On Tuesday, August 22, the Chicago White Sox immediately fired Executive Vice President Ken Williams and General Manager Rick Hahn.
“While we have enjoyed successes as an organization and were optimistic heading into the competitive window of the rebuild, this year has proven to be very disappointing for us all on many levels,” White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.
In the last decade, the organization went through a rebuild. The White Sox made playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021 but only won two postseason games in those years. Their rebuild produced young talent but failed to find balance in their lineup, affecting their defensive strengths and resulting in a current season standing of 49-77. Last season, the White Sox went 81-81 before their recent decline in team culture.
“This has led me to the conclusion that the best decision for the organization moving forward is to make a change in our baseball department leadership,” Reinsdorf said.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, former White Sox relief pitcher Keynan Middleton said the team came in with “no rules.”
“You have rookies sleeping in the bullpen during the game. You have guys missing meetings. You have guys missing PFPs (pitcher fielding practices), and there are no consequences for any of this stuff,” Middleton said.
Williams was with the White Sox since 1992, working his way up from numerous roles. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2012, the same year Hahn was promoted to general manager. Williams and Hahn helped the White Sox get to the 2005 World Series win, the 2008 AL Central Division win, and the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.
Since then, the franchise has fallen and faced some pretty hard times. Just earlier this month, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended for five games after fighting with the Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman, Jose Ramirez.
The White Sox’s statement said they’re beginning to look for a single decision-maker who can help lead the baseball operations department and they anticipate to fill this role by the end of the season.
“Ultimately, the well-worn cliche that professional sports is results-oriented is correct,” Reinsdorf said.
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