BRUTAL NEWS: Finally White sox have make a replacement of their Culture successful.
Grinders are replacing sleepers in the culture, thanks to the White Sox. Is there any chance that Chris Getz’s strategy will be successful?
Chicago – It’s certainly fair to say that Chris Getz, the general manager of the Chicago White Sox, has realized Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s ambition of having a lineup full of David Eckstein imitators. If you are unfamiliar with Eckstein, he was a small-framed but hard-working shortstop who played in the major leagues for ten years, finishing with a.701 OPS and a career average of.280. He measured five feet six inches tall and weighed one hundred seventy pounds. His largest contract was a $10.55 million, three-year agreement he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2005–07. On August 31, Reinsdorf told reporters, “David Eckstein couldn’t run, couldn’t hit, he couldn’t throw, he couldn’t field.” “He just ever beat you, and that was all he ever did. And that’s what the minor leagues are attempting to cultivate.”
When Eckstein coached the Cardinals, Tony La Russa adored him and referred to him as the hardest player he had ever managed. Eckstein went 8 for 22 in the Cardinals’ five-game victory over the Detroit Tigers, earning him the title of Most Valuable Player of the 2006 World Series. Why Reinsdorf felt the same as his “BFF” is easily understood. When announcing Getz’s promotion to general manager, La Russa mentioned a player who played for teams that Reinsdorf didn’t frequently watch and mentioned Eckstein by name. The consequences of that name-drop are now being shown to us in real time. Nicky Lopez, a middle infielder, and Zach DeLoach, two outfielders Getz acquired over the weekend in trades with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, respectively, are both larger than Eckstein.
But they’re all known grinders, little taller than six feet, with decent speed and deft defensive abilities. After starting corner outfielders who were essentially designated hitters or first basemen for years, the Sox are moving on, and Fletcher and DeLoach are live examples of Getz attempting to take a different approach. From grinders working hard on the field to pitchers dozing off in the bullpen. The opening day roster may include both Fletcher and DeLoach if all goes according to plan this spring. Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi returning means the Sox might have an above-average defensive outfield. Although it’s not exactly what supporters were hoping for when the offseason started, it’s still noteworthy. “We played a game last year, which is one of the things I learned.
The Mariners received DeLoach, reliever Prelander Berroa, and the No. 69 pick in this year’s draft from the Sox in exchange for Gregory Santos, a possible closer. They most likely won’t require a closer, and if their best reliever, Garrett Crochet, enters the rotation, Berroa might end up taking the role in the end. Getz’s offseason maneuvers won’t win him many accolades. Adding low-paid unknowns and cutting out veterans won’t increase ticket sales. However, considering the limitations of a team controlled by Reinsdorf, he is making the kind of decisions he must. “To be really honest, dealing Santos was just a matter of multiplying and getting multiple players for one,” Getz remarked.
That’s not to say that they’re the best moves to make right now, but they do fit within Reinsdorf’s 2024 and immediate future budget. When the Sox moved into Comiskey Park in 1991, the rebuild had already been completed when the team last constructed a new ballpark. Perhaps he hopes that the past will repeat itself. Tim Anderson, Romy Gonzalez, Mike Clevinger, Elvis Andrus, Yasmani Grandal, Liam Hendriks, Trayce Thompson, and others have all waved goodbye to Getz, who has signed or acquired Fletcher, DeLoach, Berroa, Lopez, Tim Hill, John Brebbia, Mike Soroka, and Erick Fedde. There are still unsigned free agents who were once members of the Boston Red Sox in the market.
It’s surprising that the Sox won’t refer to this as a rebuild, but there’s simply no other way to look at it. Even in a weak division like the American League Central, they have very little chance of appearing in the postseason. The squad appears to be headed for another losing season, even without the inescapable trade of Dylan Cease either before or during the year.
The Sox’s greatest free agency signing in history, Benintendi’s five-year, $75 million contract, was dwarfed by the Royals’ 11-year, $288.8 million extension given to prized rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. On Monday, embarrassing the Sox. Only the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics have not yet awarded a $100 million contract.
Additionally, with the good news for fans is that they should have more to watch in 2024—if only to witness if Getz’s strategy has any chance of working. The majority of Sox supporters welcomed Rick Hahn’s reconstruction in 2017, but by 2019 they had grown restless and had seen it blow up in 2022 and 2023, which ultimately resulted in his firing last summer.
It’s now up to Getz to complete the demolition and select the guys he and Reinsdorf think have what it takes to succeed on the South Side. “Players who don’t beat themselves, who get the most out of their ability and let the other team beat themselves,” Reinsdorf stated in August. And reasonably priced, he could have added. The finest part of beginning a new season.
