WestEddy

Can you list out all the big-name players who become free agents in the middle of May? Seems like Getz can decide on who should be starting every game. They submit a lineup every one of them. And online "influencers" pretending to be crazy shocked at how many players have been on the team so far this year really doesn't mean anything to me. They had 3 major injuries to start the season they've scrambled to fill. We knew they would churn through the pitching staff as they evaluated them in live games. None of this is surprising, and none of it fits into the desperate "panic" narrative.

Okay, here's Sportrac's data of all transaction since opening day. If Getz was so "panicked", I'd expect him to be way ahead of every other team. Instead, while on the higher end of all transactions, he's right in there with the Mets, Brewers, Dodgers, Cubs, Astros, Rangers and Marlins. Some teams have been lucky with injuries. I would say the Sox weren't. And they started the season with the entire starting lineup being injured, in a horrible slump, or playing at the expected low level (Maldonado). They also knew, going into the season, they had a rotation and bullpen full of reclamation projects. What online hecklers might call panic, professionals call "aggressive" or "proactive". white sox 47 yanks 29 d-backs 27 orioles 25 braves 15 red sox 27 cubs 42 reds 15 guardians 16 rockies 11 tigers 19 astros 37 royals 14 angels 30 dodgers 43 marlins 46 brewers 44 twins 33 mets 48 athletics 37 phillies 14 pirates 28 padres 23 giants 41 mariners 21 cards 19 rays 24 rangers 37 blue jays 16 nats 21

Getz is probably making personnel moves at a normal rate as every other team, but sure, keep that "panic" narrative going. I'm guessing that Corey Julks panicked after Getz claimed him in a panic, and hit a panic home run, and stole another home run, you know, in a panic. LOL. Jared Shuster also pitched 2 good, panicked innings, probably in a panic over Getz panicking and trading for him this off-season. What a desperate narrative.

You're right. It does seem panicky, the way everyone's trying to get their dunks in before the Sox leave NY.

Mendick and remillard aren't the strikeout machines that Shewmake is.

"Trading for a guy who hits HRs off the Yankees should be a firable offense."

Julks-mania!!

As a RF, Eloy is below average. Sheets is a 1B playing RF. Using Fangraphs' 2023 data, Eloy even grades out better than Colas. SSS, of course.

Probably less of a joke than Sheets. And hey, Eloy could get injured, and we could slot somebody else in that DH slot for 10-20 games.

I always wonder if, in a case like this, Katz would brief the hitters on Rodon's tendencies and his tells, or if that's all just run through advanced scouting to verify, or if that is even a thing.

I just went to MLB Trade Rumors, and look at all of this panic going on around the league!!

"Emasculated".

https://x.com/CST_soxvan/status/1791854588036854230

That's pretty wild. Fletcher allegedly did not bet on baseball games, but aren't they all prohibited from betting on any sports?

At least no no-hitter watch tonight.

Very glad to see Shewmake off the 26-man. Now do Maldonado.

referencing "anybody of note" is kind of the giveaway that I'm not thinking I've listed some type of "secret treasure chest". Robbie Grossman brought back a AA bullpen arm. Pham could bring back a slugging OF prospect that isn't overhyped. Fedde and Kopech are probably the names that will bring back the biggest packages. Maybe both, together, bring back something like the Lynn/Kelly package? I think they will move anybody that draws interest.

Nastrini and Cannon. But after their first starts, they came back to Earth. I'm guessing all of DeLoach, Ramos, Colas, Fletcher, Nastrini, Cannon, Thorpe will be on the team through August and September. Seriously, if Flexen, Fedde, Kopech, Pham, Sheets, Keller, Brebbia, Wilson, Leone, Hill, Clevinger, DeJong and .... Vaughn(?) bring back anybody of note, their showcasing will have been a huge success. And everybody ought to prepare themselves for Jared Walsh and Jake Woodford, because he have no 1B close, really, and if they clean house at the TDL, they're going to need starters, yet.

The only kids who got squeezed out were Nastrini, Cannon and Fletcher. Nastrini and Cannon looked like they needed more work, and Fletcher was pressing. Fletcher got more of a time out, and I'd imagine they'll work him back into the mix as Sheets continues to cool off. They have to play the games, so they have to look at this year to the extent that they're managing the roster, and putting the rookies into a better situation where they can be worked into the lineup without feeling like they have to carry the team. The extreme losing was a distraction that had to be toned down. The big slumps look over, so now they could just be a bad team instead of historically bad.

If Grifol wasn't such a bibbledy-babble idiot, we'd probably have a better idea of what they wanted from Fletcher, or why he was back up. I have no idea what they wanted Fletcher to do in AAA, and it seems like he's more of the 4th OF right now. So what? Grifol seems to get everyone on the roster playing time, so I'm not really worried about him getting his reps. Brad Keller is on the roster. He's starting games. If they can return him to the 3-4 WAR pitcher he used to be, and trade him for a prospect, that would be a key part of the future of this team. So, let's see, let Jon Cannon get lit up 6 more times, or showcase a guy who will bring back an outfielder? Your analysis of the "broader strategy" seems to disregard any information that disproves your narrative. Again, I take a "wait and see" attitude towards what Getz is doing. To be complaining about every single move seems panicky and desperate to me.

Sheets, Grossman and Pham are really the only examples of Getz backing off the focus on defense to get more offense in the lineup. That 3-22 start was an emergency situation that required attention. The national spotlight on just how bad they were wasn't good for the rookies. I think Lenyn Sosa and Fletcher were pressing and making some glaring, boneheaded plays because of the pressure to make something happen. I can also understand Getz starting out, thinking he was going to show the league how it's done, and adjusting from that after the horrible start. The team's in a good place right now for a guy like Bryan Ramos to slot in, and he doesn't feel he has to hoist the team up on his back.

I see no problem with keeping a prospect at AAA to get reps and hone their skills out of the spotlight. Colson Montgomery is still at AAA, and I wouldn't call his presence there a massive flop. DeLoach has hit 1 HR at a park that is a launching pad. Fletcher seemed to press on a team that started the season in a horrible slump, and I don't see an issue with taking him back a level to clear his head and reestablish good habits. I see the acquisition of Julks as an opportunity to get a platoon partner and RH bat. The guy they let go is a rookie level bullpen arm that throws an 88-90 mph fastball. He's not a prospect. This move does not fit into your narrative. The Sox just traded 34 year old Robbie Grossman for 23 year old Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. Maybe Getz made a mistake. Or maybe the narrative is silly. You recently called me insane for suggesting that giving vets time to come back from injury or establish themselves as a trade piece does indeed help this team down the road. I'm not sure why.

I saw it as him getting $3-4 million more up front, guaranteeing it, and giving up $7-17 million on the 2 FA years. The White Sox did him a solid by running him out there as a starter. I feel there could be a bit of a hometown discount for that, alone.

First of all, I'm not making up narratives. We are literally in a string where people are complaining about trading a rookie-level bullpen arm they didn't even know existed until they saw the new string. And this happens after every single trade or DFA. So please stop making up BS and tagging me with it. People are ripping Chris Getz in this particular string for an insignificant roster move. Stretching their arguments out to the logical end, the White Sox should never release or trade anybody unless they're getting somebody younger. Even if the younger person has less talent, because all these people are reacting to is the ages. Some guy is even ripping on me for posting a Fangraphs write-up of the guy we traded, because it ruins their narrative. The White Sox have to play the games on their schedule. They need players to do that. Not some A-ball phenom who will fail miserably, but capable vets, or MLB-ready prospects. I understand that your opinion is that the White Sox should be getting progressively younger with each and every move they make. That's not realistic. It's a nice goal, but to use that as an overriding tenet that never gets violated is silly. Every incident that happens in White Sox world isn't a Chris Getz failure. The people who insist on framing every personnel move as part of a troubling pattern aren't being "objective". You are actively whining that the White Sox aren't making more moves that will result in a worse record for the major league club this year, so please don't scold me over a 50-win team. You don't get to have it both ways, using a bad win-loss record to beat me over the head with, while saying that the win-loss record this season doesn't matter. I didn't like the Maldonado signing, and my eyes roll every time I see him in the lineup. Me bitching about it everyday in every single string isn't going to reduce his playing time. That's called being an adult, not "sweeping it under the rug". Ortega is a 4th OF that probably took up space while Dominic Fletcher got his head straight in AAA. Raphael Ortega isn't a "trend". To even pretend that an insignificant roster move to have a 4th OF on the major league team is a problem that bolsters your argument is insane.