2026 Spring Training Thread

[caulfield12]

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

Hover your cursor over Liberace's face, and in the bottom right corner of the box that pops, click "Ignore". That ought to solve all your problems.

Taking advantage of this time to make new and better board friends other than Cali?

I can honestly at least admit I was looking forward to see what the attempted spin would be on 'ole Switcheroo Gate.

 

That said, Ray Ray is one of the most well-informed posters SoxTalk posters over these last twenty years or so.  Maybe not the easiest personality for some to deal with, but caring what others think or about hurt feelings has never been his style or concern. Which is kind of refreshing in its honesty.

Mostly known for calling others ”pal.”

But not brah/bruh.

[WestEddy]

27 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Taking advantage of this time to make new and better board friends other than Cali?

I can honestly at least admit I was looking forward to see what the attempted spin would be on 'ole Switcheroo Gate.

 

That said, Ray Ray is one of the most well-informed posters SoxTalk posters over these last twenty years or so.  Maybe not the easiest personality for some to deal with, but caring what others think or about hurt feelings has never been his style or concern. Which is kind of refreshing in its honesty.

Mostly known for calling others ”pal.”

But not brah/bruh.

There is no better board friend than Cali. That's some next level spin on the concept of trolling. I've not had your experience with the subject. 

[caulfield12]

11 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

There is no better board friend than Cali. That's some next level spin on the concept of trolling. I've not had your experience with the subject. 

You obviously don't know Cali all that well...or at least for so long.

He has stood up for other posters on here more than most over time.

He kind of flipped his posting outlook and became something of an unofficial board mediator.

Why?...only he could explain it. 

Probably because the board was getting too reactionary after years of being told to worship Hahn. It went the total opposite direction because of how Getz came into the job and his general lack of qualifications compared to let’s say Carlos Rodriguez and 85-90% of other teams' GMs.

Too much disillusionment after the unrelenting hype of 2017-2019.

[WestEddy]

23 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

You obviously don't know Cali all that well...or at least for so long.

He has stood up for other posters on here more than most over time.

He kind of flipped his posting outlook and became something of an unofficial board mediator.

Why?...only he could explain it. 

Probably because the board was getting too reactionary after years of being told to worship Hahn. It went the total opposite direction because of how Getz came into the job and his general lack of qualifications compared to let’s say Carlos Rodriguez and 85-90% of other teams' GMs.

Too much disillusionment after the unrelenting hype of 2017-2019.

While I did not like the move to promote Getz, I believe it's inaccurate to say he had a general lack of qualifications, and I don't agree with your 85-90% of other teams' GMs remark. 

Let's not gossip about other board members, okay?

Edited yesterday at 12:53 AM by WestEddy

[pcq]

Like I would waste any time on a Chris Getz team. Joke. 

[pcq]

Getz is a solid B team member well-suited to a bottom-dweller org like Los White Sox.  I would never insult his rep with a compliment. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

5 hours ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

C’mon…

If I call my nephew by the wrong name, that could be misspeaking.

If I call my nephew by the wrong name four times in a row, that’s because I don’t know it or can’t remember it.

Is this really worth responding to everyone that gives Getz some lee way ?

I don't even understand the parelell you gave unless you traded for your nephew and had to talk about him to the media while you were thinking about other family members to buy because you got $20M back for the guy you traded for your nephew because granpa wouldnt let you buy anymore family members unless you got that $20M.

Besides its pretty easy to have a family member call you by another members name.  I barely knew one of my 1st cousins because she grew up in Delaware. But she ended up knowing my younger brother through Facebook over the years and I didnt join FB until maybe 4 or 5 years ago and used a few of my brothers who stayed in Chicago to reconnect with family. 

She came out to California to visit a friend and wondered if I wanted to tag along and meet her .

The whole day she must've called me by my brother's name 4 times even after I corrected her every time. Stuff like that happens in big family's. Everyone reminds you of someone else.

Id say the paralell you used is more like Acuna reminded Getz of someone else in the big family of players in his head but instead of calling him Ronald Acuna he called him a switch hitter because he's more of a commodity with certain attributes that he mixed up with someone elses attributes maybe Mauricio , maybe Baldwin , who knows.

Basically we'll never know if he really didnt know or if he just has a lot of different guys in his head and repeated the same thing over and over by rote or autopilot . We can't examine his brain so anyone taking an absolute stance on him knowing or not knowing is never going to know for sure. The best we can say is it's a gaffe. But overall it shouldn't effect what you thought of the trade. I'm more conerned about how Acuna performs . 

Maybe the SH Baldwin does get 1st shot in CF. if he can show significantly improved defense and approach  .800 OPS like he did the last few months of the season. 

Edited 22 hours ago by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[Chick Mercedes]

5 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

No he is not going to do the ground work here.  He isn't doing the scouting or the analytics work here.  He is, however, expected to gather the results of said groundwork and study it and know it before making a deal.  Just because he didn't DO the actual gruntwork here, doesn't mean he wouldn't be studying the results of said work.

I totally get that. He is responsible for knowing exactly what he is trading for, one way or another. You simply can’t be wrong on this level of wrong, and and still be competent in your job, can you? Maybe you can. Maybe he is only a figurehead boss. But the team wins, and he generally has everything pointed in the right direction. OTOH if you saw that Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Robert is dating the perfect new woman in every department. Perfect. But he comes to her apartment and finds out she eats flies, and worships frogs. He’s got to let her go.

Edited 22 hours ago by Chick Mercedes

[caulfield12]

42 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

Is this really worth responding to everyone that gives Getz some lee way ?

I don't even understand the parelell you gave unless you traded for your nephew and had to talk about him to the media while you were thinking about other family members to buy because you got $20M back for the guy you traded for your nephew because granpa wouldnt let you buy anymore family members unless you got that $20M.

Besides its pretty easy to have a family member call you by another members name.  I barely knew one of my 1st cousins because she grew up in Delaware. But she ended up knowing my younger brother through Facebook over the years and I didnt join FB until maybe 4 or 5 years ago and used a few of my brothers who stayed in Chicago to reconnect with family. 

She came out to California to visit a friend and wondered if I wanted to tag along and meet her .

The whole day she must've called me by my brother's name 4 times even after I corrected her every time. Stuff like that happens in big family's. Everyone reminds you of someone else.

Id say the paralell you used is more like Acuna reminded Getz of someone else in the big family of players in his head but instead of calling him Ronald Acuna he called him a switch hitter because he's more of a commodity with certain attributes that he mixed up with someone elses attributes maybe Mauricio , maybe Baldwin , who knows.

Basically we'll never know if he really didnt know or if he just has a lot of different guys in his head and repeated the same thing over and over by rote or autopilot . We can't examine his brain so anyone taking an absolute stance on him knowing or not knowing is never going to know for sure. The best we can say is it's a gaffe. But overall it shouldn't effect what you thought of the trade. I'm more conerned about how Acuna performs . 

Maybe the SH Baldwin does get 1st shot in CF. if he can show significantly improved defense and approach  .800 OPS like he did the last few months of the season. 

(The first 2-3 paragraphs/parallel sounded like the plot of Jim Cavieziel's controversial "Sound of Freedom," the anti trafficking movie.

Expected Adam LaRoche and his son to bust into the thread from the jungles of Thailand.)

 

At any rate

1) We'll never know unless Getz does the public "self-reflection/mea culpa" with collected media that Rick Hahn was eventually forced into with Tatis, Jr. exploding onto the scene.

2) It's going to stick with him like KW's Barry/Berry faxed fiasco with the Dodgers' trade, for Baldwin I think.

Or the Chad Bradford Moneyball  chapter which the Sox eventually WON by using some of those pieces like Cotts and Olivo via trade for F.Garcia to win a WS.

But not a nothing burger either.

Not with how the Bears and Cubs are dominating the Chicago sports conversation.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

2 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

You obviously don't know Cali all that well...or at least for so long.

He has stood up for other posters on here more than most over time.

He kind of flipped his posting outlook and became something of an unofficial board mediator.

Why?...only he could explain it. 

Probably because the board was getting too reactionary after years of being told to worship Hahn. It went the total opposite direction because of how Getz came into the job and his general lack of qualifications compared to let’s say Carlos Rodriguez and 85-90% of other teams' GMs.

Too much disillusionment after the unrelenting hype of 2017-2019.

I've stuck up for you numerous times because of needless bullying because your posting style is unique . And you are polite. I like level headedness. Im not particularly fond of people acting like a pack of wolves or HS jocks picking on the nerds. I also attended a seminary HS . I haven't changed except over the years I grew tired of bullying posting styles. All the guys with hive mindedness, wolfpack  or Lord of the Flies type behavior that shows up when the Sox are bad but not the 1st rebuild oddly and Jerry left Hahan and KW in charge after they just traded away some of their best young talent. 

JR wasn't as hated then as he is now and Getz is viewed as either a JR suckup , a part of the previous madness  an inexperienced buffoon.

I view him as a JR pawn in a no win job that he was smart enough to know he wasnt the brightest bulb in the room nor were the Sox the brightest most modern team. And he hired people with good reputations to help him and has tried to modernize after years of neglect in many areas. What he doing is building a foundation which future GMs can build upon for the betterment of the team once he is gone. I have no idea how long it'll take to have a 15-16 yr old international signee from the DR become a decent MLB player  but I do know that it could happen in the next 10 years more than it ever happened in JR's entire 40+ years tenure since it hasnt happened once while DR players were proliferating in MLB. That's what's a travesty, not Getz mixing up a players handedness in his head.That's what's a very bad look for over 40 years of wandering in that desert.

We are all just small fish in this small pond of Soxtalk. What we say or how much our opinions may vary ultimately means nothing .But it is how we treat each other that ultimately means something. 

[caulfield12]

52 minutes ago, Chick Mercedes said:

I totally get that. He is responsible for knowing exactly what he is trading for, one way or another. You simply can’t be wrong on this level of wrong, and and still be competent in your job, can you? Maybe you can. Maybe he is only a figurehead boss. But the team wins, and he generally has everything pointed in the right direction. OTOH if you saw that Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Robert is dating the perfect new woman in every department. Perfect. But he comes to her apartment and finds out she eats flies, and worships frogs. He’s got to let her go.

For nearly every summer month or even week from 2022-2024...something came out to embarrass the franchise on a national basis.

But ever since Mune and Cholowsky...finally there was light at the end of the tunnel for fans. (even the Ishbia-led Suns are smartly turning things around!)

A reason for optimism.  Reasons, in fact.

This incident just brings all that back again.  Being the brunt of jokes from the media and even Cubs' fans.

But at least we're not the Rockies or Twins, I guess.

[WestEddy]

3 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

(The first 2-3 paragraphs/parallel sounded like the plot of Jim Cavieziel's controversial "Sound of Freedom," the anti trafficking movie.

Expected Adam LaRoche and his son to bust into the thread from the jungles of Thailand.)

 

At any rate

1) We'll never know unless Getz does the public "self-reflection/mea culpa" with collected media that Rick Hahn was eventually forced into with Tatis, Jr. exploding onto the scene.

2) It's going to stick with him like KW's Barry/Berry faxed fiasco with the Dodgers' trade, for Baldwin I think.

Or the Chad Bradford Moneyball  chapter which the Sox eventually WON by using some of those pieces like Cotts and Olivo via trade for F.Garcia to win a WS.

But not a nothing burger either.

Not with how the Bears and Cubs are dominating the Chicago sports conversation.

He made a verbal slip. Four times. He didn't trade away a future Hall-of-Famer. He didn't get a schlub back in trade when he expected a dude. I would really be surprised if anybody without an agenda is talking about this in a week. 

[caulfield12]

8 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

I've stuck up for you numerous times because of needless bullying because your posting style is unique . And you are polite. I like level headedness. Im not particularly fond of people acting like a pack of wolves or HS jocks picking on the nerds. I also attended a seminary HS . I haven't changed except over the years I grew tired of bullying posting styles. All the guys with hive mindedness, wolfpack  or Lord of the Flies type behavior that shows up when the Sox are bad but not the 1st rebuild oddly and Jerry left Hahan and KW in charge after they just traded away some of their best young talent. 

JR wasn't as hated then as he is now and Getz is viewed as either a JR suckup , a part of the previous madness  an inexperienced buffoon.

I view him as a JR pawn in a no win job that he was smart enough to know he wasnt the brightest bulb in the room nor were the Sox the brightest most modern team. And he hired people with good reputations to help him and has tried to modernize after years of neglect in many areas. What he doing is building a foundation which future GMs can build upon for the betterment of the team once he is gone. I have no idea how long it'll take to have a 15-16 yr old international signee from the DR become a decent MLB player  but I do know that it could happen in the next 10 years more than it ever happened in JR's entire 40+ years tenure since it hasnt happened once while DR players were proliferating in MLB. That's what's a travesty, not Getz mixing up a players handedness in his head.That's what's a very bad look for over 40 years of wandering in that desert.

We are all just small fish in this small pond of Soxtalk. What we say or how much our opinions may vary ultimately means nothing .But it is how we treat each other that ultimately means something. 

I'm not sure about the nerd part, lol, but being "usually kind" and patient and mostly tolerant doesn't get one rewarded much in society today, though.

 

I'm also not sure it's a Gen X or  Millenials/Gen Z thing...the moderating group at times has changed in participation levels and "humor" as people got older and had families.

I miss Balta, actually...even though I never met him and his political correctness was the canary in the coal mine for disruptive social divides emerging.

 

And the White Sox did produce a DR star in Tatis Jr.  His father practically forced him on Paddy and KW.

[caulfield12]

4 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

He made a verbal slip. Four times. He didn't trade away a future Hall-of-Famer. He didn't get a schlub back in trade when he expected a dude. I would really be surprised if anybody without an agenda is talking about this in a week. 

*Had blogs existed in 2001, the James Baldwin trade might have scored a bit lower, because Kenny Williams traded for the wrong guy. From a Chicago Tribune story on July 27 of that year:

[Jeff] Barry hit .290 in Triple-A and had a .163 average in 49 major-league at-bats in '95 and '98. The Sox originally thought they were getting Class-A right-hander Jonathan Berry , but a "miscommunication" problem between the two teams (Dodgers) led to Williams accepting Barry instead. Williams said the Sox would "honor" the trade despite the mixup on an apparent last-minute throw-in. soxmachine.com

Eerily reminiscent.

[Chicago White Sox]

3 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

He made a verbal slip. Four times. He didn't trade away a future Hall-of-Famer. He didn't get a schlub back in trade when he expected a dude. I would really be surprised if anybody without an agenda is talking about this in a week. 

You can have the opinion it’s no big deal, but calling it a “verbal slip” seems like quite the stretch.  I heard just one of the interviews live and had to do a double take because I was so confused by what he said.  After hearing it all four times, I think the default assumption should be he actually thought Acuna was a switch hitter.  Maybe that isn’t the case and he was just on auto pilot trying to hype up a player he recently acquired in a trade some view as a salary dump, but candidly that feels very unlikely.  Regardless, I think this should be viewed as a red flag at minimum and I personally have lost a slight amount of faith in Getz.

[Chick Mercedes]

13 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

He made a verbal slip. Four times. He didn't trade away a future Hall-of-Famer. He didn't get a schlub back in trade when he expected a dude. I would really be surprised if anybody without an agenda is talking about this in a week. 

It’s not just a verbal slip. It’s a case where the GM doesn’t know his people. The people that put together the scouting reports failed him. Or Getz failed to learn enough about the players involved. This is not a nothing burger. It’s also not a deal breaker. But we have to know if this problem is fixed. Making a joke about it is not the way.

[WestEddy]

3 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

You can have the opinion it’s no big deal, but calling it a “verbal slip” seems like quite the stretch.  I heard just one of the interviews live and had to do a double take because I was so confused by what he said.  After hearing it all four times, I think the default assumption should be he actually thought Acuna was a switch hitter.  Maybe that isn’t the case and he was just on auto pilot trying to hype up a player he recently acquired in a trade some view as a salary dump, but candidly that feels very unlikely.  Regardless, I think this should be viewed as a red flag at minimum and I personally have lost a slight amount of faith in Getz.

I've said it makes him look dumb, and it's a distraction. This makes me believe that he delegates more than I thought. That doesn't change my opinion of him, and how he's building this team. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

8 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

I'm not sure about the nerd part, lol, but being "usually kind" and patient and mostly tolerant doesn't get one rewarded much in society today, though.

 

I'm also not sure it's a Gen X or  Millenials/Gen Z thing...the moderating group at times has changed in participation levels and "humor" as people got older and had families.

I miss Balta, actually...even though I never met him and his political correctness was the canary in the coal mine for disruptive social divides emerging.

 

And the White Sox did produce a DR star in Tatis Jr.  His father practically forced him on Paddy and KW.

They didnt produce Tatis ,Jr. for the Sox.He was traded by Hahn before he even played a single game in the organization. Outsmarted by a GM who knew the value of up the middle talent and bloodlines. A Modern GM . Preller produced and developed him for the Padres . 

[Chicago White Sox]

7 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

*Had blogs existed in 2001, the James Baldwin trade might have scored a bit lower, because Kenny Williams traded for the wrong guy. From a Chicago Tribune story on July 27 of that year:

[Jeff] Barry hit .290 in Triple-A and had a .163 average in 49 major-league at-bats in '95 and '98. The Sox originally thought they were getting Class-A right-hander Jonathan Berry , but a "miscommunication" problem between the two teams (Dodgers) led to Williams accepting Barry instead. Williams said the Sox would "honor" the trade despite the mixup on an apparent last-minute throw-in. soxmachine.com

Eerily reminiscent.

KW was ripped apart for Barry/Berry, he was ripped apart for the Durham/Adkins trade, and I believe even his comments on Nestor Molina after the Sergio Santos trade.  I can understand an executive not knowing all the details on a throw-in, but it’s a very bad look to not the handedness of the centerpiece of a trade you just made and a guy who will be one of 26 players on your OD roster.  Like every single person on here knew Acuna was RH just from casual rosterbating.  It’s a bit more important when you are actually in charge of building a major league roster.

[WestEddy]

3 minutes ago, Chick Mercedes said:

It’s not just a verbal slip. It’s a case where the GM doesn’t know his people. The people that put together the scouting reports failed him. Or Getz failed to learn enough about the players involved. This is not a nothing burger. It’s also not a deal breaker. But we have to know if this problem is fixed. Making a joke about it is not the way.

I think it's a nothing burger and will be a "remember that time..." once games start. People did a mini-flip out a day earlier over Getz saying that Quero and Teel are going to concentrate on catching. "OMG, are they going to let them DH?!?"

I'll wait until he's regularly making mistakes like this before I become "concerned". 

[Chick Mercedes]

2 minutes ago, WestEddy said:

I think it's a nothing burger and will be a "remember that time..." once games start. People did a mini-flip out a day earlier over Getz saying that Quero and Teel are going to concentrate on catching. "OMG, are they going to let them DH?!?"

I'll wait until he's regularly making mistakes like this before I become "concerned". 

Fair. But addendum to my “final” take, Getz compounded the concern by making a joke out of it. That was a poor response. I guess that’s a defense mechanism without thinking it through. But if he wanted to put people at ease, he should’ve been more serious and reassuring that the potential issue is over. Fans want to know if this guy is on top of things. Of none of that matters to him, then he’s going to be fine. But the suspicion will linger. Put it to bed Chris.

[Chicago White Sox]

10 minutes ago, Chick Mercedes said:

It’s not just a verbal slip. It’s a case where the GM doesn’t know his people. The people that put together the scouting reports failed him. Or Getz failed to learn enough about the players involved. This is not a nothing burger. It’s also not a deal breaker. But we have to know if this problem is fixed. Making a joke about it is not the way.

I agree with you.  It shouldn’t automatically be swept under the rug as a verbal miscue.  And if it was and it happened four times, it makes you question why he was so desperate to hype up Acuna’s “versatility” (which might be even worse).

[GreenSox]

26 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

They didnt produce Tatis ,Jr. for the Sox.He was traded by Hahn before he even played a single game in the organization. Outsmarted by a GM who knew the value of up the middle talent and bloodlines. A Modern GM . Preller produced and developed him for the Padres . 

You just don't trade a young player with upside for a mediocre salary dump, even with proviso that 90% of the time, the young player with upside won't make it.  Hahn was better about which prospects to trade later in his career; of course he had other weaknesses as well.

This Getz situation to me is just another example of his naivete.  He doesn't really know Acuna.  He kind of knows what the Mets front office told him about Acuna. Switch hitting is a skill, and he was just talking of the top o his head about a player he doesn't really know.  I think that applies to most of the out of options, aging prospects, org guys he acquires, which is the largest demographic of his acquisitions.   Reminds me of Lance White: "Why would he lie, Jim?"  (Rockford Files).

[chitownsportsfan]

claude bot or caufield...

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

10 minutes ago, Chick Mercedes said:

It’s not just a verbal slip. It’s a case where the GM doesn’t know his people. The people that put together the scouting reports failed him. Or Getz failed to learn enough about the players involved. This is not a nothing burger. It’s also not a deal breaker. But we have to know if this problem is fixed. Making a joke about it is not the way.

But you dont even know if it was a problem. If you take many of us in this thread put us in the same job and ask us to juggle a lot of players in our heads and always say the right thing time and time again in front of cameras when every thing you say is magnified and analyzed by everyone who has a voice or wants ratings or uses it for clickbait by blowing it up, I just dont know how perfect we all would be. Especially when and understanding and compassion is not a bountiful sports fans  characteristic and fake outrage is used to stir the masses for ratings. 

Intelligence agencies & politicians have manipulated the masses for many years . Politicians hardly ever talk off the cuff, everything is prepared. I dont think Getz has an entourage around him or even his fellow executives may not watch every time he does an interview and would likely tell him hey you said Switch hitter if they did. Maybe Getz needs a media coach like seasoned veteran Crash Davis coached Nuke LaLoosh on the proper cliches to give the media.