Chris Getz wants White Sox to ‘make the most of’ the rest of the season

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz knows his team is dealing with a record number of losses this season, but he’s urging his players to “make the most of it” as they inch closer to 120 or more losses, the modern record for single-season losses.

“I think if you had told me we were going to flirt with the record, I would have been a little surprised,” Getz said Monday afternoon. “If you had told me before the year that we were going to end up with 100-plus losses, 105, 110, I wouldn’t have been as surprised. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt right now. You try to make the best of it, and I think it’s an opportunity to embrace the situation we’re in.”

The White Sox are 33-111 with 18 games remaining, including Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. Their .229 winning percentage puts them on pace for 125 losses. The 1962 Mets, the modern record holders for most losses in a season, were 40-120. The question of whether the White Sox will surpass that mark has gone from an “if” to a “when.”

Getz hopes that the difficult times will make way for better days in the future.

“As someone who grew up in Detroit, we watched the Tigers win 43 in 2003 and three years later we’re in the World Series,” he said. “I see it as kind of the frustrating part of the story, but I also know that the future is bright and it’s going to be all the sweeter when we get there.”

Much of the White Sox’ season has been designed, beginning with the trading of their best pitcher, Dylan Cease, to the San Diego Padres on the eve of the season. In doing so, they carried over their entire starting rotation and nearly their entire pitching staff from a season ago. In July, they moved capable starter Erick Fedde to the St. Louis Cardinals, and closer Michael Kopech was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their other top arm, Garrett Crochet, essentially took himself off the trade market due to usage demand and has been on a pitch count for the entire second half.

Chicago is 6-40 since the All-Star break. Earlier this year, the White Sox also dealt with a series of injuries to their position players, most notably infielder Yoan Moncada, who has not played since April 9. Luis Robert Jr. and former outfielder Eloy Jimenez also were on the injured list, as they have been for the past three seasons.

Getz was asked about his favorite memory from the past year and the negative moment that stuck with him the most.

“I would say my favorite memory is when I decided to start Garrett Crochet this year, and then named him the Opening Day starter,” Getz said. “He showed the organization and certainly baseball what he can do. That’s definitely the best memory.

“In terms of memories that I might want to forget, I can’t say there’s one that really stands out. I think there’s a lot to learn for our players and our staff and personally, and the only thing you can really do now is apply those lessons to the future.”

One of Getz’s tasks heading into the offseason will be hiring a new manager after the team fired Pedro Grifol last month, not long after snapping a 21-game losing streak. The front office is still in the information-gathering phase, but Getz reiterated that the White Sox will hire a permanent manager from a pool of candidates who are in uniform but outside the organization.

“You have people inside and outside the organization that can help, whether it’s the referral process or gathering more background information,” Getz explained. “I would say it’s pretty broad with the involvement.

“It’s my decision, the baseball operations decision, and we’re excited about the next manager of the Chicago White Sox.”