Pregame notes: Knockin’ on Hell’s door

The White Sox, by all accounts a major league baseball team, are on the verge of clinching the worst season in modern baseball history. They could do it front of home fans who are either dispirited, or have been pushed to derangement via heartbreak.

It's a big disgrace.

"It’s really important to do a heartfelt thanks to our fans that have been with us through this very difficult, painful season," said Chris Getz. "They don’t deserve this. It’s been very trying for me personally. And our staff and everyone in this organization. Our fans certainly don’t deserve to go through anything like this. They pay money to come to games and watch games. They look to watch the Chicago White Sox as a positive outlet and we haven’t been able to provide too many positive outcomes throughout the season."

Beyond White Sox fans not deserving to experience the worst season ever nor deserving the team to charge them money to watch it, the biggest news of the day would be Getz pivoting from his original stance on the managerial search from six weeks ago, to say that interim manager Grady Sizemore will be considered for the job.

"Grady’s temperament is exactly what we needed," Getz said. "I can’t say that he’s got a leg up on anyone, because it is going to be a deep process and we’re going to find someone that’s the best fit for us. But he deserves to be in the conversation.”

"I like everything about this organization, I like the opportunity that they've given me, I want to continue what I've started and be a part of this in any way that I can and just try to help turn this organization around, as fast as we can," Sizemore said. "As a staff, as a whole we've kind of already had those discussions, 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 the best path."

We in the media tend to focus a little too much on the candidates we know, and it can feel more than a little silly to hear about how different the White Sox are under Sizemore when they've won eight of the 39 games he has managed. But Sizemore is already here because of his strong ties to the front office, and anyone not on guard for the White Sox to eschew scouring the baseball world in favor of an internal hire is essentially immune to being traumatized.

"I feel really good about the process that we’ve built out," Getz said. "We’ve got a long list of candidates and look forward to eventually hiring the next leader for our dugout that’s going to represent not only an extension of the front office, but lead our players, lead our organization towards better days ahead."

Getz hopes to have a manager in place by late-October, early November, which is period in which basically all major league managers are hired unless a team weirdly skips the interview process. He said he is not concerned about the job drawing interest, expressing optimism that manager candidates will see the situation the way he does: a chance to be the guy who turned around the worst team ever.

"I view this as a very unique, tremendous opportunity for me in my career along with bringing in staff members that can help lead us to where we want to go."

Getz said former Sox farmhand-turned-manager of player development/Latin American operations Louis Silverio will team up with newly hired special assistant David Keller to revamp the White Sox international scouting department. He also stated intentions to "improve our analytic group" and acknowledged that could involve hiking up the budget for that department.

"He’s been very receptive," Getz said to how Jerry Reinsdorf has responded to these proposed changes. "You look at some of the clubs that are consistently competing at a high level and their blueprint, how they’re going about it. It’s very easy to point to successful organizations and how they’re going about their business and our current state of our major league club speaks to the work we have in front of us but again I’m very proud of the group we’ve brought in here in the last year and every day we’re working together to create and find competitive advantages."

In what was probably a more palatable proposal to ownership, Getz once again said the Sox won't be shopping at the top of the free agent market, but cited the Erick Fedde signing as an example of the sort of move that will once more be in play this winter.

Sizemore rattled off a host of players he expects to be back next season, which included Andrew Vaughn, but not Gavin Sheets. But since he also brought up 29-year-old backup catcher Chuckie Robinson among the "young, talented players that we can build around," it seemed more like a manager filling out the end of the answer by listing out a bunch of guys he feels positive about, rather than some firm pronouncement on decisions for the non-tender deadline.

Sizemore doesn't anticipate Edgar Quero being activated barring injury, so his presence on the taxi squad for the week is tilting toward the 2018 Will Smith scenario mapped out here.

"Just get a feel for what it’s like up here and just be around the guys is the plan right now," Sizemore said. "For any Minor League guy, you get excited just being around the big league club and getting to see it and practice and go through the routine. It’s all good for him up here. He’s a big part of this future and I’m sure we’ll see him sooner than later."

Quero's estimates for his back injury timeline continue to be aggressive even in the past tense, as he maintains that he thought he'd back in two weeks for the issue that wound up costing him a month. But he insists he's 100 percent now and was a full participant in team stretch, despite not actually being on the team.

"Just be here for learning," Quero said of his plans. "Try to watch my pitchers, the pitchers on this team. See the players play the game, try to learn as much as I can."

This game will begin in a rain delay due to what the White Sox termed as "a passing rain shower."