AL Notes: Reinsdorf, Blue Jays, Rays, Diaz

D White Sox They have won five of their last six games but have yet to avoid history, as the 41-121 club is the most by any team in the modern era. In an open letter to fans today, White Sox owner Jerry Reindorf described the season as “a failure,” “Embarrassing,” “Totally unacceptable,” and others, noting that “This is my ultimate responsibility as the leader of this organization. There are no excuses“

In terms of what's next, Reindorf said the team “Accepting new ideas and outside perspectivesGet things on track. “This will include further development of players on our current roster, development within our systems, evaluation of the trade and free agent market to improve our ballclub, and new leadership for our analytics department, allowing us to improve and improve every process within our organization with focus. To compete for championships…. Upon being named general manager in 2023, Chris Getz and his staff immediately began a top-to-bottom evaluation of our existing operations. Chris is rebuilding the foundation of our baseball operations department, with already significant personnel changes in player development, international scouting, professional scouting and analytics. Some of these changes will be visible quickly while others will take time to produce the results we all want to see at the major-league level“

More from around the American League…

• John Snyder listed catching, bullpen and power hitting Blue Jays' is the biggest need of the offseason, the manager told The Athletics' Kaitlyn McGrath and other reporters today. “I think you need a little more than just one [catcher] That is going to be played once or twice a week,” Snyder said, implying that Toronto will be looking for a timeshare partner Alejandro Kirk instead of a backup. Finding help behind the plate can be tricky in a generally thin free agent catching market, though Kirk's offensive improvement in the second half of the season gives some hope that Kirk can return to his All-Star form starting in 2022. Basically any improvement is needed. for a bullpen that was among the worst in baseball, but Snyder noted that “I think you need unique looks and unique elements — things that complement each other, guys that can do different thingsHow the Jays will address these needs and several other roster holes will be a challenge for a team that is already projected to be above the luxury tax threshold and still relies heavily on key players like Kirk. Bo Bichette, George SpringerAnd others will be much better than 2024.
• D ray Another team in the AL East with an underachieving lineup, and Yandy Diaz surprisingly feels that “Another bat or two“Needed this winter, the infielder told Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Diaz's own production is down from his 2022-23 season highs, as a slow start lowers his numbers even if Diaz returns to his usual form over time. In fact, Diaz's most The productive month (.879 OPS) came in September, though he said he was dealing with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Diaz wasn't worried the injury would require any surgical treatment and said “I have to work on my strength, my knee and exercises and get ready for spring training and hopefully everything will be fine“
• in another ray According to Topkin, the team intends to retain its coaching staff for next season. Of course, outside factors can complicate these plans, as rival clubs regularly interview race coaches for other jobs, such as managerial or bench coach vacancies.