyone knew the Wsox had low expectations to begin with.
Getz is responsible for this roster.
He inherited from the RH/KW shitshow.
While Getz didn’t assemble the pieces that were already there, he did go out and trade Dylan Cease and Aaron Bummer for their respective hauls while also signing
Martin Maldonado
Paul DeJong
Kevin Pillar
Chris Flexin
Eric Fedde
John Brebbia
Tim Hill
And others.
I agree, very good signings overall.
Joe: Just three things about all those talented players you like:
Standings
Scoreboard
Record
Odds that two or more of those players are on major league rosters next year? (and that includes “and others”).
Eric Fedde because he has a contract—the others are all bottom feeders or lower.
When you have Maldonado, DeJong and Pillar in your lineup at any point, your team is going to struggle. Put them all in your lineup at the same time—I think you are probably looking at about a 40-45 win season.
Lester—they forgot to list
Grossman
Ortega
Colas
Ellis
Jelks
Senzel
Fedde, Dejong, Pham and turning Crochet into a starter are his “good” moves.
Just three things about all those talented players you like:
========================
Martin Maldonado-Sucked
Paul DeJong- Good enough to return a prospect
Kevin Pillar-Meh
Chris Flexin- Pretty bad
Eric Fedde- Excellent
John Brebbia- Sucked
Tim Hill-Sucked
That’s a pretty good return on a minimum amount of money spent.
Getz was the Director of Player Development for the farm system for Moncada, Jimenez, Robert etc.
Not true. He wasn’t the farm director then.
Getz was the Director of Player Development from 2017-2020 and then was promoted to AGM in charge of Player Development.
The development of all the current players that were in the organization from 2017 on are his responsibility. .
Moncada was pretty much ready to go (other than being completely unmotivated which apparently NO GM, or director of player personnel was going to change), Robert, and Jimenez also did not need much.
How many Sox lower prospects, not top tier type guys from trades, did this org make into great, or even good, prospects??
People are forgetting that Getz was the Director of Player Development so whatever is going on with the majors league players, he is responsible for their development. They learned those habits from him and his staff.
This situation with the White Sox is reminiscent of what Mitch Richmond once said after his first training camp as a Sacramento King.
A reporter asked Richmond; “Mitch, do you see the light at the end of the tunnel for our team?”
Richmond replied, “I don’t even see the tunnel yet.”
+1 just for a great Mitch Richmond reference.
We’re going to hire his bench coach said owner
Reinsdorf because someone from outside the organization would take too long to get to know the
players and we’re in the middle of a pennant race…..
Bring Ozzie back for the remainder of the season
That would be awesome, at least there would be some entertainment
Is Ozzie pimping all yall coconuts? Do yall remember LaRussa a few years ago. Ozzie is a bitter old man at best. leave him where hes at.
Reinsdorf is the main problem, being the tightwad he is. I’d say Getz is as much to blame as Grifol. All during the off-season, I kept waiting for him to address the problem that is the bullpen. He never did. Even the one reliever he got in exchange for Cease, Wilson, has been a big disappointment. Last night’s loss to the A’s was typical — good job by the starter and then the bullpen immediately blows it. It would help if the hitters could get more than 2-3 runs a game, but that is another story.
Getz fires Grifol and doesn’t name a interim replacement? Not like he hasn’t had time to consider who that would be. Maybe the players can just manage themselves the rest of the season and save JR some additional dollars.
Gets didn’t see this coming so how could he have a replacement ready? The White Sox just started this slide on Opening Day.
Does this make Pedro the Gri-Fol guy?
Internally, the Sox have bench coach Charlie Montoya, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez, and advisor Brian Bannister. Idk about Montoya. He seems a bit too passive, which is probably not good for this particular team. If they go with Bannister, they could avoid creating another hole in the coaching staff, though Rodriguez wouldn’t be a bad choice for serving less than two months. None of these guys will be the next full-time manager anyway…
Rodriguez was let go too (Thank god)
It sounds like Sizemore is the interim manager
WHAT TOOK SO LONG SHOULD OF BEEN LAST YEAR
Surprised they didn’t announce bench coach and former hays manager Charlie “bongos” Montoya as the interm manager.
Amen, should have been canned after he admitted after 3/4 of the season being over, that he had no idea the locker room had that much dysfunction and was leaderless.
Shocker……..fall guy, it’s partially his fault but Getz needs to go too…..clean house
He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. This is his first full season as the GM.
Getz was director of player development (lower case initials on purpose) for this woeful franchise. He has had his little paw in every aspect of roster building, er, destroying.
The GM gets credit and blame for the drafts. Since, and including, the 2015 draft, add up the entire WAR of every player selected, and explain to me how that is even a .400 team. In ten years, they drafted one player with a bWAR of 3.0 or better.
He inherited practically nothing.
“Gee thanks, Uncle Joe!”
–Your nephew Chrissie
Getz didn’t draft Carson Fulmer or Andrew Vaughn or Oscar Colas. Other guys did.
Getz was also instrumental in recommending Grifol in the first place
Fall guy..lol the guy was managing a club with 3 10+ game losing streaks.
Had horrible bullpen management, pulling starters too early keep plugging guys in the lineup even though they made egregious (and repetitive) errors, base running mistakes, failing to remember outs in an inning, and not being able to drive guys in from third with less than 2 outs…
BTW the way, same guy said all of these issues were going to be taken care of in the spring training.
Never mind last season (when the team was better mind you) admitting after 3/4 of the season that he did not know the locker room was leaderless.
‘Fall guy’…lol
Q: How do you make the worst team of all-time the most exciting team in baseball?
A: Ozzie Guillen
Ozzie is just seconds away from a complete mental collapse
So are most WS fans at this point. If Ozzie got into a brawl in the dugout, most fans would consider it the highlight of the season.
Anyone with a brain knew the ChiSox were not going to compete in 2024. Nobody could see how bad it would get.
That would be pretty exciting to watch.
About 21 straight losses too late
Now are they going to be weird like the White Sox often are and not announce the interim manager until tomorrow?
Only for it to be the guy everybody thinks is going to get the job anyway?
Team’s still doing better than these teams:
1899 Cleveland Spiders
1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys
1889 Louisville Colonels
1897 St. Louis Browns
1886 Washington Nationals
1916 Philadelphia Athletics
You don’t survive a 21 game skid as a manager. White Sox fans will surely say it’s long overdue.
I was starting to feel sorry for the team and even found myself pulling for Chicago for the first time in my life.
Don’t need to say, its a fact. The guy was not the only issue by far, but was a good chunk of it.
Hire Lou Brown? He saved a struggling Cleveland team from moving to Miami. Plus he’s managing a tire shop in Toledo, I’d imagine he’d like another shot in the bigs.
Honestly, at this point they’d be lucky to get Leonard Huff…
He died in 2010.
But he can still vote in Chicago.
Even though it’s not all his fault obviously you know a change was needed. Robert needs to be traded as well. I would trade crochet also. Those 2 are injury prone and you might as well get alot now. your not winning anytime soon
Sell the team Mr.Reinsdorf. terrible brand of baseball from ownership to low minors. ask the southside. easy to fire a manager and blame him, but thats not the solution. Dont stop now boys.
Merge them with the A’s and put Fisher and Reinsdorf into cage match for who has controlling interest. Maybe also throw in the Marlins too and contraction can begin. lol
Ken harrelson Ozzie put it on the board yes
Hawk’s happy to be on his farm in Indiana where he can’t help but crack a smile at this South Side s#!tshow.
And we’re happy he’s not in the booth. Hard to drum up blind homerism the way Harrelson did, and top it with stupid hick catch-phrases.
Pedro was given crap and he helped make it worse, but he has one more year on his contract so good for him. It’s a terrible organization from top to bottom. It’s time to try to put together something that resembles a professional organization and maybe actually spend some money. Reinsdorf is always threatening to move the team to Tennessee but Tennessee said no they want a major league team not the White Sox. I think Tim Anderson is free, maybe he can manage the club for the rest of the season. Lololol
The guy was paroled
The fanbase was paroled
Maybe the Sox could lure the overrated manager of the cubs to the south side
You can only win so many games with the talent you have, however the best managers have leadership qualities to keep the team unified and playing the game the right way. Brandon Hyde of the Orioles from a few years ago is a good example. Despite being a 100 loss team, they were close knit, hustled on every routine ball and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. Mark Kotsay and the A’s this year is another good example. Compare both teams to the White Sox team described in this article.
Look no further than Terry Francona (who, If Im not mistaken, was passed up by Jerry-atric Reinsdorf and the GM at the time for Terry Bevington). That’s right folks, he was a manager in the Sox org before going to Boston and making history.
Francona took Indians/Guardians teams with little talent and yet they were always either in 1st place in the Central, or competitive.
But lets be clear Grifol is NO Francona. Grifol held his team back as much as any bad performance by the roster with his poor decision making and poor comments.
Good examples, but in Pedro’s defense those other teams were not only younger, but the organizational culture was young. The Sox under Reinsdorf are very veteran-friendly and wouldn’t support a single set of rules for everyone in the clubhouse. He was in a bind from the start and the next guy will be too until they start housecleaning at the top.
Why though? Clearly they’re not trying to win (or do anything at all) this season. The roster is complete ass not matter WHO is managing. What’s the point of canning one meaningless figurehead in a lost season?
They can’t can the person actually responsible for the mess, so instead they fire the manager.
(Farhan Zaidi says hi lol)
Gut the team of almost all your respectable big leaguers and then when the dumpster fire is fully engulfed you blame and fire the manager. And if he is and was as terrible as they’ve been playing, on edge of setting a new mlb losses in a season record, who hired em in 1st place ? Good luck getting any kind of decent manager w/that FO and owner. A real sh#t sandwich.
There are only 30 jobs as a manager in MLB. Someone will take it. May God have mercy on whoever it is.
“You’re our only hope, Obi-Wan!”
There. The late Alec Guinness to manage the Pale Hosers.
BIL, are you referencing Billy Madison or Down Periscope. Either way I love those movies.
Down Periscope.
Man, so many people forget that Grifol was hired in late 2022 and inherited a playoff caliber roster and went 7-23 at the start of 2023. And it was downhill since.
7-21 btw and yes to the last sentence.
Grifol had NEVER managed a team in his career and had a .320 winning percentage in 280 games. Players traded last year stated that there was no rules or leadership. Getz has shown he’s inept a recently as the trade deadline getting screwed by taking back a bunch infield prospects. They draft two 1st round SS in two of the last 4 drafts. They have only 3 OF prospects in their top 30 and their prize for trading Fredde, Pham, Banks and Jimenez is a 24 year old player that has 400 MLB at bats and hitting under .200. Just dismantle the whole organization from top to bottom and start over.
They got more than Vargas back for those guys. Plus saved a whole bunch of money, and whether you like it or not, that matters to the Owner.
There.
“They saved a whole bunch of money…”
A typical White Sox franchise victory if there ever was one.
Grifol was managing a club with 3 10+ game losing streaks.
Had horrible bullpen management, pulling starters too early keep plugging guys in the lineup even though they made egregious (and repetitive) errors, base running mistakes, failing to remember outs in an inning, and not being able to drive guys in from third with less than 2 outs…
BTW the way, same guy said all of these issues were going to be taken care of in the spring training.
Never mind last season (when the team was better mind you) admitting after 3/4 of the season that he did not know the locker room was leaderless.
Getz, while Im not a fan, has made a handful of trades that at the very least still have to play out in terms of if these players become anything.
If there was ever a team that would benefit from a Buck Showalter this is it.. He is great teaching and taking a young team and making it better…but I’m sure they want to go cheap on cost and hire a young guy.. Not even sure at this stage he would consider it but if I was the GM and the Owner he would be my first call
@gch27
Why would you want to punish Buck like that?
In Buck we trust.
Katz for interim manager- then maybe we could get a pitching coach that can help and improve our pitchers. He really should be gone with our hitting coach also!
Since leaving the toxic White Sox organization to join the O’s, Eloy Jimenez is 8-for-16 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI.
Okay, so? You were one of the guts wanted him gone. What say you? Now he’s gone so quit whining
I’m an Orioles fan.
pffft, his groundballs are finding holes for a few days — still no homers
Don’t need him to hit homers at all. He’s hitting balls hard the other way at the bottom of our lineup. It’s been a huge boost with Westburg out.
Wacky injury incoming. Maybe his periodic soft- tissue tear. High ankle sprain. Hammy blowout. Paper cut. Something typically Eloy-ish.
okay, but it is just a matter of time before he injures himself running to first base
With a .727 BABIP. Y’all have to think in terms of K/W + power. Extrapolated over 600 ABs, he projects to:
-0- HRs with a 187/0 K/W.
Good for Eloy! It makes a difference to go to a winning team with standards of performance. The Orioles players wouldn’t tolerate him being the stiff he was with the Sox because they want to be in the playoffs.
Going from losing everyday to playing meaningful games will do that..
There is no manager that could win with the team that was handed to Grifol. The problem on the Southside is, was, and shall be until he dies Jerry Reinsdorf. Until that issue is resolved, the White Sox will not be a winning franchise. It doesn’t matter who they hire as manager.
They haven’t been a winning franchise since 2013.
Sadly, it’s akin to Orioles 2 decades long gauntlet of bad teams, reduced payrolls n putting poor product on field cause of Angelos’ family. Them n their MASN deal had them making money off Nats. Plus they knew that theyd still get 15,000 diehards to come to Camden every gm. Weren’t gonna be capable of winning w/o new owners. It’s an embarrassment to whole league that teams n organizations are allowed to get that bad.
I do not know anything about Grifol and one can’t fire the whole team. However, talk about setting a guy up to fail. Not only do they give him, at best, a AAA team but then they trade away just about anyone of value.
He didn’t win with any roster he had. He inherited a playoff caliber roster in 2023 and went 7-23 at the start.
What’s a reasonable guess for the next longest losing streak this season (other than the 21 and 14 gamer)?
I think they can manage another double digiter.
Who thinks over/under on 9?
Sounds like Grifol and some of this staff were let go as well. And Grifol didn’t thank Getz nor say anything about some of his players which is peculiar.
I’m giving out free mutes today if anyone is interested.
A.J. PIERZINSKI should be the next manager for my White Sox & no one else should be considered unless A.J. just flat out turns the job down. Tell me why I’m wrong?
If it gets him out of the broadcast booth so the rest of us don’t have to listen to his pseudo tough guy babbling nonsense, hire away.
Has Pierzynski done any coaching at any level? I thought he went straight to the broadcast booth after his playing career. If that is the case, that’d be a weird move.
Because Tony LaRussa deserves the first shot.
AJ, like Fisk, is a guy who can do because it is natural to him, but he can’t teach and he can’t lead. Prior to 2005 he was known as a cancer in the clubhouse. The Sox took a chance on him because of Hawk Harrelson. He was not the team leader in 2005. He made plays on the field, took chances and mostly won on the chances he took.
Fire Ethan Katz already, Hire Roger Beshens Football Slider.
Katz and Blake wouldn’t be ML pitching coaches without the RBFS.
RBFS is talking with a ML pitching coach now.
Google “sad Miguel Vargas” for an impression of what it’s like to involuntarily join the White Sox.
Grady Sizemore has been added to the IL to keep with tradition.
Sizemore was selected to be a great manager but will have knee problems from pacing in the dugout or many trips to the mound.
Wow Grady Sizemore… Interesting
I hate to see anyone fired from a job. That happened to me, twice, back in 1994 and to this day it still stings. Thankfully I got work in an area where I could excel, but still, what happened in 1994 was the low point in my life. That said, I hope Grifol finds another position with another organization soon, and that he too excels in it.
The only thing worse than being fired is being muted. Hopefully it won’t take you twenty years to get over this one.
My first job relocated to Houston, my 2nd job was repatriated to Osaka.
My 3rd job was huge, a perfect fit. The 5th day on the job my boss comes in, closes the door, and says, we need to talk about the relocation to Chicago rumors.
I’ve done pretty well, and love my current job, but still think about it.
Fascinating, Joe.
Sizemore gives a new voice and maybe the Sox don’t break the losses record
Sizemore was hired by Asst. GM Barfield due to their relationship in Arizona. He’s the type of manager prospect that JR wants so he can pay him peanuts.
Barfield and Sizemore may have also played together in their early Cleveland days
Assistant hitting coach is canned, while hitting coach stays. Someone’s not getting a Christmas card.
What a circus. Like it was the managers fault
This was going to be a bad team, regardless of the manager .. I’m sure the expectations were very low going into this season but they are still underperforming. Grifol was not the guy moving forward. Time to move on.
They are years away. Getz has no plan.
Yes, he has a plan. One, to reduce payroll for the owner. Two, to rebuild the farm system. Three, get rid of the manager as soon as the owner would let him. Four, bring in guys from outside the Sox as coaches and player development people. Five, change the drafting philosophy from high floor guys to high ceiling guys. You may not like the plan, but there is a plan.
That’s very obvious tbh. I don’t think Getz is spewing lies.
@RWH2
“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.”
-Mike Tyson
Buying low and selling high is a plan too. Executing on that plan is the hard part. Not sure if they have the air support from Reinsdorf to be able to really execute that plan.
Another quote:
“A dead fish rots from its head down.” The head of the team is the problem here. I feel for the fans, they don’t deserve this. MLB is better when the WS are competitive, not 0-14 and then 0-21.
I’m hoping for a miracle for you, Southsiders.
Signed,
A former victim of John Angelos’ circus antics
It was clear they were “years away” before Getz took the job. You can certainly knitpick specific moves Getz has made so far.. but you cannot blame him for not turning around the White Sox yet.
A rebuild of this magnitude is a 5 year process, at the very minimum. I’m not saying Getz has a great plan and it’s working.. it is just far too early to gauge success of the rebuild.
I think the Wsox are 3.5 years away at minimum. But Getz has to reveal their 2025 plans sooner rather than later.
Getz’ first mistake yesterday was not sending Katz out the door with the rest of them. They better get rid of him before he ruins the decent young pitching prospects they have now because he surely didn’t do anything for the ones who will be or already have been shown the door. He’s a disaster for a young pitching staff.
He should have stayed to wear this. He was a terrible choice from day 1. Anyone watching knew. Some guys have it. Good to see Grady again. He was the man here in cle for a couple of years.
Second firing for Charlie Montoyo
I have to imagine Charlie Montoyo gets the job for the rest of the season as the only member of the coaching staff who was actually a manager (including Grifol)
Nope.
Yeah, didn’t see that they completely restructured the article while i was posting. Apparently Grady Sizemore gets to captain the sinking ship as the last man standing
One of the worst managers of all time. Reminds me a lot of Luis Rojas. Never takes accountability for anything. This team could have easily matched up with the Oakland A’s in terms of win loss record. The difference in wins and losses is the manager, not the players. Awful GM who just wanted a puppet and a fall guy just incase the team performed unexceptionally bad. What an awful franchise
No they could have not matched Oakland’s record. The A’s have scored 111 more runs than the White Sox thus far and had a shut down closer in Mason Miller to win close games for the first half of the season.
@YankeesBleacherCreature when a team can’t hit well with RISP, thats all on the manager. A managers job is to motivate the players, not to twiddle their thumbs. Having Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Tommy Pham, Andrew Vaugh, and Yoan Moncada are better than the A’s top order of Butler, Bleday, Brown, Geloff, and Brent Rooker. Guys hit better when their manager can motivate them. Look at the Phillies with Girardi and with their new manager. The change was night and day. I’m a Girardi fan but it was clear that he wasnt the right man for that job
If a manager can motivate a team to score 100+ runs more than they would otherwise with the same talent, that person should be be the highest-paid personnel in the org. That, however, isn’t the case nor reality.
Moncada has played 11 games this year. Robert has played 61 games. Jimenez had played 65 games when they traded him. Pham played 70 games for them.. They never had all of those guys in the lineup at the same time, as I believe they didn’t even sign Pham until after Moncada got hurt. As for Robert, Jimenez, Vaughn and Pham, how many games did they have all four of them available at the same time?
Red meat for the patient and inpatient’. Did this Reall y matter! Old 80’3 Basketball chant: ” It just doesn’t matter! It just doesn’t matter!
28 wins in the books. The rest is just Grady.
Great goobedly goo!
Yeah, you can’t really expect to keep your job after losing 21 straight…
No rules and no consequences sounds like the America of today. Middleton was probably right on the money…
That’s awesome for Grady. I would guess there is little chance for him to stick as the manager next year but it still has to be a great development experience for him.
If anyone wins in this situation it’s him. He gets that upgrade to his resume with expectations so low that its zero risk that the poor outcomes on field down the stretch will have any negative effect on him getting his next job.
Can’t blame Grifol for the mess in Chicago. He was set up to fail from the start. I really feel bad for the fans because even if they get the worst record they can pick no higher than 10th in the draft next year because of the draft lottery rules to curb tanking. Some teams are just bad and shouldn’t be punished. So what if they are a big market team who picked top 5 two years in a row.
Some of his players were reported to have quit on the team. Still playing but not making an effort.
No he wasn’t. He had a playoff caliber roster when he was signed after the 2022 season. As bad as TLR was in 2022, Grifol was worse. 7-23 to start the 2023 season with the same roster that went to the playoffs in 2021.
And only a day before the Cubs visit Comiskey Park. Im surprised the manager wasn’t fired after 15 straight losses. Instead they let the team lose 6 more in a row. I’m glad they won because it would be a “very Cubs thing to do” to be the one who help the white Sox end their losing streak. Cubs fans didn’t want to be the 1 in 23-1.
I wonder if they allowed him to go a few extra games to break the streak.. perhaps a courtesy to Grifol or just to keep that mess with his tenure and give the interim a slightly-less-terrible starting point.
If the Cubs are visiting Comiskey Park, who’s playing the Sox in Guaranteed Arrow-Facing-Down Park?
I just said the Cubs are. I refuse to call it Guaranteed Rate Field. It’s worse than US Cellular Field.
Sell Your Soul Field?
Reinsdorf is still Owner. Getz is still puppet GM. White Sox remain worst run organization in professional sports.
Could argue the A’s and Bulls too.
Apparently Grifol started referring to himself in the third person? Strange.
Pedro likes his Kung Pao chicken.
Kramer, Pedro is getting very upset,.
Fire Chris Getz.
Fire Jerry Reinsdorf
Who would want that job? Not a manager alive that could do well with that team
I would not mind sending my resume. I will have a low seven-figure salary, travel and get the opportunity to meet Alyssa Bergamini, Kaitlin Sharkey or Sierra Santos.
Sierra Santos is SMOKIN”!!!
I think Sierra Santos is a step or two above smoking.
Sizemore played the game the right way and with a lot of energy. If he can infuse that attitude into this team, they might yet avoid 120 losses. Sad when that’s an aspiration, though.
Wasn’t he allegedly juicing? And I don’t mean oranges and green drinks.
Tried googling him and steroid allegations and found nothing. If you have a link, ai’d be interested in reading it, but this is the first I’ve heard of him being accused of juicing.
He constantly did dumb things on the field.
Not how I remember him, but constantly dumb because you’re going all out beats constantly dumb because you aren’t even trying. The defense has been barely better than Little League level.
Running into walls. Trying to steal for no reason. Swinging with all his might when putting the ball in play was called for at a critical point in the game (e.g. leading off the 9th inning with the team down multiple runs and he’s trying to hit a HR). Not cutting the bases: Running so far out of the baseline a guy slower then him was getting around the bases faster.
He not only shortened his career, he cost his team being on the injured list so often.
Bryce Harper often played like him with the Nationals. When he got to Philly he got baseball smart. He became a complete player, team leader, and superstar.
Dam. Rightfully so after a loss after their 1 game winning streak. I was expecting this after the season.
Problem might be that even the losses are piling up, are the younger less experienced players on the field developing into better talent .
David Ross
Obviously the Cubs regret their decision as much as the Sox did with Renteria.
What did David Ross do to deserve that? He’s better off staying at home
It’s not just the bad W-L record. He’s terrible. And he wouldn’t have gotten any better.
Nothing Pedro did would have mattered with this clusterF team. Jerry Reinsdorf should be made to sell the team, or have MLB take it over, like they did with the Expos.
Could not agree more! Reinsdorf has made it so blatanly obvious that neither the Bulls or White Sox will be at all competitive while he has them. Guy is an absolute Miser!
Mattered in what sense? The team has completely quit, some starting pitchers aside. You see it in the at-bats and on the field. A good manager would be able to inspire his team, ensure they’re playing with solid fundamentals, and hold players accountable, whether rookies or vets. You’re right that no manager could even keep this team within ten games of 4th place, but he could make them good enough they wouldn’t have had two team record losing streaks and be in the running for worst team in the modern era.
They also fired Montoyo and the 3B coach.
He got the short stick in Toronto, then was hit by shrapnel in Chicago….
They should hire Carlos Beltran. I hear that he brings loud new strategies to the table..
That entire organization is a bleepshow and the problem was not the coaches or the manager, it is the owner. Until he is gone, nothing will change.
How the players behave and perform is set in motion by the culture established in the minors by the director of player development and that guy is now the GM. Getz was part of the problem and Reinsdorf promoted his incompetence to a higher level. Which is typical in that organization.
I really feel sorry for White Sox fans because they are a dedicated bunch and they really have no hope as long as Reinsdorf owns the team.
This is on the owner; hired a relatively inexperienced GM, gave him carte blanch to sell short & crater the team. Jerry’s just lucky that dotard John Fisher’s in his fraternity, otherwise he’d have sole possession of biggest MLB A-H owner…
While Pedro’s tenture was underwhelming. He was a qualified candidate to be a manager.
Blame Jerry. He hired Gertz and Grifol. This is one of the worst teams I’ve ever seen and I’m a Mets fan so I know bad. Grifol has seemed totally tone deaf. I’ve read some of his post game interviews and man all I can say is they should have fired this dude a year ago. He didn’t take any of the accountability that a manager who has lost 20 straight normally does. Could you imagine if Ozzie Gullien lost 20 straight? You would need a straight jacket. It’s a shame the way this ballclub is run. The A’s are relocating so they can get a pass until they move to Vegas. The Marlins are going to be a joke depending on if Bendix pans out to be a genius or a dunce. But there is no reason that a team playing in the market the White Sox do should be this uncompetitive. Jerry will never do right by the team or the fans. It’s all about lining his pockets until the day he dies. I can relate. The Mets had the Wilpons for years and they would do similar things to what Reinsdorf does and has done.
I would give the Wilpons more credit as they did get a new stadium and tried to compete in some years. They just weren’t very good at it and were awful with the media. Hiring BVW was the worst decision.
I’m not sure if Jerry got new Comiskey built but your right they got Citi Field built but Old Fred built a shrine to his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. I’ve got nothing against history but making it more Mets-centric would have worked more for me. Lee Mazilli means more to a real Met fan then Pee Wee Resse ever would. They would try and compete but it was always a forced moved. Like the fan outrage over almost losing Piazza or when they signed Jason Bay. BMV was a terrible move but I’d have to say the worst decision they made was Bernie Madoff!!! And your absolutely right horrible with the media. Lied and argued constantly.
TBH, I’d rather take someone to Citifield than YS if it were their first baseball game ever. YS feels too institutional and Citi is cozy.
I can definitely see what you mean on that one. I’ve never really been a fan of the new stadium. I hated to see the old one go just like I hated to see Shea go. It was a dump but it was home. But I’m glad George got his new ballpark in his lifetime.
They should have been smart and rehired Ozzy Guillen !
And Bobby Valentine as bench coach!
Only if he agrees to wear his disguise.
Clever ! N0 one has come up with that idea in this entire comment thread!
Everyone’s sides are splitting with laffs !
Hugh Jackson coached the Browns to 1-31. They honor him in Cleveland on January 31 each year. He was worse than Pedro Grifol.
I hope Sizemore does some good there.
The rotation has been strangely good and it definitely the teams strength. Getting Lee, Robert, Benintendi, Vaughn, and Sheets to league average should seriously be attainable and it’s insane that it hasn’t happened at all. A new hitting coach will be huge. As for the bullpen especially without Kopech? Eesh they better take a bunch of fliers this offseason.
-He’d been a part of several managerial searches prior to landing the job in Chicago, and the expectation was that he’d bring a fresh, younger voice after the Sox’ short-lived reunion with Tony La Russa lasted less than two seasons. The next thing I do in my life, I will do it for the love and passion I have for this game and for the sole purpose of serving others.”-
I think your ChatGPT broke, bud.
worst possible manager ever. If Grifols managed in 21 and 22 the Sox would have had losing seasons. JR did great bringing back LaRussa.
Found TLR’s burner account. He is obviously drunk posting.
Despite the criticism, TLR at least got the Wsox an ALC Title. Dude is one of the best managers of all-time.
Padres offered Manny Machado more money.
Wow, Grady Sizemore, haven’t heard that name in awhile, I wonder what he could have been had he stayed healthy. If he’s half as good as a manager as he was a player (when healthy) he could be good for the Sox in the long term.
It’s nice they let him tie the record at least before they fired him.
They should make Joey Cora manager, Sox vs Sox would become a family rivalry! 😉
The sun has set on Joey Cora as a manager. Remember when he was rumored to be on every team’s must-interview list when a managerial job came up? That was long ago and he never got the call. Maybe an MLB coach is his ceiling. Do the Sox really want to hire another first-time manager who will learn to manage on the job?
They hired Sizemore, a 1st time manager.
I am glad to see the White Sox front office put Grifol out of his misery. It was the humane thing to do.
I think the real question is wha really fired Mr Grifol and more importantly who it really going to choose our next manager.
Wow !! What a discussion. Chicago born, but moved to Orange County the first chance I got in the 70’s. Haven’t rooted for the ChiSox since the days of Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Dick Donovan & Billy Pierce. However, we long suffering Angels fans know what you’re going through. Both ownerships suck to the point of making former Reds’ owner Marge Schott look like she was actually sane. Things eventually turn around but it hurts like hell to be a fan in the meantime.
When it’s this bad, it’s contaminated the whole organization. In real corporations that typically involves a re-org and a sale of the company. With the revenue model in MLB, that never happens except as part of estate and tax planning.
Cue the joke about deck chairs on the Titanic.
But seriously, this goes all the way up to owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He’s been a cheap, parsimonious, labor-hating slimeball going back to the early 1990s, when he teamed up with Bud Selig to drive out Fay Vincent, orchestrate the 1994 player strike, and refuse to collectively bargain in good faith in order to reach an impasse, break the MLBPA, and impose a salary cap system.
If the Bulls hadn’t lucked into drafting Michael Jordan and the White Sox somehow won in 2005, no team he owned would have sniffed a championship.
You look old enough to have actually been on the Titanic.
Muted.
Grifol was interviewed on local radio a week or two ago. When asked if he felt he was doing a good job he replied the following: I feel I’m a very good job as manager.
Obviously the proper answer would have been to say the team is struggling and it starts with me.
Never was cut out to be a manager
Here’s a thought. Let’s say Getz was telling the truth about hiring new blood as the manager, and let’s say JR defies and shocks his many critics and actually agrees to spend for a new manager. The shine is certainly off the manager of an AL Central rival such that the former genius could be canned at the end of the season. I’m sure the Sox wouldn’t be the only club vying for his services if he comes available, but for a lot of Sox fans will hiring AJ Hinch now make up for bypassing him for LaRussa in ’21? I guess it depends if you see him as a crook, overrated or a great manager stuck in a bad Detroit org.
It’s amazing you can actually see the people who are actually trying to play on the Sox. You got your Vaughn’s, Sheets, Lopez, Lee, and literally everyone else completely mailing it in outside of pitcher Crochet, and even he looks uninterested sometimes. LaRussa set this team back with his drunken lineups and probably should have chosen rehab instead of managing again. That team he inherited kinda took his attitude and it all went downhill. Trivia: when was the last time Benintendi ended a game with a dirty uniform? The rest just aren’t good players or the jury is still out. Robert mailing it in. Jimenez never made an effort. Moncada will be a superstar for a different team probably. It’s all horribly frustrating.
Bring back Tony LaRussa!!!
Every time I hear the name Grady Sizemore I’m reminded how his career year was with the 2006 Indians, and that coincided with Travis Hafner’s career year… But that team finished 4th in the AL Central. Yet their roster included healthy players like CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Shin-Soo Choo and Victor Martinez.
The Twins were cooking with Santana, Liriano, Nathan, Mauer and Morneau.
Must he weird for Sizemore knowing he’s taking a job that will result in his firing in under two months.
Auditioning for other coaching/managerial opportunities. “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” as the song goes. Except not necessarily NYC as in the song.
If the team wins at a 30% rate or better the rest of the season, he will have probably wrote a ticket to a managing job elsewhere.
It’s a good audition for him, I think. Plus, they’re so bad right now that if it doesn’t get any better, he won’t be blamed and if he’s any good, he’ll get the kudos to get other opportunities and possibly an official shot at being a major league manager.
Ethan Katz has the same vibes as a Bauer, learned the Roger Beshens Football Slider in May 2018 from RB and the karma follows him.
Cut the connection with Ethan Katz and great things will happen.
Should have never been hired in the first place, just like Matt Blake.
Those jobs belong to ex ML pitchers. Those Ex ML pitchers with the same information as Katz and Blake deserve it. Just tell the Ex ML pitcher how to throw the RB Football Slider and then you have a respected coach.
I would laugh at Katz and Blake of I was a ML pitchers. I would say I know the RB Football Slider, what else you know? NOTHING>
The manager had no authority over the players so, the situation and results will continue.
Reinsdorf needs to sell and just keep the Bulls. He puts a lot more money into the Bulls than he does the White Sox and he’s being cheap with them too. Bulls at least are good enough to be called mediocre, this is just pathetic….Worse than Oakland a few years ago
All organizations are about culture and structure. The White Sox have coddled talented players in the minor league and major league systems historically. At times they have had top 10 farm systems and yet their farm teams have always been terrible to the point where it seems acceptable to lose as long as your protecting the assets. In the best run organizations there is pride and expectations that you represent a jersey that losing is not acceptable and how you handle your development on and off the field. The days of the Jimenez and Moncada unbuttoned jerseys and two ton gold chains and laughing/smiling in the dugout when your getting blown out has got to change.
Wrong people got fired.
I honestly don’t remember anything about Grady Sizemore that would point to managerial acumen. He could be flashy as a player, but was inconsistent and slightly reckless in the field which led to injuries. He doesn’t have a robust resume to be managing at the major league level, even on an interim basis.
Basiquat…..Sizemore is good friends with the White Sox assistant GM Josh Barfield. Sizemore had been out of baseball for 6 years when last year with Arizona Barfield convinced Mike Hazen to give Sizemore an internship. When Barfield got the assistant GM job with the White Sox he brought Sizemore with him. So yeah he lacks coaching experience for sure and Getz has already said that they would be looking for someone else in the off-season, they just need to finish the season out. Sizemore will be getting on the job experience in dealing with losers….
There should be no comma before “either,” you hack. Can we get Steve Adams fired too?