Tag / Mike Tosar

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It’s Over

The White Sox showed some mercy this morning, relieving manager Pedro Grifol of his job and relieving the fanbase of continuing to have to watch him poorly do his job.  He finishes his managerial career with a record of 89-190, easily the worst in franchise history and the third worst in Major League Baseball history. He shepherded the team through two franchise-record losing streaks in this season alone, tying the American League record for the longest losing streak just this week.

Personally, I was ready to turn the page on Grifol back on April 8th, when the White Sox found themselves in Cleveland the same day that path of totality of a solar eclipse would pass over Progressive Field.  “I’ll see videos of it, see what it looks like,” Grifol had said, “but there’s baseball. I probably shouldn’t say that, [but] family and baseball. People don’t believe it, but I live it. That’s all that matters.”  That lack of intellectual curiosity, to have any interests outside of your job and your family, makes you, in my opinion, a poor leader.  To look past a team building exercise that was handed to him on a silver platter was, to me, inexcusable and helps explain the two weeks-long losing streaks the team suffered.  When the baseball went south, he had nothing else to work with to try and pull the team out of their skids.

Bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez, and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar have also been relieved of their duties.  Grady Sizemore, who was on the staff with the ambiguous title of “major league coach” will be the interim manager for the remainder of 2024 and will be handing over the lineup card prior to tomorrow night’s game against the Cubs.  Doug Sisson will join the staff as bench coach, Triple A manager Justin Jirschele takes over as third base coach, and Mike Gellinger will finish out the year as the assistant hitting coach.

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The White Sox Get Their Man

The hot stove warmed up a bit this past Friday as word broke that the White Sox had signed former Red Sox/Royal/Yankee outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million contract.  Slotting into left field, Benintendi strengthens the outfield defense, where the White Sox have been playing first basemen out of position for most of the past two seasons, and adds a much needed lefty bat to the lineup.

The addition of Benintendi likely spells the end of Eloy Jimenez as an everyday outfielder and pushes the slugger into the DH role he was destined to inhabit.  He should also add some balance to a lineup that has struggled against right handed pitching over much of the past two seasons.

Benintendi has been a long target of the White Sox.  They were linked to him in the 2015 draft, where the Red Sox selected him one pick before the White Sox selected Carson Fulmer.  He was also rumored to be a target in the Chris Sale trade, which eventually netted fellow Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada.  Not to mention that Benintendi spent the most of the past two seasons with the Royals, alongside new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol and coaches Mike Tosar and Eddie Rodríguez.

Benintendi’s $75 million contract now becomes the largest deal in franchise history, surpassing Yasmani Grandal’s $73 million deal inked prior to the 2020 season.  At this rate, the White Sox will crack the nine-figure contract mark in 2048.