CHICAGO (AP) — General manager Chris Getz insisted he understands the frustration in Chicago.
The White Sox came into Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels tied with the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the post-1900 MLB record of 120 losses in a season.
“It’s not something we’re proud of," Getz said. "There’s a myriad of reasons why we stand here today with the record that we have. Now, with that being said, personally, I view this as a tremendous opportunity to build something.”
Does he see it as an embarrassment?
“We’re not proud of this,” Getz said. "No one wants to be associated with it. But we’re certainly up for the challenge.”
Getz is facing a huge challenge with the White Sox wrapping up their second straight 100-loss season. And he wasn't offering any timelines for contention.
“It’s tough to say at this point," he said.
Getz's most immediate task will be to hire a manager. And along those lines, he said Tuesday that Grady Sizemore is in the running after taking over on an interim basis when Pedro Grifol was fired in August.
The White Sox had never lost more than 106 games in a season before. They surpassed the mark set by the 1970 team with plenty of time to spare when the New York Mets beat them on Sept. 1, and they just continued to stumble along from there.
On Saturday in San Diego, Chicago tied the American League record of 119 losses set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers. A day later, the White Sox matched those '62 Mets. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders hold the major league record for losses at 20-134.
Chicago has endured losing streaks of 14, 21 and 12 games. The 14-game slide from May 22 to June 6 was a franchise record until the White Sox matched an AL mark by dropping 21 in a row from July 10 to Aug. 5.
A few days later, they fired Grifol in the middle of his second season and replaced him on an interim basis with Sizemore, who was on the big league coaching staff. Getz said at the time that a replacement likely will be hired from outside the organization after the season and it would be someone currently in a major league uniform. The announcement that Sizemore is under consideration was a bit of a surprise.
“He's done a very good job, from our evaluation, and we feel like he deserves to be in consideration,” Getz said. "I can’t say that he’s got a leg up on anyone, because it is going to be a deep process and we’re going to find someone that’s the best fit for us. But he deserves to be in the conversation.”
The White Sox were 8-31 under Sizemore entering Tuesday's game.
“Obviously, I like everything about this organization,” Sizemore said. "I like the opportunity that they’ve given me. I want to continue what I’ve started and be a part of this in any way that I can and just try to help turn this organization around, as fast as we can.”
Chicago was last in the majors in batting average (.220) and had been outscored 799-479. But it’s not just this year. The White Sox have been in such a sharp decline it's almost hard to remember they made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
“As players, that falls on us," said Gavin Sheets, who debuted in 2021. "At the end of the day, wins and losses are how we do on the field. It’s sad to be in this position right now and hopefully, as I said, this is the last time we’re in this position.”
The White Sox were 61-101 last season for their worst finish since going 56-106 in 1970. They fired top executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn along the way and promoted Getz to general manager.
The White Sox certainly didn't expect to contend this season. But to have it go like this?
Even Stephen King, who knows something about horror stories, expressed his sympathy for White Sox fans this week in a post on X.
Relief pitchers Aaron Bummer and Gregory Santos were traded away in the offseason, and ace right-hander Dylan Cease was dealt to San Diego in March. Then, All-Star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and key hitters Yoán Moncada and Eloy Jiménez were sidelined by significant injuries early this season.
Chicago kept Robert and ace Garrett Crochet at the trade deadline. But the White Sox dealt Jiménez to Baltimore, pitcher Tanner Banks to Philadelphia and infielder Paul DeJong to Kansas City.
As for what the roster will look like next season? That's hard to say.
Getz could try again to move Robert and Crochet. He also made it clear the White Sox won't be major players in free agency.
“It won’t be the top of the market, but there are going to be other opportunities to go out there and sign players to help us,” Getz said.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
