'Peppered regularly' by other GMs, Getz holds court

CHICAGO -- Chris Getz already receives a great deal of calls from opposing general managers regarding trade interest for his players.

“Peppered regularly” was the exact phrase used by the White Sox general manager during his 28-minute media session prior to Tuesday’s 2-0 series-opening win over the Astros. He had taken calls earlier that day, and figured to field a few more before the game’s end.

“I would say it’s picked up even more recently,” Getz said. “And I would expect it not to slow down.”

The White Sox entered Tuesday with a 19-54 record, tying them with Oakland (2023) and Detroit (1996) for the second-worst start in the Wild Card era, behind only the 2003 Tigers (18-55). But there are plenty of talented individual players on this roster who are attractive trade targets, including left-handed starter Garrett Crochet and center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

In his first year as a starter, Crochet has emerged as one of the game’s best rotation components with an American League-leading 116 strikeouts over a career-high 82 2/3 innings. Robert Jr. is one year removed from one of the most complete seasons in White Sox history, and when healthy is a five-tool difference-maker.

The White Sox have contractual control over Crochet through 2026 and have Robert Jr. at $15 million for ‘25 and hold $20 million options in ‘26 and ‘27 with $2 million buyouts. Potential trades could net Chicago franchise-changing returns for a team steeped in another rebuild.

? Robert Jr. focused on baseball, not trade rumors

Then again, the White Sox also would be trading proven commodities who could be at the core of this planned turnaround. So it’s up to Getz to use this market to his advantage.

"There are certainly different ways to do that,” Getz said. “There are a handful of clubs that are fighting for a Wild Card spot. They perhaps believe they’re at a stage where they’re not ready to really go beyond that Wild Card spot or make a deep playoff run. So does that urgency change what an offer might be? I think the short answer would be yes.

"Now, when I look back at the pace of the offseason and the pace at what I’ve experienced now, nearing the Trade Deadline, the urgency does seem to be pretty great with some of these clubs that feel they might have a special team," Getz added. "Therefore they might extend themselves and be really aggressive. There could be an opportunity to take advantage of that. It’s still developing, but we are certainly ready for anything.”

Nobody is untradeable on this White Sox roster, something Getz said numerous times since taking over and didn’t need to reiterate on Tuesday. He proved that point during Spring Training by trading Opening Day starter Dylan Cease to the Padres for Drew Thorpe, Steven Wilson, Samuel Zavala and Jairo Iriarte.

Iriarte started Tuesday for Double-A Birmingham as the Barons fight for a Southern League North first-half crown, while Thorpe should make his third big league start on Saturday in Detroit. That Cease trade helped Getz crystallize the return he wants for a high-end, controllable player, but also gave the new general manager a chance to talk with other GMs.

Regarding a possible extension for Crochet, Getz’s answer Tuesday centered on helping the southpaw navigate this season and putting him in position for future success. As far as analyzing the job done by manager Pedro Grifol and committing to him for the remainder of ‘24, Getz pushed aside speculation and focused on their talks putting players in the best possible daily situation.

And as for a timetable for the next contending White Sox team, Getz wouldn’t hazard a guess.

"These types of things are certainly fluid,” Getz said. “There's players that perhaps take a little bit longer to be ready to be productive at the Major League level. You've got injuries that can happen. You've always got to have your thumb on it, or a pulse on it, so to speak, to be able to adjust accordingly.

"I don't think it would be appropriate or accurate enough to put a date out there in which we feel like we're ready to compete for the division. Right now we're focused on getting these guys acclimated to the Major Leagues and positioning them well for Major League success."