With the offseason in full swing, perhaps no executive in baseball has more work to do than White Sox General Manager Chris Getz
Getz met with media Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona — where Major League Baseball is hosting the annual General Manager's meetings this week — to answer questions about the future of the club.
"You certainly don’t want to get lost or overwhelmed with the amount of work that’s in front of you," Getz said. "You wake up each day and find ways to improve your ballclub. That’s how we’re approaching things, and it’s one move at a time."
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For the new front office regime, improving the ball club meant declining Tim Anderson's $14 million club option for next season.
"Tim Anderson, what he's meant to the organization, there's not enough time to really go through the impact that he's made in the organization, the city, his teammates, the game," Getz said Tuesday. "He's a guy that was drafted, went through the system and performed at the major league level. So when you come to a decision like that, certainly, it needs to be as thorough as it possibly can."
While the decision didn't come as a surprise, the willingness, and perhaps desire, to part ways with the face of the franchise understandably stings for all involved.
"The conversation with [Anderson] was was difficult," he said. "It was for me, personally, just because I know how much he has meant. He is my son's favorite player, as well. So not only is [Anderson] disappointed in me, but so is my son.
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"We has 101 losses last year. To have to fill so many holes both in near-term and long-term, it felt like it was the best decision to decline that option."
The door isn't totally shut, with Getz confirming that the White Sox could be open to signing Anderson to a new contract in free agency.
"He's earned the right to see if there's a better opportunity for him," Getz said. We certainly wish [Anderson] very well. We've got great memories with him. I know he shares the same sentiment."
Anderson, 30, is coming off the worst year of his career by a considerable margin after spending several seasons as one of the sport's most consistent contact hitters.
With the White Sox declining his option for 2024, he will now likely search for a one-year deal with a club in need of middle infield depth in hopes that 2023 was an anomaly in his career.