There is growing speculation that White Sox manager Pedro Grifol won’t make it until the end of the season. Grifol has stated that the White Sox are in “the eye of the storm” right now as losses and frustration continue to mount.
The second-year manager is amid a 17-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history. The losing streak marks the second time the White Sox have lost 14 games in a row this season. Even if you were to take away both of those streaks, Grifol’s squad would still have the worst winning percentage in the MLB.
During his two seasons at the helm, Grifol owns an 88-185 record over his first 273 games as the White Sox manager. This season the White Sox are on pace to lose 123 games, which would be a modern MLB record.
Grifol’s days on the South Side appear to be numbered. ESPN’s Jesse Rodgers said during an appearance on Foul Territory that he does not expect Grifol to make it until Monday.
“There have been a lot of signs that they are going to make a change,” Rogers said. “I asked Chris Getz on deadline night, Tuesday night ‘Hey can you at least just say he is safe the next couple of months’. The phrase I used was ‘Just to clear the deck of that news’ and he certainly didn’t give a ringing endorsement.”
Not all of the White Sox shortcomings can be pinned on Grifol. The roster is poorly constructed, injuries have hampered some of the star players and the bullpen has been abysmal. But at the end of the day professional sports is a results-based business and being a career 97 games below .500 is an eyesore.
At this point, it seems like the question is if not if Grifol will be fired, it’s when. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, weighed in during an appearance on Foul Territory saying that Grifol “could be fired at any moment now.” MLB.com’s Scott Merkin recently interviewed Grifol and wrote that the lopsided results “might leave Grifol as a one-time manager whose tenure might not last the ‘24 season.”
Grifol will be evaluated in the eyes of the front office on the development of players. But on the surface, it does not look like much progress on that front either. Garrett Crochet has emerged as an ace, and Korey Lee looks like a serviceable backup catcher. But outside of that nobody on the White Sox has made notable progress this season. With a handful of prospects still waiting for a promotion in the White Sox system and ample opportunities at the big-league level, does Chris Getz want Grifol handling them?
