The White Sox hosted a women in sports panel yesterday in honor of Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates Title IX and women’s impact on sports. Several speakers participated in the event, including Kim Ng, a longtime MLB executive and former GM of the Marlins. Her presence at a White Sox related event might not have any deeper meaning than supporting fellow women in sports. However, Ng being in attendance is an interesting development given her extensive history with the White Sox organization, her time as a high-level MLB executive, and the historically awful season the team is having.
Interestingly enough, Ng’s journey in professional baseball began with the White Sox. She started as an intern and was eventually hired full-time after that. From 1990 to 1996, she worked as the team’s assistant director of baseball operations. She later served as an assistant general manager for the Yankees and Dodgers in the early 2000s before getting her chance to run the show in Miami.
While Ng’s tenure in Miami could have been more successful from a wins and losses perspective, she did execute several good trades. She traded veteran outfielder Starling Marte, a rental at the time, for left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo in 2021. Luzardo has had a nice run with the Marlins since. In addition, she traded veteran reliever Yimi García for outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. White Sox fans cannot forget last year’s Jake Burger for Jake Eder trade, for which Ng was responsible. She also acquired batting champion Luis Arráez. Ng was instrumental in the Marlins 2023 postseason appearance.
Despite many successful trades, Ng’s stint in Miami ended on rocky terms. She ended up declining her 2024 option because the Marlins wanted to hire a president of baseball operations. That would have meant she would have no longer been the top dog in the organization. The Marlins have traditionally had very low payrolls, which made her job tough enough. Adding a president of baseball ops would have been a demotion for her. It is understandable why she would no longer want to be a part of that arrangement.
Ng walked away from the Marlins and is an advisor for Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. Meanwhile, the Marlins have fallen off a cliff this year. They are one of the worst teams in baseball and have blown up the team. At this past trade deadline, they traded away several of their best players, including Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Tanner Scott, A.J. Puk, and Bryan De La Cruz. The fact that they fell off a cliff as soon as Ng left indicates that they made a mistake in letting her walk out the door. But their loss could be the White Sox gain.
From the White Sox perspective, Ng would be a logical candidate to bring in for a high-level front office role. She is experienced, qualified, and also has previous experience working in the White Sox organization, which historically has been important to Jerry Reinsdorf. Ng would represent a substantial upgrade over Chris Getz, who did not earn his current title of vice president and general manager in the first place and has done nothing to prove anyone otherwise. It is unclear if Ng even wants to return to professional baseball, but the White Sox should be all over that if she does.
Kim Ng is a trailblazer in the sports world. She was the first person of East Asian descent to serve as the general manager of an MLB team and the first woman to serve as a general manager of any team in the four major sports. She was also the first woman GM to lead her team to a playoff berth. If the White Sox want to take a step in the right direction, bringing Kim Ng back to the organization in some capacity would be smart.
