Chris Getz named as White Sox general manager

In a move that is as disappointing as it was expected, the Chicago White Sox have officially named Chris Getz their new general manager and senior vice president. The insular, lazy, and questionable hire comes after what I can only assume must have been a grueling days-long search after long-time front office leaders Ken Williams and Rick Hahn were summarily dismissed from their positions on August 22.

Getz began his MLB career with the White Sox after being drafted in 2005. He spent one season of note with the big-league club in 2009, where he amassed a 73 OPS+. From there, Getz was sent packing to the Kansas City Royals for one year of infielder Mark Teahen. After he retired from playing in 2014, Getz spent some with the Royals organization before being hired as director of player development for the White Sox in 2016. He has additionally served as assistant general manager since 2021.

During his tenure, Getz presided over the steep decline of the minor-league system he was tasked with developing. The White Sox went from being named the top-ranked farm system by MLB Pipeline in 2017 to the fourth-worst to begin the 2023 season.

As if the baseball itself wasn’t bad enough, the more egregious and unforgivable incidents were happening off the field. Getz was at the helm in 2019 when Double-A manager Omar Vizquel was let go for what was cited as player development reasons, and also in 2021 when Triple-A manager Wes Helms was relieved of his duties mid-season. Fans would soon learn that there may have been a much more sinister explanation for the managerial changes, as a 2021 lawsuit alleged that Vizquel sexually assaulted a batboy during the 2019 season. Helms was also named in the suit, as the victim contended that the Charlotte manager was one of six people in the organization with knowledge of the situation and that he openly mocked him.

In fact Getz, rather than opt to avoid comment on the Vizquel dismissal, instead lauded the alleged sexual predator:

These situations must be what chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was referring to when he released a statement today that said, “Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience within our organization to this role. Most importantly, he knows our players, both at the major league level and in our system, knows our staff, and is familiar with all the aspects of our baseball operations department.”

The move was met by many fans with much disdain, being seen by some as not only a poor baseball decision but also one that supports the notion that the front office at 35th and Shields cares very little about the health and success of the organization. It’s fair to wonder if promoting from within was a wise move for an organization often criticized for insularity.

The White Sox, having earned exactly zero benefit of the doubt, certainly have their work cut out for them.

Not that I trust them to do it.