Chris Getz Is Blowing A Golden Opportunity In 2024

Let’s face it. Even with as many moves as Chris Getz made, the Whtie Sox are not likely to be much, if at all, better in 2024. Chris Getz focused on adding veterans who are solid fielders, but most of those additions are not very good hitters. In the rotation, he added Eric Fedde, who could be good after a breakout in Korea, but was very bad in the MLB before that. The rest of the moves in the rotation are mediocre at best, as Flexen is older and was not very good last year. In the bullpen, he added a few veteran arms that are solid, but nothing that moves the needle, as we won’t have many leads to protect.

I appreciate there is a sense of direction from Chris Getz. He wants to focus on getting better defensively and wants to throw more strikes. But, with the team we have currently constructed, fewer errors and fewer walks aren’t going to change much. This team is meant to be bad this year and they aren’t hiding it.

But, Getz is missing the point. He has a perfect opportunity to evaluate a significant amount of younger talent that is MLB-ready, yet he is blocking those avenues with these veteran, stop-gap signings. I understand that he wants to potentially flip some of these players at the deadline, but the likelihood of them performing well enough to get something of significance from another team is slim to none. 2024 is the best chance to evaluate some of this talent to see if they are good enough to be MLB players when the White Sox are good again.

At shortstop, not even mentioning Colson Montgomery, as I hope he will not be blocked from playing time, but is likely starting the year in the minors, starting Paul DeJong is taking away chances from a younger player like Braden Shewmake.

If the White Sox are starting DeJong over Shewmake, that could be a big mistake. Shewmake was a first-round pick for a reason, and he is just as sure with his glove as DeJong. The only question with Shewmake is his bat, so let him get the opportunity to get major league at-bats. DeJong has been bad for a while, so if you are going to take the chance at a below-average hitter at shortstop, at least make it a rookie.

In the rotation, a guy like Chris Flexen, who is projected to be in the starting five, is taking away meaningful innings from pitchers who are in the upper minors. Nick Nastrini is ready to take the next step in his development and he could be blocked by Flexen. The White Sox need to know what Nastrini can do, as he could be a big part of the rotation for the future, but if Flexen is taking his innings, that is an issue.

Now nothing is set in stone for the starting lineup, but all signs point to Flexen being in the rotation and DeJong starting at shortstop. Not to mention that there is a chance that most of the veterans take up the rest of the bullpen spots, leaving little room for any of the young pitchers.

The White Sox have a bunch of fringe level players that have played well in the minors or have the draft status to get a look in the majors. This is the year to do it. Let guys fail here, as the veteran taking up their playing time is not likely to do much better. I would 100% rather have a rookie come up and show what he can do than an aging veteran who the Sox are hoping to flip at the deadline. If the rookies are not ready, that is a different story, but the Sox have plenty of young arms and bats that should get a fair chance to have significant playing time in 2024, and if they don’t Chris Getz is blowing a perfect opportunity.

If these signings are merely for depth and he does not plan on letting the veterans take significant playing time, then that’s okay. But, it doesn’t seem like that is the plan at this point, which is not great.