What’s next for the Chicago White Sox front office? A report lists Chris Getz and Dayton Moore as names to watch – The Denver Post

Yasmani Grandal recalled going through front office changes early in his major-league career with the San Diego Padres.

The catcher is experiencing it again as a veteran with the Chicago White Sox.

“Usually that happens when a team doesn’t perform,” Grandal said Wednesday.

The Sox announced an overhaul Tuesday, firing executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn.

“Definitely shocking,” Grandal said. “But the one thing I’ve learned in this game is that it’s also a business. Things like this happen all the time.”

The Sox have followed up a disappointing 2022, where they went 81-81 and missed the playoffs, by taking a huge step back at 50-77.

“We just haven’t reached that potential,” said shortstop Tim Anderson, who returned to the lineup Wednesday after serving his five-game suspension. “We have to continue to try to get better. We haven’t got to where we need to be.”

The Sox won 5-4 in 10 innings Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field, with Anderson scoring the winning run after initially getting caught between second and third. The throw deflected off his helmet while Anderson was on his way to third, allowing him to easily score.

The front office changes occurred before Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Mariners.

“Things happen because we haven’t met expectations,” manager Pedro Grifol said before Wednesday’s game against the Mariners. “Yes, the clubhouse can and is affected by it, but we’ve got to play baseball, we’ve got to be pros, we’ve got a job to do.”

In Tuesday’s release announcing the news, the Sox said they will “begin a search for a single decision-maker to lead the baseball operations department” and anticipate having someone in place “by the end of the season.”

“Everybody’s different,” Grifol said. “So whoever’s leading us going forward — like (assistant general manager) Chris (Getz) is leading us right now — and he’ll have his philosophies and the way he wants to do things. When (Chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) decides to make a decision, I’m certain that individual’s going to have their philosophies and how they want to do things.”

A report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale indicated that Getz is “expected” to be the team’s next GM. Getz is in his seventh season overseeing the franchise’s minor-league operations and player development system, and is in his third year in the assistant GM role.

“I’ve known Chris for a while,” Grifol said. “He’s extremely articulate, he’s smart, he’s been around. He’s got experience. Player development really prepares people to do this type of stuff. He’s got experience in the clubhouse as a player and as an executive. He’s well-equipped to do what he’s being asked to do.”

Their time together includes Kansas City, where Grifol was a hitting coach when Getz played for the Royals.

“Even as a player you can tell he had characteristics of becoming an executive at some point if he chose to go that route,” Grifol said. “And then when he got into the front office, I know he was highly regarded as a young executive with potential.

“Player development, the things that are required as a farm director prepare you to do this kind of stuff. It’s a 24-7 job that things come your way that sometimes you sit back and reflect and you’re like ‘I never thought this would happen.’ That job prepares you for a lot of things in the game.”

The USA Today report also said former Royals GM Dayton Moore could be in line for a “key front-office position.” Moore is currently a senior advisor of baseball operations for the Texas Rangers. He spent 16 seasons as the Royals GM (2006-21). The Royals reached the World Series in 2014 and won the championship the following season.

“I’m sure that there’s going to be 150 names come up that want to be a part of this organization,” Grifol said. “This is a really good organization with a great owner that all he wants to do is win. So there’s a lot of good baseball people out there.

“Yes, you hear Dayton’s name out there, but I’m sure you’re going to hear a ton of names that want to be a part of this. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this? Doesn’t surprise me, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you hear another 100 names that have done it before and that are more than capable of doing it again.”

The USA Today story said Grifol would be meeting with Reinsdorf and former manager Tony La Russa on Wednesday, listing La Russa as a Sox consultant.

“I’m not going to get into that, I’m not going to comment on my meetings or what’s going on in that regard,” Grifol said.

Grifol said he wasn’t focused on his status.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t think about it, but I’m not going to spend my days focusing on that,” Grifol said. “My focus today is to get ready to play and try to win a baseball game. I’m not going to spend my days thinking about that kind of stuff.”

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