We are back again to sing the same old song. It was just a few short weeks ago that we had to talk about Pedro Grifol and the fact that he simply wasn't cut out to be in the position he is. Nothing has changed since then to inspire any confidence that he won't be anything but a one-and-done manager at the big league level. Even an 11-9 stretch by the team saw the same puzzling lineup choices and goofy postgame comments from a guy whose ineptitude is on display for all to see.
Yet, despite what everyone in the fan base and those of us who choose to cover this team in any capacity can see things had been relatively quiet from the clubhouse, until now. Following a sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday and the team's ninth loss in ten games overall, things seem to have reached a boiling point.
Grifol hasn't been what I would categorize as an overly emotional manager. He had a brief outburst while the team was in the midst of their ten-game losing streak last April, but by and large, he hasn't been the hellfire and brimstone manager. To this point, the players have kept things in the clubhouse to the point where there appeared to be a unified front in spite of their historically bad start to the season.
The comments from the second-year manager following Sunday's defeat appear to have struck a chord with a portion of the roster, however.
The response from Korey Lee is an interesting one, to say the least. The young backstop using the term "we" seems to imply there isn't a unified front as it relates to the manager's message following another dismal performance to close out the weekend series. We didn't get other players going on the record to echo Lee's sentiments, but his willingness to put this out into the public sphere does say something about the current state of the White Sox clubhouse.
Time For A Change?
Many within the fan base took to social media to essentially proclaim a mutiny was happening within the Sox clubhouse and that Pedro Grifol would be clearing out his office any day now. While I along with most of you would like to see that happen, I'm just not convinced a comment like this from Korey Lee will lead to that desired outcome. Lee is a player who is still trying to find his way in the Major League and while he may have risked his continued position with the club by publicly clapping back at his manager, he doesn't have the gravitas of a veteran to where his comments could be that detrimental to Grifol's standing.
A month ago, I wrote that Pedro Grifol had to realize that he is a dead man walking and I don't believe anything has been done to change that position. However, I still have a hard time believing that we will see a change take place during the season, even with a player now publicly challenging his manager's position. The undeniable cracks in the clubhouse foundation can't be ignored in the face of Lee's comments.
Is it only a matter of time until we begin to see other players show a willingness to defy the manager's conjecture about the state of the team or particular events and decisions that take place during the course of games? If this begins to become a more common occurrence, the calls for Grifol's head will only grow louder. But again, if this man was able to weather the storm and survive a 3-22 start, I'm not convinced that an unestablished player pushing back on claims that the team was "flat" will do anything but cost Lee playing time.
This may be a sign that he has "lost" the clubhouse, but the team's overall performance should be reason enough for him to be relieved of his duties as manager. Yet, when the team takes the field tomorrow, I still expect Pedro Grifol to be the one to hand the lineup card to the umpiring crew against the Toronto Blue Jays. In my mind, anything short of a full-scale mutiny by the players will prove to be meaningless as Pedro will play out the string in this 2024 season.
Timing The Exit
Perhaps Chris Getz has already made up his mind on Pedro Grifol's fate. Maybe I'm way off in my assessment and the first-year General Manager will pull the plug on this failed managerial experience sooner rather than later. Or perhaps Getz is waiting to drop the hammer for a specific reason.
The White Sox haven't fired a manager in-season since Gene Lemont was given the boot in June of 1995. Firing managers in-season typically leads to a bench coach just sliding over in the dugout, and that doesn't lead to much material change usually. So, jettisoning Grifol in favor of Charlie Montoyo likely won't be the catalyst for a major turnaround with this club. For this reason, I have to wonder if Getz is going to hold off on making a change in the dugout until the winter.
If Grifol is relieved of his duties after the conclusion of the season rather than during it, Getz will be in a position to stamp his seal of approval on the club's manager. He inherited Grifol last September when he was handed the General Manager's job, so ultimately we don't know his feelings on Grifol. Sure, he issued favorable platitudes about his job performance last year while guiding a sinking ship, but that could've been merely media theatrics from someone that was still getting settled into his own job.
Getz may want to prevent as much upheaval as possible this year, including in the manager's chair. Given that this team should see the roster comprised of more players that are pertinent to the team's immediate future in the second half, installing an interim manager could prevent the club from establishing continuity and consistent messaging for what they hope to be its next core. Allowing a new manager to take the reigns over the winter and give him and the players a clean slate during the spring may be the best course of action for all involved.
We all know Pedro Grifol shouldn't have his job anymore. The cracks in the foundation could finally be starting to show with Korey Lee's comments but I don't think it will have any material impact on the manager's standing for the remainder of the season. I think we are going to have to deal with the bizarre comments during the postgame press conferences for another 100+ games out of Pedro, no matter how much we don't want to. But if anything can be taken from the clubhouse comments on Sunday, it's that this group doesn't appear to be on the same page anymore whether it's behind closed doors or out in the public for all to hear.
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