Since taking over as the newest White Sox general manager, Chris Getz has made it very clear that he is not Rick Hahn, despite working under him for a number of years. In less than one year, we saw Getz fire a coach quicker than Hahn ever did and has continually added veteran guys to the roster to compete with the younger guys, something Hahn never seemed to do.
Now, Chris Getz's latest comments show he will have another fundamental difference from Rick Hahn, one that has the potential to backfire if things don't go right.
In a recent Chicago Tribute article by Paul Sullivan, he outlines some interesting comments by Chris Getz.
Column: Chicago White Sox unlikely to make financial commitments to young prospects without major-league proof https://t.co/ObV2LixWAY
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) February 18, 2025
When asked about how he views the payroll in the future, especially with the younger guys coming up, here is what Getz had to say about potentially extending some of the prospects before they have significant major league experience:
“Right now, with the pool of players we have we’d like to see them perform at the major-league level,” Getz said. “We’re still open-minded. But at this point, I think it’s wise to give these guys a little bit of a runway before we make a long-term commitment.”
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune
The extension of a top prospect before they get to the major leagues is a very interesting concept and it could be extremely useful to a team who doesn't have the ability to spend or doesn't want to spend, just like the White Sox. Rick Hahn loved to do this, as he thought it would save the team a ton of money in the future, and he's not wrong. However, the worst-case scenario happened for Hahn.
While Luis Robert Jr.'s 20 million a year for the next few years is an absolute steal if he plays like he did in 2023, if he doesn't, it turns into an overpay.
When Eloy signed a 6 year, 43 million dollar extension that had options that would pay him less than 20 million a season, at the time it seemed like a steal. Now, the White Sox had to do everything they could to get off that contract and trade him.
Early extensions for Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada seemed like absolute steals, but towards the end, Moncada was making too much money for a guy who would play less than 100 games a season. However, a Chris Sale extension proved to be an amazing asset for the team prior to the trade, but he had already proved that he could play in the major leagues.
At the time, each extension seemed brilliant. These prospects were some of the best in baseball and, if they played to their potential, the money would have been pennies on the dollar compared to the salaries of other stars in the game. However, these players never reached their potential.
Chris Getz being apprehensive about early extensions makes sense. They have just been burned by some very bad contracts that they tried their hardest to get off. However, as he notes, keeping an open mind should be paramount, as if they can lock some of these players up for cheap and they do pan out, then he looks like a genius.
With the White Sox being one of few teams who have never given out a 100 million dollar contract, early extensions could save the franchise. If some of these prospects pan out and we cannot afford them, then we will be stuck having to trade them because we will refuse to pay them, continuing the vicious cycle. Getz needs to approach this as an investment and take some calculated risks. I don't know if you can blame Hahn for some of these moves, as at the time they seemed like the right move.
None of this will matter if the White Sox get a new owner, as if Justin Ishbia takes over, money won't be an object, as he and his brother have shown they will spend whatever it takes to win. However, the timeline on that is unclear, if at all, so Getz will have to be smart with how he manages his payroll and he may have to make some risky investments.
