The Chicago White Sox have been disappointing for a while.
They underachieved and finished with an 81-81 record in 2022, Tony La Russa’s last season as a manager.
This past season, the first one of Pedro Grifol as the skipper, they were abysmal with a 61-101 record.
Some people have been fueling the rumor that the clubhouse was a poisonous place.
However, a White Sox player who left the franchise via trade this year clarified that wasn’t the case.
“Lucas Giolito says the White Sox didn’t have clubhouse issues. They just didn’t play well enough,” Chris Rose tweeted.
Lucas Giolito says the White Sox didn’t have clubhouse issues. They just didn’t play well enough pic.twitter.com/B2hCFs9YNJ
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) November 6, 2023
Giolito said that the problem wasn’t getting along in the clubhouse, but instead, that they didn’t put a good product out on the field.
He basically said that there weren’t any issues in the clubhouse or dugout, but that the White Sox just didn’t play well.
It happens: not all problems can be explained from a social or “locker room” standpoint (in this case, clubhouse).
Most of the time, a team that loses 101 games is just not good at baseball talent-wise.
That’s where the White Sox need to improve: they don’t need a positive clubhouse influence; they need guys who are good at baseball.
Since there are so many holes to fill to compete and contend in 2024, the franchise might need a good rebuild.
The farm system is definitely not the best, and the major league roster is not prepared to be competitive.
The White Sox need an overhaul, they need to draft well, they need to improve player development, and they need to prioritize the international free agent market.
If they do all those things, they can get back on track and build some sort of sustainability in a few years.
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