Report: White Sox Have 'Fractured' Clubhouse amid Grifol Comments, Losing Streak

The Chicago White Sox are struggling immensely this season, with an MLB-worst 27-82 record, with a winning percentage of just .248. The worst 162-game season in MLB history came from the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who went just 43-119 (.265).

Yes, the White Sox are currently on pace to finish with a worse record than that, to the point that manager Pedro Grifol reportedly pointed it out to the team as a potential motivational tool. That, in part, has led to a fractured clubhouse, per Shane Riordan of 670 The Score:

In all of baseball history, the worst record for a season with at least 120 games came all the way back in 1899, courtesy of the Cleveland Spiders, who went 20-134. No other team has ever reached the 130-loss threshold.

The White Sox technically could become the second team to do so, though they would have to go 5-48 down the stretch, which seems highly unlikely (but not completely outside the realm of possibility).

The fact that such paragraphs can even be written, however, is a testament to just how poorly the season is going in Chicago. The White Sox have already clinched a losing record for the season with two full months remaining and are in the midst of a 15-game losing streak. It's all just... bad.

Grifol, in his second season in charge and overseeing what appears almost guaranteed to be a second straight season with over 100 losses, will be the obvious candidate as the fall guy. His record with the White Sox, 88-183, is brutal. Rumors are spreading about who will, or should, be his replacement.

"I quite honestly haven't paid too much attention to it," White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters Monday regarding that buzz. "I understand the speculation considering the state of our major-league club at the moment. Right now, we are focused on the trade deadline, and Pedro is focused on winning a game [Monday night]."

"So, rumors are rumors," he continued. "It sounds like names have been thrown out there, which it's pure speculation. Nothing more than that. I'm sure those won't slow down. But I'd like to think we are both professional enough that we just focus on what we have to do that day to either help the short-term or long-term health of the Chicago White Sox."

This level of losing is going to cause rifts and make a manager's message to his players potentially fall on deaf ears. It sounds as though the White Sox—in the midst of a fire sale ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline—are less than a cohesive unit at this point.