That player is Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. and a former top 100 prospect. Chicago acquired the 23-year-old as a primary return in the Luis Robert Jr. trade last month, and he is expected to play an important role on the team in 2026.
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Acuña is a right-handed hitter. He was right-handed when the Texas Rangers signed him out of Venezuela in 2018 and, as far as we know, has never dabbled in switch-hitting. He was still right-handed when the White Sox acquired him as one of their top trade chips.
Still, for some reason, Getz repeatedly referred to Acuña as a switch-hitter in public appearances, as Roundtable’s Sam Phalen compiled:
That highlight video made the rounds on social media Wednesday, prompting Getz to admit he was wrong, with some tongue-in-cheek via MLB.com:“So I’ve probably gotten carried away in describing his versatility,” Getz joked. “He can play all positions on the field. Why does it have to end there? I called Luisangel and told him that even though he is right-handed, we still love him.”
On the one hand, this is nonsense. Everyone has made a mistake like that, like thinking an athlete plays a position they don’t. It’s hard to imagine the White Sox refusing to pull the trigger on the Robert trade because Acuna is a right-hander.
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On the other hand, it would be polite to say that this is a bad look for Getz. An MLB general manager is supposed to have in-depth knowledge of not only every player on his team but also every player in the minor league organization. If an anonymous outfielder suddenly hits a home run over the batter’s eye in Low-A or a teenage pitcher hits 100 mph at the Dominican complex, the general manager is supposed to know about it.
This also applies to players outside the organization. A move like trading Robert should come after hours of legwork evaluating each interested team’s minor league system for underrated talent. Getz’s acquisition of Acuña is a bet that a guy who was Baseball America’s No. 66 prospect in 2024 can still be an impact talent, despite slashing .248/.299/.341 in 233 MLB plate appearances, and those decisions aren’t made unless his staff has analyzed a ton of data and scouting reports.
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So if a GM has something as basic as a player’s laterality, it’s worth remembering.
Getz has worked for the White Sox since 2016 and was promoted to general manager in 2023. His tenure so far has involved overseeing a rebuilding system while fielding one of the worst teams in MLB. Despite some interesting moves like the signing of Munetaka Murakami, Vegas isn’t expecting a much better team this year, with BetMGM pegging the Sox’s over/under at 66.5, third-worst in MLB.