Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf couldn’t remember a season like this.
He called it “the worst year I’ve ever suffered through” and a “horrible experience.” He said he knows just how the team’s frustrated fans feel and vowed to put this “nightmare” behind them.
Reinsdorf is counting on new leadership promoted from within to turn around his struggling franchise that has not won a playoff series in nearly two decades.
Chris Getz was named general manager on Thursday, replacing Rick Hahn, who along with president of baseball operations Ken Williams, was fired by Reinsdorf on Aug. 22. Williams was in his 11th season as executive vice president after serving as the club’s general manager for 12 years. Hahn had been with Chicago since
After winning the 2005 World Series, the White Sox have only won three times in their three postseason trips. Although they started the season with hopes of making the playoffs, they currently sit fourth in the AL Central with a 53-81 record following their 10-5 victory against Baltimore on Wednesday.
Reinsdorf declared, “I would be p—-ed if I were a fan.” “I would be furious. However, this is the first year that it has been truly, really horrible. We were the division winners in ‘21.500 in the previous year. Nobody aspires to be that.500, however it’s still the mean. The first disaster is this one. This is the first significant calamity.
The 87-year-old Reinsdorf expressed his desire to avoid a significant rebuild because the results of the most recent renovation were disappointing. He added, “We’re not going to take the guys that we have now and clean out and start over again,” indicating that the squad already had a solid foundation in place.
According to Reinsdorf, he compiled a list of both internal and external applicants to manage the baseball division. He expressed his admiration for Getz’s coaching style and said that elevating players from within was the quickest way to turn things around. According to him, it would have taken a year for an outside applicant to assess the company.
“I could have brought Branch Rickey back,” Reinsdorf, who doesn’t often speak to the media, remarked. “He would have needed a year to assess the company.”
Getz, who turned 40 on Wednesday, joined Chicago in October 2016 to work as the player development director for the organization. In January 2021, he received a promotion to assistant general manager. On Thursday, he was also given a promotion to senior vice president.
Getz declared, “I’m going to take advantage of the fact that I’ve been here and have a thorough understanding of the White Sox organization.” In light of that, it will be crucial to include a variety of viewpoints and ideas, which come with various people, to the group we now have and improve our ability to make decisions. Only then will we be able to go out and assemble a better ballclub in the future.
Getz was in charge of an agricultural system that hasn’t produced much lately. An autistic batboy who claimed that former minor league manager Omar Vizquel had sexually abused him in 2019 sued the club two years ago, together with the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
2019 saw Vizquel’s termination, however she refuted the accusations. A settlement was achieved by the parties in 2022.
Getz remarked, “I was really proud of our organization for the way it was handled.” “To prevent issues from occasionally arising, we provide comprehensive training to both players and staff. When issues do arise, they are prepared to act appropriately, as demonstrated in the cases they occurred.”
Getz played his first two major league seasons with the White Sox after being selected by them twice in the draft.
Getz has decided not to make any changes in the dugout. He mentioned that next season, manager Pedro Grifol will be back.
Getz stated, “I think it’s important to provide our players stability.” There have been a lot of changes in the past few years, especially here, and I think it’s time for us to return to playing and honing our skills. Thus, these athletes may merely concentrate on the game and not the organization’s leaders when they show up every day.
Getz worked for the Royals following his playing career and was a player for Kansas City from 2010 to 2013. Grifol had worked with Kansas City for the previous ten seasons in a variety of coaching capacities before being hired by Chicago in November.
Getz takes over the franchise during a challenging time. Two ladies were hurt in a shooting that happened during a game at Guaranteed Rate Field a few days after Williams and Hahn were fired. The incident is being looked into by police, and they want to know if the pistol was shot inside or outside the ballpark. The franchise’s long-term future at its South Side ballpark is likewise up in the air.