Grady Sizemore has made enough of an impression on general manager Chris Getz during his six weeks as interim manager to warrant consideration for the full-time job next season.
When manager Pedro Grifol was fired as White Sox manager on Aug. 8, Getz said he would look for someone in uniform from outside the organization, essentially ruling out his 42-year-old interim choice who had never managed. Before the Sox tried to avoid losing their 121st game of the season Tuesday against the Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field, Getz allowed that Sizemore is a possibility.
“Grady’s in consideration,” Getz said. “He has a lot of traits that we’re looking for. “
Whether Sizemore has the player development chops Getz is looking for remains to be seen. And Getz made it clear he’ll go through the process of interviewing candidates from outside. With candidates working into the postseason, without naming names he’s waiting for them to complete their duties.
Sizemore, meanwhile, has been close with Getz and assistant GM Josh Barfield for some time. He has shown them a lot with people skills, communication and respect commanded by his All-Star, everyday player status.
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Grady and the staff,” Getz said. “Grady’s temperament is exactly what we needed.
“The players have responded well.”
“We’re looking for someone that understands the situation that we’re presently in, that is up for the challenge. I’m looking for a partner in this to help lead this organization. That comes in different forms. We built out our criteria, we’ve looked at the desired outcomes, we’ve got a deep candidate pool, and we’ll work through that and we’ll find the best fit for us.”
It’s possible Sizemore, who has a year left on his coaching deal, would consider a one-year contract to oversee a team that will lose a lot of games in another rebuild year in 2025. He is already using language about next season as though he might have the job.
“As a staff, as a whole we’ve kind of already had those discussions,” Sizemore said Tuesday, “what we think the best way to turn it around is, how we want to approach spring training, what we would emphasize, what we would get better at, what our strengths and weaknesses are.
“We’ve already kind of had those talks and those brainstorming ideas of how to move forward and what is the best path. But we also know that it’s not a guarantee. “
Stay tuned.
This and that
Getz said the Sox won’t be involved in the high end market for free agents this offseason, which means lower-tier free agents and looking to uncover a signing along the lines of Erick Fedde, who was signed out of the Korean League.
“We haven’t determined the level of free agency that we’ll be working in,” Getz said. “I can assure you that it won’t be the top of the market.”
*Getz reiterated that long-term health is the focus of the front office. “We’re clearly in a rebuild,” he said. “When you’ve got this many losses, one thing it does provide is clarity and direction on where you do need to go as an organization.”