Sox aim to 'set the tone' before redeveloping roster in offseason

CHICAGO -- There was a prevailing theme shared by White Sox manager Pedro Grifol before his team split a doubleheader with the Royals Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, claiming a 6-2 victory in Game 1 before dropping an 11-10 decision in Game 2 despite rallying from a nine-run deficit to tie the contest.

His ideas centered on the basic and obvious notion of “We got to get better.”

But it’s an all-encompassing sort of better already being tackled over these final 17 games. Ultimately, though, the change comes down to wins and losses, with the White Sox (56-89) currently trying to avoid a 100-loss campaign.

“This is the big leagues. We are here to win ballgames and we haven’t done much of that this year,” Grifol said. “We get paid to win here. You can have talent and still win a little bit but you might not sustain it. There’s a way of doing this thing and doing it with the right mindset.

“We have to really evaluate our roster and change that mindset to where we are thinking about one thing and one thing only. Not just winning baseball games but winning a world championship. It’s not about it’s a weak division, and we have a chance. This is about developing a team that can win a world championship.”

When asked if the White Sox can go from a massive disappointment in ‘23 to first in just one season, Grifol responded, “I think we can, yeah.”

“I really do,” added Grifol as the next pregame question was being asked.

Grifol’s optimism is admirable, and to be honest, what manager worth a multiyear contract is going to admit his team will have trouble winning one month before the offseason for that upcoming campaign gets underway. Nobody honestly knows where the ‘24 White Sox will be standings-wise because nobody honestly knows who will comprise the ‘24 White Sox.

General manager Chris Getz has an idea, but he’s in the early stages of the plan. Dylan Cease, who struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings in Game 1 to give him 191 strikeouts for the season, is under club control through 2025. But Getz already has said no untouchables exist within the White Sox.

Could the team move Cease to help strengthen other areas in the organization, despite being thin in starting pitching depth? On the flip side, Touki Toussaint, who was hit around for eight runs over one-plus innings in his Game 2 start, is one of the players getting a consistent chance to show what he can provide as a possible future fit with the White Sox officially eliminated.

“It’s about finishing on a high note. These games do matter,” said White Sox right fielder Gavin Sheets, who drove in two during Game 1 and doubled home three during an eight-run sixth in Game 2 that saw the White Sox open the inning with six straight hits. “They are still Major League Baseball games. We need to treat it like that, respect the game. Set the tone for how we are going to play next year.”

Cease added: “Yeah, it seems like we had a lot of underperformance across the board. So hopefully that kind of lights a fire and we come back ready. We have no idea what the roster is going to look like, but there’s no reason why not.”

Assembling this team will take more than raw talent, as the White Sox are looking for players committed to working diligently for team success. They want players who can improve the team defensively and on the basepaths, playing the game the right way, while also fitting together in the clubhouse.

They are looking for a fairly significant difference from ‘23. Actually, they are looking for the complete opposite of ‘23.

“So, there’s a lot to be done here. We are going to work tirelessly to get that done,” Grifol said. “A lot of that falls on me, if not all of it. We have to coach better. We have to have better plans. We have to hold each other accountable more.

“Everybody has to get better here. There’s nothing we can sit down and look to this year and say, ‘OK, that was good enough.’ Nothing here was good enough this year.”