Now that Paul DeJong is officially aboard the White Sox for one year and $1.75 million (with up to $250,000 in incentives), he spoke to the media and ... sounded a lot like Nicky Lopez.
A week ago, I mentioned how Lopez didn't really have the ability to hype up the fan base because a team that emphasizes the little things without being able to do any of the big things is, by and large, nothing.
At least Lopez had a decent season for a utility infielder, especially after a deadline trade to Atlanta. DeJong had the opposite fortune, which is why he comes into town with the least exciting framing for his decision, via Vinnie Duber:
DeJong isn’t expected to be that long-term of a presence with the White Sox, who obviously wanted him aboard – he cited their offering a major league contract as one of the key reasons he signed – but might not require his services once top-ranked prospect Colson Montgomery is ready to take over at shortstop.
There's nothing wrong with DeJong choosing pragmatism, because given that he's 30 years old and coming off a miserable finish to the 2023 season, he can't really afford to risk being blocked. A slow start in Triple-A could put him behind the eight-ball for the rest of his career.
But once you know that DeJong didn't count on getting a guaranteed deal and jumped at an immediate chance to grab one, it lets some air out of everything else he might have to say about the opportunity.
But he’s a steady defensive presence who talked an awful lot about the importance of fundamentals Wednesday, seeming to provide a sharp contrast to the mistake-filled play of the last two seasons and a shining example of how Getz and Pedro Grifol want to see this White Sox team evolve.
“I really take pride in my defensive abilities,” DeJong said. “That’s something I worked on in the Cardinals’ organization, playing the shortstop position, being a fundamental player, so I bring that steady (presence), make the fundamental plays, help our pitchers out, get outs, make double plays, just trying to be a staple.
“As a defender, you have to be fully locked in. You have to play on all sides of the ball. So when we’re out there on defense, we have to focus in. And when we’re on the bases, we have to focus on running. And when you’re at the plate, it’s that focus.”
This all sounds well and good, but if the White Sox's additions on the position-player side can only boast about the little things, it's not really going to add up to anything meaningful. At best, a fundamentally sound team that's deficient in the important areas will lose games by peaceful scores of 3-2 and 5-1. At worst, the soundness of the team will collapse under the weight of being overmatched on such a routine basis due to the pressure to make something happen. I don't think anybody is doing Pedro Grifol any favors with this approach, but if you're under the idea that some people might not want to do Grifol favors, perhaps the Sox are willing to accept some short-term collateral damage.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a little bit about what Getz's choice of sunglasses might say about his approach to selling a vision of the 2024 White Sox, which resulted in one guy unfollowing me on Twitter in a huffy fashion.
But noticing sartorial choices of White Sox GMs is part of the fabric (apparel joke) of the blogosphere, whether it's Larry noticing Rick Hahn's questionable sock choices, or me wondering what Rick Hahn brings to the table besides an enviable collection of quarter-zips, or saying he's a Teddy Ruxpin in Charles Tyrwhitt.
That's why I want to highlight this article by Stephanie Apstein, which goes into great detail about how today's GMs not only think alike, but dress alike:
I raise this issue because nearly all baseball executives dress almost identically: dark quarter-zip pullover sweater over light polo shirt—one of the two tends to be team-branded—atop technical pants posing as chinos and finished with dress sneakers. (Rizzo and Yankees GM Brian Cashman, the two longest-tenured executives, are among the only ones who seem to have earned the right to wear jeans.) In warmer weather, they sometimes swap the polo and quarter-zip for a button-down, often gingham. They stick to neutral colors, only occasionally going so far as to introduce red into the palette. Even the brands tend to be the same: Rhone, Mizzen and Main, Travis Mathew, Lululemon, the ubiquitous white-soled Cole Haan. As executives arrive in Nashville for the winter meetings this weekend, it will not matter if the airlines mix up their luggage. [...]
“I think when you become a GM, they issue you these quarter-zip pullover sweaters,” says Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. “And then you just keep accumulating them over the term of your tenure, so that one day you wake up and you look in your closet and the only things in your closet are quarter-zip pullover sweaters. So yeah, I can’t deny that we all blend in.”
And speaking of the winter meetings, Jon Morosi says Dylan Cease might not be on the White Sox by the time they arrive:
