The White Sox received 5 of their final six video games however couldn’t keep away from historical past, because the 41-121 membership had essentially the most losses of any staff within the trendy period. In an open letter to followers as we speak, White Sox proprietor Jerry Reinsdorf described the season in such phrases as “a failure,” “embarrassing,” “utterly unacceptable,” and others, whereas noting that “because the chief of this group, that’s my final duty. There aren’t any excuses.”
When it comes to what’s subsequent, Reinsdorf mentioned the staff is “embracing new concepts and outdoors views” to get issues on observe. “This can embrace additional growth of gamers on our present roster, growth inside our system, evaluating the commerce and free agent markets to enhance our ballclub and new management for our analytics division, permitting us to raise and enhance each course of inside our group with a spotlight for competing for championships….When named normal supervisor in 2023, Chris Getz and his workers instantly started conducting a top-to-bottom analysis of our current operations. Chris is rebuilding the muse of our baseball operations division, with key personnel modifications already occurring in participant growth, worldwide scouting, skilled scouting and analytics. A few of these modifications can be obvious shortly whereas others will want time to provide the outcomes all of us need to see on the major-league degree.”
Extra from across the American League…
- John Schneider listed catching, bullpen, and energy hitting because the Blue Jays’ largest offseason wants, the supervisor informed The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath and different reporters as we speak. “I believe you want just a little bit greater than only a [catcher] that’s going to play a few times per week,” Schneider mentioned, implying that Toronto can be in search of a timeshare associate for Alejandro Kirk fairly than a backup. Discovering assist behind the plate could possibly be difficult in a sometimes skinny free agent catching market, although Kirk’s offensive enchancment within the second half of the season supplies some hope that Kirk can get again to his All-Star kind from 2022. Principally any enchancment is required for a bullpen that was one of many worst in baseball, however Schneider specified that “I believe that you simply want distinctive appears to be like and distinctive stuff — stuff that enhances each other, guys that may do various things.” How the Jays handle these wants and several other different roster holes can be a problem for a staff that’s already projected to be over the posh tax threshold, and continues to be largely reliant on such core gamers as Kirk, Bo Bichette, George Springer, and others to be a lot better than they had been in 2024.
- The Rays are one other AL East staff with an underachieving lineup, and Yandy Diaz unsurprisingly feels that “one or two extra bats” are wanted this winter, the infielder informed Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Instances. Diaz’s personal manufacturing dropped from the highs of his 2022-23 seasons, as a gradual begin diminished his numbers even when Diaz returned to his typical kind over time. Actually, Diaz’s best month (.879 OPS) got here in September, though he mentioned he was coping with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Diaz isn’t anxious that the damage would require any surgical therapy, and mentioned “I must work on my energy, my knee and workouts, and prepare for Spring Coaching, and hopefully every thing’s going to be OK.”
- In different Rays information from Topkin, the staff intends to retain its teaching workers for subsequent season. After all, exterior components may complicate these plans, as rival golf equipment routinely interviews Rays coaches for different jobs, similar to managerial or bench coach vacancies.