The White Sox Are On Pace For More Losses Than The 1962 Mets And It's Only Going To Get Worse
The Chicago White Sox aren't just a bad team. They aren't just a horrible team. They are encroaching on historically atrocious levels. White Sox Dave is going to want to cover his eyes for this one.
They have a record of 15-47. That puts them on pace to go 39-123. The most losses by any MLB since 1900 is the 1962 New York Mets who went 40-120. That was the first year of the Mets existence so they at least had an excuse. Here's where the teams with 115 or losses or more since 1900 stand 62 games into their respective seasons:
1935 Braves 19-43 (Last team Babe Ruth played for. They were also still in Boston.)
2018 Orioles 19-43
1916 A's 17-45 (when they were in Philadelphia)
1962 Mets 17-45
2003 Tigers 16-46
2024 WHITE SOX 15-47
So, things are almost unbelievably bad. I think they will get even worse. New GM Chris Getz is determined to sell anything not fastened to the wall. You know what? He's absolutely right. Going into the season, MLB.com had the White Sox farm system ranked 20th on baseball. Help isn't on the way so why not use whatever resources you have at the major league level to make it better? Tommy Pham, Erick Fedde, Luis Robert and Michael Kopech aren't going to be on this team when they win again. Get whatever you can for them to make the future better.
The real question mark is what to do you with Garrett Crochet. He's only 25 and has fantastic stuff. The problem for the White Sox is because of injuries while he still accrued service time, he'll be a free agent in only two and half years. The White Sox are still going to be terrible then. If you can't sign him to an extension, he may be worth trading for an haul from some starting pitching desperate team (the Braves (Spencer Strider), Orioles (John Means) and Brewers (Robert Gasser) all just lost starting pitchers to injuries).
Pedro Grifol is quickly going down as one of the worst managers not just in the game today but of all-time. It's not a question of if he'll get fired but of when. Instead of a manager at New Comiskey, there's a zombie walking around that dugout. Don't get me wrong. You could have a coaching staff of Casey Stengel, Bruce Bochy and Joe McCarthy and this team is still going to suck. But having a manager that everyone knows is on borrowed time does no one any good. Just pull the band aid off that this point.
They are dead last in the MLB in team batting average at .217. They are dead last in OBP at .278. They are dead last in slugging percentage (.337), hits (439), runs (184). They aren't last in ERA (4.94) because the Rockies play in crazy altitude. They are second to last though.
I feel bad for White Sox fans. I was with most of them in thinking the White Sox were going to own the 2020's in the AL Central. They had a group of young players that appeared ready to take the next step. Instead, they fall down the stairs hitting every step on the way down as well as the bannister. I thought there was this division where no one spends money that was ripe for the taking. If anything should give the White Sox fans any hope, the Royals have turned it around very quickly after losing 106 games last year.
I don't think it'll be that quick of a turnaround in the South Side however. As painful as it is, trading everything you can for prospects is the best way forward. They don't play a team that is on pace for over 90 losses again until June 28th. Starting today, they got the Red Sox, @Mariners, @Diamondbacks, Astros, @Tigers, Dodgers and even the Braves for a makeup game before they face the Rockies.
It's a 13 game losing streak already. Today, they face Tanner Houck who is 2nd in the AL with a 1.85 ERA. When will the streak end?
Will it ever?