5 pieces of advice for new White Sox GM Getz
With massive roster issues to address, Chris Getz heads into his first off-season as the White Sox's general manager open for anything.
“It's putting together the best team that we can,” Getz said. “If that means we've got to move on from some players or bring in other players to create competition, we'll have to do that. I think it's my duty in this position to do the best thing for the Chicago White Sox, and I'm determined to do so.”
He's looking forward to revamping a disappointing team that lost 101 games this year.
“It'll be new in the position that I'm in,” said Getz, who was the Sox's director of player development/assistant general manager before being promoted on Aug. 1. “I've certainly been able to build relationships the last couple years, whether it be with other GMs or AGMs. But being able to look into different ways to improve your club, I think anyone that is a sports fan would enjoy being in the seat for at least a period of time to potentially upgrade their roster. Speaking candidly, I'm pretty excited about that opportunity.”
If he's looking for some advice, we're here to help with five ideas:
Keep Anderson
In the race of miserable individual efforts this season, Anderson took home the gold medal.
The White Sox's 30-year-old shortstop hurt his left knee in an April 10 game at Minnesota and was not the same player when he returned on May 2.
Anderson hit .245/.286/.296 with only 1 home run and 25 RBIs in 123 games. In each of the past four seasons, he hit .301 or better.
It was a tough year for Anderson — on and off the field — but he's motivated to come back strong in 2024, which is the final year of his contract.
Getz has seen Anderson at his best and knows how important he is to the Sox. Getz should give him one more season and No. 1 prospect Colson Montgomery will be ready to take over at shortstop after that.
Find pitching
The White Sox need three or four starters and another five or six in the bullpen.
That's a big order to fill, and Getz is working on bolstering a staff that has Dylan Cease and a lot of question marks.
“We've got some work to do,” Getz said. “That's certainly an area that needs to be addressed.”
More Moncada?
Owed $24 million next season, Yoan Moncada is making too much money to trade.
Bryan Ramos is a prospect on the rise, and he should be ready to step in at third base at some point in 2024.
Until then, Getz can't do much except hope Moncada's ailing back holds up and he picks up where he left off this year.
Over his last 33 games, the 28-year-old Moncada hit .320/.362/.557 with 7 homers and 20 RBI.
Pass on Clevinger
It's not saying much, but Mike Clevinger was the Sox's best starter this season.
He was a supportive teammate and seemed to be liked in the clubhouse after being accused of domestic violence and child abuse shortly before spring training started.
Clevinger was cleared by MLB and he wound up going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA. Not too bad, but the 32-year-old righty was injured twice and he made only 24 starts.
Health has been an issue for Clevinger over most of his seven-year career, so Getz would be best served declining his $12 million option for next season and spending the money on another veteran starter.
Spend smart
Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Benintendi were the most expensive free-agent acquisitions under erstwhile general manager Rick Hahn and VP Kenny Williams, and it's looking like a collective waste of $148 million.
The Sox had the 15th highest payroll ($163 million) in MLB this year and they don't spend big like the Mets, Yankees, Padres, Phillies and Dodgers.
Getz is going to swing and miss on free agents at times, but he has to fare better than Hahn and Williams if the White Sox hope to be competitive again.