The year may be different but the sentiment from White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is the same. On Wednesday he released a statement about the White Sox historically awful season that sounded eerily similar to his comments a year ago.
Last August, he addressed the media after firing longtime GM Rick Hahn and Vice President Kenny Williams. He spoke about how frustrating the season was, and how he had no patience to sit through another rebuild.
“The 2023 season was my 43rd season in baseball. It was absolutely the worst season I’ve ever been through. It was a nightmare. It’s still a nightmare. Embarrassing. Disgusting. All bad words you can think of is the way I feel about the 2023 season, “ Reisndorf said. “ It was just awful.”
Flash forward 12 months later and the 2023 White Sox pale in comparison to this year’s squad, which is currently 81 games under .500 with a negative 311 run differential and seems to be setting new records each week in mediocrity.
“Everyone in this organization is extremely unhappy with the results of this season, that goes without saying. This year has been very painful for all, especially our fans,” Reinsdorf said in a statement on Wednesday. “We did not arrive here overnight either. Going back to last year we made difficult decisions and changes to begin building a foundation for future success. What has impressed me is how our players and staff have continued to work and bring a professional attitude to the ballpark each day despite a historically difficult season. No one is happy with the results, but I commend the continued effort.”
Reinsdorf is correct. The White Sox did not arrive here overnight. Years of enabling Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams left the organization with little depth in the minor leagues and failed prospects on big contracts in the major leagues. Hand-picking Tony La Russa as the manager helped slam the team’s “contention window” shut just as quickly as it opened. Hiring a first-year general manager in Chris Getz, who played a role in developing players in the last failed rebuild, led to the worst roster ever assembled in modern MLB history.
The White Sox have continued to cut corners. Now they are paying the price. Reinsdorf says he will have more to say at the end of the season. Unless that announcement involves selling the team, fans don’t want to hear it.
