White Sox Sale Could Be a Cautionary Tale for Nationals Fans
The Chicago White Sox are a joke of a franchise. Let's hope the Washington Nationals don't turn into one as well.
According to Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, Jerry Reinsdorf is reportedly open to selling the Chicago White Sox. Any time news of a sale surfaces, it serves as a reminder that we heard the same thing about the Nationals almost three years ago. For anyone who feels that an ownership change is still possible in Washington, the White Sox may be fascinating to follow in this regard.
The White Sox just had arguably the worst seasons in MLB history, finishing with a win/loss record of 41-121 and the most losses of the modern era (since 1901). Amazingly, that's 52 games worse than their AL Central-winning finish three years ago.
So, what's been troubling the White Sox for so long, and what could the Nationals learn from them?
They Haven't Spent Money
The White Sox are known to not spend a ton of money on players, although they rank higher leaguewide than you'd likely expect. Entering the season, Chicago had a projected payroll of slightly under $143 million, which ranked 15th-highest in the league. Nonetheless, it's been a long time since Reinsdorf and company have spent money like a playoff contender.
Through that lens, it's easy to see why baseball fans have considered White Sox leadership to be a laughingstock for an extended period of time. Although there's plenty of grey area, team payroll is a pretty good measure of how seriously a franchise's ownership is about fielding a competitive roster.
From a more obvious narrative perspective, they've been unable to build around top talents like pitcher Chris Sale (above) or first baseman Jose Abreu, leading to them eventually being traded away or not re-signed.
They Refuse to Change Philosophically
To Chicago's credit, they made an effort to improve in that regard recently, when they fired general manager Rick Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams last August. That tandem had essentially been the head of the charge below Reinsdorf for the White Sox since October of 2000, with Hahn and Williams each in their current roles since the end of 2012.
On the flip side, the White Sox had an opportunity to make a big change and hire someone with a new voice and different perspective, but chose not to. Instead, they promoted Chris Getz, who had been working in the White Sox organization since 2017.
In essence, the White Sox have been employing the same mindset in their front office since 1991 (when Ron Schueler, Williams' predecessor whom he initially worked for, was named as their general manager).
Similar Results in Another Sport
In addition to owning the White Sox since 1981, Jerry Reinsdorf has also been the owner of the Chicago Bulls since 1985. He inherited a franchise that drafted Michael Jordan, added role players like Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman along the way, and won the NBA Finals six times during the 1990s.
It would seem odd to consider this era a blemish on Reinsdorf's resume, but if you watched The Last Dance, you understand. The problems begin with Jerry Krause, who Reinsdorf hired as general manager shortly after purchasing the team.
Whether you choose to hold Reinsdorf accountable or not, Krause essentially ran the dynasty, led by the Jordan-Pippen-Rodman trio and head coach Phil Jackson, out of Chicago following their final championship in 1998. In spite of that, Krause remained at the helm for five more seasons (and even when he left, it was under his own terms).
Since Krause's departure, results have been mixed at best. The duo of head coach Tom Thibodeau and former No. 1 overall draft pick Derrick Rose led the Bulls to five consecutive playoff berths from 2010-15. Aside from that brief stretch of success, they've been among the least successful franchises in the NBA.
Much like his handling of the White Sox, Reinsdorf has allowed John Paxton (who played for the Bulls from 1985-94) to lead the Bulls front office in some capacity ever since Krause stepped down. Paxton replaced Krause as general manager following the 2003 season, was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2009, and despite being fired after the 2019-20 season, has served as a senior advisor ever since.
Discussion of Relocation
For some time now, there have been rumblings of MLB wanting to have a team in Nashville. There have been whispers about relocating various teams to Nashville, and it has also been discussed as a candidate if and when the league decides to expand.
Now it appears that the White Sox may entertain moving there from Chicago. It may happen whether the team is sold or not, but the emergence of Dave Stewart as the frontrunner to purchase the club has brought the idea to the forefront.
Stewart was a longtime MLB player and is a former coach, front office executive, and briefly the Arizona Diamondbacks general manager. In addition to submitting a bid for the Oakland Coliseum in 2021 in an attempt to keep the Athletics (who he once played for) in Oakland, Stewart has been active in the pursuit of adding an expansion team in Nashville, and is also leading an effort to get a women's soccer franchise there.
Speaking of relocation and the Oakland Coliseum, that's a tear-jerker and cautionary tale of its own.
Sound Familiar?
If these topics don't resonate with you as a Nationals fan, they should.
The Nationals have been among the lowest-spending MLB franchises in recent years. Mike Rizzo (ironically, a Chicago native who was rumored to be a candidate to replace Hahn and/or Williams) has been general manager of the Nationals since 2009, and has been working for the Lerners ever since they purchased the team in 2006. Ted Leonsis (the so-called frontrunner to buy the Nationals, if they are sold) has had mixed results in other sports, with his Wizards resume as a substantial blemish. And of course, the Nationals themselves relocated from Montreal, and any discussion of ownership change should be met with some pause in this regard, depending on the buyer's affinity for the current location.
With all of that in mind, I'd recommend keeping a close eye on how these White Sox ownerships discussion and potential sale progress. They could be very instructive towards the likelihood or "do's and don'ts" in the sale of the Nationals.