The Chicago White Sox are conducting a “series of internal interviews to determine whether dramatic changes are needed inside the front office or the coaching staff for next season” according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Just two years removed from an AL Central title the hapless White Sox are trudging along through a miserable 48-75 campaign. If that wasn’t bad enough the team was forced to sell at the deadline as tales of an abysmal locker room culture began to surface from former players.
It is clear the organization needs to tear this thing down to the studs and start over. According to Nightengales report it appears the White Sox are thinking of doing just that.
Nightingale, who is well connected inside the White Sox organization wrote in his recent column:
“The Chicago White Sox are conducting a series of internal interviews to determine whether dramatic changes are needed inside the front office or the coaching staff. This has been one of the most disappointing and painful seasons in chairman Jerry Reinsdorf’s tenure.
GM Rick Hahn has one year left on his contract while manager Pedro Grifol has two years remaining.”
Two things stand out from Nightengale’s report. The first is that this just proves what many already knew. Keynan Middleton’s report about no accountability and clubhouse dysfunction was correct, otherwise, the White Sox, who have gone through many disappointing seasons under Rick Hahn’s tenure, would not be going through an internal review.
The second is the question of who is conducting these interviews. Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams are clearly the source of many of the White Sox issues.
As mentioned before Hahn, picked Pedro Grifol as his manager this offseason and the coaching staff went through massive changes. Nothing changed, and if anything things got worse. Pedro Grifol looks like he is in way over his head and the team plays with even less enthusiasm than they did a year before.
Currently, the White Sox are on pace for 65 games which would be their worst record since 2018 when Rick Hahn started the now-infamous rebuild. This season they also own the fourth-worst record and fourth-worst run differential in the MLB.
During Hahn’s tenure as general manager the White Sox have just two postseason victories in 11 seasons and have failed to win a single playoff series.
The White Sox do have some things going in their favor. After selling off Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Kendall Graveman, and Keynan Middleton at the trade deadline the White Sox now have four top 100 prospects.
They are also going to have plenty of money to spend this offseason with potentially more money coming off the books. Tim Anderson and Liam Hendriks both have club options of $14 million and $15 million. Mike Clevinger has a mutual option and Yasmani Grandal and Elvis Andrus will be unrestricted free agents.
Given Hahn’s track record, it would be foolish to let him decide where that money is spent on the final year of his contract. However, there is also a good chance this is a dog and pony show and no real changes come from it.
