Lessons Learned: Actions, Not Words Will Prove If Chris Getz Is Different from White Sox Predecessors

We've been through a lot as Sox fans over the last 10 years. I think it's about time this organization stops insulting us and is honest with us about where this thing is going. Rick Hahn was anything but honest about almost every topic he discussed. His lawyer-speak often amounted to nothing more than a word salad that rarely provided anything of substance.

Chris Getz claimed from the moment he was hired that he was different. Yet, to this point, we are getting some similar vague statements, like this gem when asked if the team was rebuilding:

"To find the appropriate word at this point is premature," Getz said at the MLB Winter Meetings. "But I will say, based on the upper-level talent we have on this ballclub, I don’t think it’s going to be a dramatic lift to get us where we need to be."

Mind you, this is the same guy who was lauded a few weeks back for saying he didn't like this team as presently constructed. That was a great sound bite that gave a lot of people who had been pining for the previous GM's head for years the warm and fuzzies.

But if you don't like a team that went 61-101, one that has holes in right field, second base, and three spots in the starting rotation, can you really say this isn't a rebuild? Can you really say this team is just a few tweaks around the edges from being a contender in the lowly AL Central that you constantly say you are thankful for residing in?

Look, I understand it's taboo for Getz to come out and say this is a rebuild because of what the White Sox just endured, but he shouldn't patronize us by saying this team isn't far away. It's time that the decision-makers in this organization give it to us straight. We can all see what 2024 is going to be — one of the ugliest seasons in the history of this franchise.

All the Pieces Matter

Comments to media members and messaging to the fan base aren't the most important tasks facing Chris Getz and Co., let's be clear about that. Talent acquisition and roster construction are ultimately how they will be judged. One of the greatest failures of the last rebuild was the White Sox' inability to add talent to the organization on an annual basis.

When the South Siders amassed their prospect stockpile that peaked with as many as 10 names on top-100 lists, they seemingly felt as if they had done enough from a talent acquisition standpoint. We all saw this was foolish in real time and in retrospect. The organization seemingly believed that all of these top-100 prospects were going to pan out, so there simply wasn't a need to bring in additional reinforcements to round out the roster.

Hopefully, Getz has learned from this fatal error. A big reason why Rebuild 2.0 failed was because from 2017-2019, the team did next to nothing to prepare for the opening of its contention window. There were opportunities to import talent that could've made the teams in 2020 and 2021 more competitive. But because the Sox were rebuilding, they seemingly couldn't bother to bring in players at the MLB level to provide some level of certainty when the time to win was upon us.

How Getz navigates rounding out this team at the big-league level with an eye on the future will be of paramount importance. With the ping pong balls not falling the White Sox' way in the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery, it's of even greater importance that Getz brings in MLB-level talent that can be useful to the team in 2025 and beyond. To this point, the acquisitions have been change-of-scenery flyers or utility players.

Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez, and Max Stassi aren't going to move the needle. Mike Soroka is a giant question mark. At some point this winter, the White Sox must bring in players who will make meaningful contributions in the near term if this indeed isn't to be a long, drawn-out rebuild. The aforementioned position players achieve the stated objective of improving team defense immediately, but none of these names can be expected to be significant pieces of a competitive White Sox team.

Many Sox fans are frustrated by the lack of activity at the Winter Meetings, but the truth is there isn't a deadline by which moves have to be made. We're seeing more and more with each passing year that free-agent and trade activity isn't picking up in earnest until after the New Year. The hope is that the "new" regime has a plan and is putting this in motion behind the scenes. That plan needs to involve acquiring outside talent that can provide some level of certainty to address the White Sox' many areas of need.

Different? Prove It

One of the greatest fears I have is that Chris Getz will rely upon the likes of Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos, Edgar Quero, Nick Nastrini, and Jake Eder to fix this team. If we learned anything from Rebuild 2.0, it's that prospects are suspects, especially White Sox prospects. A major reason why Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams are unemployed is because they didn't feel it was important to begin the process of supplementing the roster with proven talent before 2020. Getz cannot repeat this mistake.

We know this team isn't going to make any splashy moves this winter, but there are pieces out there that can make meaningful contributions to the White Sox in 2024 and beyond. Go back and look at some of the scrubs — and that term is being generous — that the Sox rostered from 2017-2019 if you dare. They cannot repeat those same mistakes this winter.

If Getz really is different, if he really believes that the White Sox can turn around their fortunes quickly and get back atop the AL Central that they are so fortunate to play in, they need to bring in meaningful pieces now. And those additionas can't just be the return from the forthcoming Dylan Cease trade.

We know 2024 is a lost season, but 2025 and beyond don't have to be. The foundation for those clubs will be laid in the present day, so here's to hoping that the White Sox learned from their previous failures. Otherwise, they will likely repeat them.