White Sox Offseason Moves Raise Questions About Long-Term Plan

The White Sox have already had an active offseason, filled with cheap veteran signings, minor-league deals, and a pair of trades.  While the jury is still out on whether Chris Getz can be an effective general manager in his first offseason at the helm, it is fair to wonder what his long-term plan is. 

Getz's first real test as a general manager will be getting a good return for Dylan Cease. Cease has two years of control remaining and is in high demand. The trade package Getz gets in return for Cease has the potential to bring the White Sox cornerstone pieces moving forward as they try to climb back toward contention. 

In the meantime, Getz has made a handful of moves. On Thursday the White Sox signed outfielder Brett Phillips to a minor league contract. It is the type of move that fits a pattern. 

Phillips owns a career wRC+ of 71 which is well below the MLB average. However, he does have an above-average glove. In his past seven MLB seasons, Phillips has 41 Defensive Runs Saved, 32 Outs Above Average, and a 24.5 Ultimate Zone Rating. 

Getz has been adding veteran players, who cannot hit, but play good defense all offseason. During the GM meetings at the start of the offseason, he told the media that he wanted the team to improve defensively so White Sox pitchers could attack the zone and be more efficient. There is no denying that on paper, Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez, Max Stassi, Martin Maldonado, and Brett Phillips will all help the White Sox accomplish just that. 

However, the moves have also left many scratching their heads about where the offense is going to come from.  Here is a look at some of the recent position players he has added so far and their career slash lines:   

Nicky Lopez .249/.312/.219 

Paul DeJong .229/.299/.417

Wynton Bernard .286/.286/.310 *only 42 MLB plate appearances

Max Stassi .212/.295/.361

Chuckie Robinson .136/.136/.271 *only 60 MLB plate appearances

Martin Maldonado .207/.282/.349

Brett Phillips .187/.272/.347

Those seven players have an average OPS of .593. For a White Sox team that ranked 29th in the MLB in runs scored last season these are not the type of additions that are going to help improve those numbers. 

It is no coincidence that three of those seven players are former Royals. That list didn’t include left-handed reliever Tim Hill and minor league signing Justin Anderson which increases the former Royal tally to five this offseason.  

The White Sox front office is trying to change the culture which might explain why Getz is trying to add players that manager Pedro Grifol has worked with while he was a coach in Kansas City. It also explains why he has been adding veteran players to short-term deals who have something to prove. 

However, an improved defense and clubhouse culture doesn't mean anything if most of these players will be gone after one season. The majority of players Getz has added have been on one-year deals with an option. It is very difficult to see the long-term vision for this team. None of these moves will help the White Sox contend in the future. 

The previous front office regime struggled to build depth. Some of Getz’s additions could be seen as fine-depth pieces. The only problem is the majority of these players will be playing key roles for the White Sox in 2024 or are no longer productive MLB players.  

It would be one thing if Getz were buying low to try and flip some of these players at the trade deadline, but outside of Erick Fedde and Mike Soroka it is hard to imagine any of his recent additions netting anything of value at the trade deadline. Even relying on Fedde and Soroka is a roll of the dice. Their trade value hinges on a bounceback season from a pitcher in the KBO last season due to his previous struggles in the big leagues and one who has been hampered by injuries. 

Most of Getz's additions are just placeholders to allow some of the prospects in the White Sox farm system more time to develop. But the White Sox have also said they believe they can contend for a division title in the weak AL Central. Nothing they have done this offseason gives any indication they seriously believe that after last year's 101-loss debacle.

From an outside perspective, it is difficult to understand what the White Sox strategy is to build a winner moving forward. Is it a rebuild or a retool? The early offseason moves have raised more questions than answers.