Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Chris Getz goes viral for thinking Luisangel Acuña is a switch-hitter

Episode Date: February 12, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris reacted to White Sox general manager Chris Getz's gaffe regarding whether one of his players is a switch-hitter.

Rahimi Harris and Grooty, Midday's tidal two on Chicago Sports Radio. It really is about being able to bring in Acuna, getting access to him. And we're talking about a player that's five plus years of control. One of the younger, exciting players in our game, you know, hasn't really gotten a runway at the major league level. That was Chris Gads. talking about Luis Angel Okunia, who was acquired from the Mets in the Luis Robert trade. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 104-3, The Score. And you've probably seen it by now.

We've gotten questions about it. Are you guys going to talk about Chris Gatz calling Luis Angel Okunia a switch hitter four times in his media availability yesterday? Yes, yes, we are. If it were only four times in one media availability, ex-user Sam Phelan, P-H-A-L-E-N, sorry if I mispronounced it, posted a compilation of Gats referring to Luis on Helicunya as a switch hitter many times. Not just a general media availability, Sox Fest, the recap podcast, and on CHSN. You know, he's got a lot of potential.

He can play all over the diamond. He's a strong defender, defender, base runner, switch hitter. He can do a lot of different things to help you win. I want to bring someone in that you're excited about, right? And our evaluations on Acuna are very strong, you know, for the reasons you stated, very strong defensively, switch hitter. He can run. He's got great instincts.

To bring in a player that is young, who's got pedigree, he's got bloodlines with his brother, can play all over the field. He's a switch hitter. for him to have four home run nights. That would be fantastic. This is a guy, his high contact ability switch hitter. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, it's one thing to make mistakes. Goodness knows. We are in live radio four and a half hours a day. Your brain turns to mosh, and it's hard to keep track. Everybody knows that. As a GM, when you're supposed to keep track of thousands of players, that is also difficult. But when you say it in multiple different media available,

and multiple times in the most recent one, that leads me to believe you did not know that he only bats right-handed. He's 5-8, by the way, which normally I don't complain about because I'm 5-3 and what do I care. But in this case, when you're trying to evaluate talent, when you traded away Luis Robert, who you signed a $20 million, it starts to add up. One Louise for another, we know which one is better. We also understand, as you heard on the way into the second, about giving him a runway to kind of get his major league career going after playing part-time the last couple of years for the Mets.

The thing that surprises me about this is that no one said anything after, let's say Sox Fest, right? Like time number one. Now I just hear that buzzer. Well, because anybody can misspeak one time. Two times, okay, that's not great. But three times? three times, that's your job is to know your players. And then the fourth time is like, hey, man, that's when they start compiling things.

I feel like I've heard this before and people start looking for it and sending examples of it to Sam. And then he puts that together. And I don't know if I'm more disturbed by the fact that he didn't know. And I'm saying he didn't know. Like, did he really not know that he's not a switch? That's the question. Well, that's the bigger issue here. because I've heard a lot of GMs talk about switch hitters over time.

We talk to one every week here on the score. Shout out of Connect Roosters, Tumblr, on our set, Ian Hap. But if you thought that you were getting a switch hitter, which it sure sounds like he is, given everything going on with the socks and the fact that you were brought in from being the assistant general manager, where you didn't like the way that the minor league players weren't developing into major league ones,

when that's your responsibility. And then to add this on top, like already you were digging yourself out of a reputational hole a bit, and I give Chris Gets credit because I think he knew that. He knew the jury Ryan's door and brought him in to, again, use the phrase short in the timeline. This doesn't help.

This doesn't help. You don't have enough capital for this. It's just crazy. And it was Luis Robert. It's just crazy because I was excited to see, okay, what can you do? He's going to get some more playing time than he got in New York. He's only 23. years old. Maybe there's some untapped potential here. He's fast. He can play in the field. He comes from a good bloodline. Curdle. It curdled me. That did make me cringe a little bit. Anytime you hear the bloodline, you're like, ah. We all just went, ah. Like, no, can't, it's, uh.

I'm going to go recency and say mostly. We do it because of the Bayesian call. Yeah, the Bayesian thing. For us, it's a different deal. It's Tyson Bayesian, but if you go further back, it's going to be even more disturbing. I can promise you to do that. Yes. Yes. Yes. You are correct on that. He did, he did give a statement. Chris Gets did respond this morning about an hour ago. He gave a statement to our Bruce Levine. Quote, so I probably have been getting carried away describing his versatility, he

joked. He can play every position on the field. Why does it have to stop there? I called Luis on hell and told him that even though he's just right-handed, we still love him. He's socially graceful, Chris Gets. He's trying to play it off. I admire those who are.

to come in like a bull in a china shop. He's still going to be asked the first time a Mike is in front of him. So how did you make that same mistake four different times? He's going to be asked. It's not just four different times. It's multiple, it's multiple outings. It's Sox Fest. It's the recap. It's EHSN. It wasn't just four times. But I like to cite the receipts, like four times documented. I don't know how many more times beyond that. I was like, did you at one point think he was a switcher? I'd have follow-up questions because I really want to understand his thought process there. I mean, we have that compilation from Sam Feele, which indicates it wasn't just a training, spring training.

Right. And so at what point did you realize he was only a right-handed hitter? Maybe that's the best question. And was it after you acquired him? That's more important. Did the name, is that what you fell in love with? Are we in a thanasis scenario here? Oh, no, you didn't, Lela.

Oh, yes, yes, I did. Is that the comparison you want to make? I asked the question. I didn't declare it. There's a difference. There's a difference. There's a remarkable difference. And you're triggered because you know how Thanasis' name used to get used on this show.

You know? Yes. Dan would just go, he can't play. With the Nassas got minutes against the Bulls the other day, I'll admit. I was like, ah, the Nassas alert. Yes, absolutely. You know what I'm doing currently? Looking up the Nassus.

No, that was my first, that's like what I was going to do. But then I was like, well, let me go check something out. I just asked the question. I did not say he is the Nassus. I said, are we dealing with that scenario? There is a difference. No, because if he was the Nassas, he would be on the Braves. He would be on the Braves.

That's where he would be if he was the Nassas. Let's be very honest with ourselves. When the position players pitching against him, he gave his minute. I just look to see all of his other relatives that have played in Major League Baseball to see if any of them were switching. Oh, I thought you were looking at Yonis is. No, no, I don't need to. I know enough about Janus and Thanassus.

And what's the other brother's name? I'm forgetting the other brother. The other brother plays more minutes. Yeah. So, look, we all make mistakes. It's a concerning one because it's coming from who it's coming from. And a guy who made his name in evaluating talent on the upswing. Developing.

Developing said talent. Yes. And so while that is concerning, I do want to hear Chris Gets out to understand. See, my whole thing, and you guys know this about it, we've had group chats about different things that have happened. I just want to know how we got here. I need a logical explanation of how we got here.

I just want to have a conversation. Yeah. Root cause and all. You know, you just want to find the root cause of this. And then that way we don't ever do this again. How about that, Chris Gets? Never do this again. Ever.

They have a closer. For reasons I don't understand. So they can win those one-run games that they were horrible in last year. That's why. How many innings do you expect him to pitch per outing? The one-run deficits didn't just happen in the ninth. They have other, well, that's why Grant Taylor's supposed to be such an important part of this team. Every time I talk, I just keep hearing that buzzer.

Like the closer, how many, how many endings do you expect him to pitch per outing? I don't expect him to necessarily lead the team in saves either. I think he's going to be utilizing whatever high-leveraged situation. Situation, seventh, eighth. Whenever Grant Taylor's not available, he might be pitching those games. Okay, guys, okay. It's a really damning sound effect. To add to that and the Switch hitter conversation,

and it was multiple outings and the Nassus all in the same segments, more painful than it should have been. Mike Florio joins us. No, we like Mike Floreo, the creator, and editor-in-chief of pro-football talk with a lot of news about our favorite player on this show who's not a bear next on the score. He's the

real deal. This is coming from a pure bloodline.