Every year each team needs to do some roster gymnastics to get all the players they want onto the 40-man roster before the regular season starts. The White Sox are no different, as they made a ton of moves the other day to get a few new players on the 40-man roster.
While these moves are typically nothing special, one of them stood out above the others, as it was one that not a lot of people expected, especially considering the circumstances.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the White Sox and Chris Getz chose to designate outfielder Dominic Fletcher for assignment. This is somewhat interesting, as Chris Getz was the GM that made the trade to acquire Fletcher just over one year ago.
Usually general managers who acquire players like to keep them longer than they should, as they feel that they invested in them and they don't want to be wrong. In Chris Getz's case, they traded one of their top pitching prospects at the time, Cristian Mena, for Fletcher.
This was an interesting trade at the time, as many people in baseball were high on Mena, as he showed flashes of potential in the minor leagues. But, the White Sox desperately needed outfielders and Fletcher had also shown promise in his short stint with the Diamondbacks, which made the trade a good fit for both sides at the time.
Now, just one year after acquiring him, Getz is okay with potentially losing Fletcher, as he will now go through waivers, meaning any team in the MLB can claim him. If he doesn't get claimed, he will slot right back into the Charlotte Knights roster.
Besides what the move means for the team, it says a lot about Chris Getz. Despite the White Sox having very few outfield prospects in the upper minors, they felt comfortable potentially losing Fletcher. This shows that Getz isn't afraid to cut his losses with his own acquisitions. Too many times have we seen guys overstay their welcome because the GM went out and acquired a player.
It says a lot about Fletcher that Getz decided to DFA him, but it also says a ton about Getz. He seems to be serious about rebuilding this roster and it doesn't matter if Getz acquired you himself. The fact that Getz can admit he was wrong on a player and move on can be very beneficial to the roster, but, too many wrong moves and we have a problem.
While Getz has had some moves that many people may not agree with, he clearly has his fingerprints all over this team and is trying to make the team much more competitive in the future. If it will actually work remains to be seen, but, Getz clearly isn't afraid to make moves and shake up the status quo.
