Hall of Famer Jim Thome adds $1M downtown condo as White Sox make playoff run

Jim Thome and his wife, Andrea, purchased a one-bedroom condominium in Chicago’s New Eastside for $975,000, per the Chicago Tribune, adding a downtown base as the former Chicago White Sox slugger stays close to the organization and his son’s baseball career. The transaction occurred in September as Thome recently watched the White Sox open the postseason with team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and former manager Tony La Russa, according to MLB.

Subscribe to Chicago Star’s Weekly City Buzz Newsletter

A downtown investment

The 1,323-square-foot unit is on the 15th floor of a newly built high-rise, the Chicago Tribune reported. Per the publication, the Thomes bought the property through a Delaware limited liability company, which concealed their names in public property records. The unit carried a $19,931 property tax bill for the 2024 tax year, according to the report.

Andrea Thome reportedly told Elite Street that the couple purchased the New Eastside condo as an investment, the Tribune confirmed. Per WGN-9 News, their son Landon was recently selected by the White Sox in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft, making the family’s long-term presence in the Chicago area more likely.

The Thomes family has longstanding ties to the region. According to the Tribune, they have lived in Hinsdale since Jim Thome’s playing career and paid $4.6 million in 2012 for a Burr Ridge seven-bedroom home. Thome also has a long history with the White Sox, hitting 134 home runs during four seasons with the club, MLB confirmed.

Read more on Chicago Star

• Chicago will always be a sports town

• Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević gets traded, lists Lincoln Park home for $5.2M

• NVIDIA boosts buyback program by $150 billion in largest increase of its kind in history

• Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur searches for answers after defeat by Atlanta Falcons

• I spy robots in the sky: Amazon expands Prime Air drone delivery into Chicago’s suburbs 

• Chicago History Museum, School of Rock seek young local musicians for “Rock the Museum” fest

• Chicago’s top fall races return: Half Marathon, Bank of America Marathon & Turkey Trot

Watching the White Sox together

Thome’s new investment coincides with a remarkable White Sox postseason run. According to MLB, the team had not trailed through its first three playoff games and led for 24 of 27 innings before Game 2 of the Division Series.

Thome joined Reinsdorf and La Russa in the chairman’s suite for a Wild Card victory over Houston, MLB reported. The White Sox won that game 6-3. The group later watched a 3-0 victory over Cleveland, with Thome describing the gatherings as a chance to study the game and enjoy the team’s progress.

“Then you know when you win, you gotta go back and do it again,” Thome told MLB. He also said he enjoyed listening to La Russa discuss baseball, including pitching decisions and pitch selection in specific counts.

Thome, now a special assistant to general manager Chris Getz, finished his career with 612 home runs, 1,699 RBIs and a .956 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, MLB added. His son’s arrival gives the Hall of Famer another reason to remain connected to the White Sox, both at the ballpark and at home downtown.