After announcing this morning that Chris Getz would officially be named the next Senior Vice President and General Manager of the White Sox, both Jerry Reinsdorf and Getz spoke this afternoon to the media on a variety of topics.
Reinsdorf gave updates on why he chose Getz, competing in 2024, and the shooting that occurred at Guaranteed Rate Field last week. Getz spoke on his qualifications for the job, how he views the roster at current, and even Tim Anderson’s spot on the roster entering next season.
While the quotes continue to file in, take a look at some of the highlights from the afternoon.
Reinsdorf discusses Getz, Williams, competing in 2024
First off, Jerry Reinsdorf made one thing clear today – the team would not be rebuilding heading into 2024.
From there, Reinsdorf spoke to the reason Getz was hired. In his opinion, Getz was a qualified candidate whose relationship with the organization worked in his favor. While Reinsdorf mentioned in Getz’s press conference that he did have a list of outside candidates, Getz’s ability to come right in and get started on day one without having to spend an entire year getting familiar with and understanding the organization was Reinsdorf’s biggest priority.
However, Reinsdorf did also imply that he never did interview any outside candidates; namely, because he knew all the ones on his list already.
“I didn’t have to interview these people because I knew them all, and I knew that they were qualified. But, what I did know is that I had somebody inside who could start right away…”
– Jerry Reinsdorf
A big question on most White Sox fans’ minds is whether or not Getz retains true autonomy over the team. He does, except for in two areas that are perhaps related: spending the money and signing Shohei Ohtani.
Though, through all of this, if you’re wondering if Reinsdorf is still reeling from having to fire Kenny Williams, he certainly is.
Additional Quotes from Reinsdorf
Reinsdorf also gave an update regarding last week’s shooting at Guaranteed Rate Field, remaining adamant that the gunshots occurred outside of the ballpark.
“I spoke to the Superintendent of the Chicago Police last night. He authorized me to tell everybody that regardless of what has been said in the past by anybody, the police have not ruled out the possibility or the probability that the gunshots came from outside the ballpark.”
“I don’t want to comment on the specific details because the police are still investigating. They haven’t come to a final conclusion, but we have done a lot of investigation. We have gathered a lot of facts, and, without getting into the detail because I don’t want to influence the police’s decision, but the fact is based upon the information available to us, I see virtually no possibility that the gunshots came from within the ballpark. It’s totally safe to be in this ballpark. I don’t think a gun has ever gotten past our security. I think ultimately that will come out. I’m hopeful the police will finish their investigation as soon as possible.”
Here are some other interesting comments:
Getz’s Opening Remarks
Getz’s press conference actually started out rather strongly, and his opening statement provided talk of outside hires, continued integration of analytics, and a promise that he would bring a change to the organization.
From there, Getz was hesitant to provide many details to topics, including how the White Sox will be improving, which staff members may leave, and who Getz may be targeting to add to the staff. He also gave vague answers to his qualifications for the job and what he’s learned in the past several years as the Director of Player Development.
One thing he was willing to confirm, however: Pedro Grifol will be back next season, as Getz believes some stability for the organization is important amongst plenty of change.
However, this shouldn’t be taken as a universal message, as when it came to the 40-man roster, Getz made it clear that no player was considered untouchable.
Why does Getz believe this team can compete in 2024? Well, first and foremost, the White Sox do play in the AL Central.
Additional Comments from Getz
While acknowledging what Tim Anderson has meant to the organization, Getz was rather non-committal about Anderson’s future with the team beyond this season. The shortstop has a $14M club option for 2024.
If you missed any of the press conference and would like to view the entire thing, you can watch it on YouTube below.
You can also read our Nik Gaur’s editorial on why he believes Reinsdorf’s current vision to compete right away is unattainable with the hire of Getz.
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Reinsdorf stating that someone from outside the organization needing time to learn the organization misses the point. Whoever takes over is going to need time to get to the root of the White Sox many problems and is going to need time to come up with solutions. The issues plaguing the White Sox didn’t accumulate in one season, so it is naive to believe that they can be identified and solved in one season! Grifol being back next season will be good! The White Sox issues long predate his arrival! He stepped into an extra alarm fire when he accepted the job! Fire him now, and the Sox will be on their fourth manager in almost as many years! There is no stability to that! That would be worse than the Angels being on their fourth GM since Stoneman stepped down in 2007! When asking if Getz will have autonomy to do his job, here is my answer! Reinsdorf going over his front office to hire Tony La Russa!