Changes could be coming closer for the White Sox this offseason.
This morning, in his weekly Sunday notebook, Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that, in what has been one of the most disappointing seasons in the time Jerry Reinsdorf has owned the White Sox, “internal interviews” are being conducted in order to determine whether dramatic changes are needed to the team’s front office and/or coaching staff.
In the report, Nightengale says the following:
“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.”
– Bob Nightengale, USA Today
The report leaves lots of questions still, including most importantly the identity of the person or people conducting the interviews. Based on the report, since Rick Hahn and Pedro Grifol are named directly, it’s likely that both of these individuals are the subject of the interviews, leaving Reinsdorf and/or Executive VP Kenny Williams as those who would be conducting the interviews.
This season has indeed been a disappointment, though throughout it, it’s been unclear whether or not we should expect large changes as fans. In a previous Sox On 35th Podcast, Bob Nightengale previously mentioned that he didn’t anticipate large changes to the front office, but did leave the possibility open for the coaching staff to see changes. Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams have been in their current positions officially since the 2013 season, and the club has seen just two winning seasons since then. It stands to reason that at least one of those front office members would be on the hot seat.
As for Grifol, while it has only been one season on the South Side, the changes he promised and the leadership he said he would be providing haven’t been on display thus far. This, coupled with Keynan Middleton’s scathing review of the organization’s culture a few weeks ago, leaves Grifol in a vulnerable place and might see himself as a one-and-done manager should these internal interviews not end up going his way.
As the situation continues to develop, we will continue to provide more updates.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!
Featured Image: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
It’s ludicrous to believe that the people who have dug this hole, who have proven themselves wholly inept at creating a capable functional organization, who cannot evaluate talent in the front office or on the field, are going to do anything other than mask their own incompetence.
This is just a smoke screen to fool the fans into thinking things are going to improve. As long as Reinsdorf owns this team, they will not.
Let us be honest, Williams was an affirmative-action hire, with zero experience as a GM, and zero accomplishments that might suggest he would be good at the job.
And Hahn was hired and kept around to be William’s lackey, someone he could and would control, with no backbone. That was made apparent when he kept his mouth shut to keep his job when Reinsdorf hired LaRussa.
Are they conducting interviews for team owner?🤔
You must be a carpenter, you hit the nail on the head.
You start counting at 1 and up.
You start the alphabet at a and up.
Reinsdorf doesn’t care, money hungry,
Doesn’t know a baseball from a basketball!
His V P Williams is half ass just like he was as a player!
Grifol needs to learn how to manage at the high school level and work up!
Ethan Katz needs to get a job at Walmart!
And that training staff should go back to school.
The whole nut in the shell!
Sell the team, to someone who wants to WIN! And get rid of everyone down!!!!
Start at the beginning!!!
NOT in The MIDDLE!!!
Life long SOX fan, turning 70.
Just can’t watch them anymore
Please remove Williams. Dumping Burger,Huge mistake.
Which means nothing will happen
Yes, something will happen! Things will keep getting worse!
Grifol’s been pushing to get fired for months.
Grifol’s He should have never been hired. The Royals didn’t want him, that should tell you something. He is without a doubt the worst manager in the major leagues
Grifol obviously stepped into an extra alarm fire when he took the White Sox job. The issues plaguing the White Sox predate his arrival! Obviously, though, he has done nothing to address any of the issues surrounding the clubhouse. Alex Cora with the Red Sox benched a player for being late to a team session. Grifol will get fired, no doubt, but firing him without making front office changes will be like using a band aid on a severed artery!
I cannot see Pedro surviving. We need a no nonsense Manager and not start with a requirement that they speak Spanish. We overpaid these unproven “stars” and they quickly adopted the high dollar attitude with zero credentials. We need to start thinking beyond the “get Latin players cheap” strategy of Jerry, Rick, and Kenny.
I have been a Chicago White Sox fan for 14 years, seen four games with family many years ago.
When I was 19, back in 1977, my family and I went to FIVE games. The Southside Hitmen, as they were called, were a fun team to watch! I read where someone who has been a fan for decades stated that it is torture to watch this team now!
It is ludicrous that ANYONE within this organization should be conducting “interviews”. Anyone that could possibly be involved in interviews is PART OF THE PROBLEM to begin with. No one in this organization including the owner can define or identify incompetence even when it surrounds them. The last 18 years should have already told this owner everything he needs to know. He’ll learn nothing new from “interviews”. The only solution is to tear it all down. Bring in a proven, successful and dynamic professional to resurrect this franchise.
Getting grid of Jake Burger will turn out to be a very bog mistake. He is starting hit for high average with the Marlins and is now starting to learn how to hit for higher average. He is entering his prime,
delayed by injuries. i smell another bad trade like the one with Shields for Fernando Tatis.
Is he starting to hit for average and learning to hit for average because he is with a team that halfway cares? With the Marlins he has a shot at the postseason. With the White Sox come the end of September or the beginning of October you know that it’s “Wait until next year!”
This Nightengale guy doesn’t seem especially gutsy,willing to stick his neck out. Saying SOX have been ” one of the most disappointing teams in big Jerry’s tenure. That’s only one example.”Fron office type s maybe should be looked at. Are you crappin’ me? That’s like betting on Native Dancer to win a grudge match against Captain Ahab.
This team is baseball’s version of the Titanic. Reinsdorf, Williams and Hahn are baseball’s version of Nero fiddling while Rome burns! Of course, have the White Sox as an organization already burned to the ground?
Is time for a change in the Chicago white Sox mangers and front office in the off season we need to bring a new mangers and front office to make sure we want to have a championship season for the fortune
I won’t disagree with you, but will you get a new front office as long as Reinsdork owns the team. He won’t fire anyone as long as they kiss up to him, no matter how bad things get!
If this is coming from The Hack, Nightingale…. its MALARKEY. Everyone knows he is a Reinsdorf lackey.
This is a dog and pony show… hoping anyone buys into the B/S Ebenezer Reinsdorf is peddling. Nothing more. Until Reinsdorf is gone and team is sold…. nothing will change.
The above states that internal reviews are being conducted to see if dramatic changes are needed in the front office! My gosh, isn’t that the same as someone with COPD asking if he needs to quit smoking? Doesn’t the team’s performance make it obvious to anyone that dramatic changes are needed in the front office? I also read where Kenny Williams gets credit for the 2005 World Series win, it was actually his predecessor, Ron Schueler, who assembled that team!
The Sox are a pathetic mess. If I owned this team I would pay an exorbitant salary to Theo Epstein to come in and rebuild this organization from top to bottom. Fifty million per year would not be too much to pay either.
Of course the other owners would never approve a sale to a person like me, as the Sox are designated bottom feeders by MLB elites.
Theo would improve their minor leagues, but alone he could not bring a chance at a championship. With the Cubs he was allowed to sign several high profile free agents to some big contracts. The Sox biggest contract ever is Benintendi, an average outfielder at best, and his contract was less than half what the Cubs gave Lester a decade ago. I would prefer a new owner with some balls who is hungry to build a winner and will spend to do so, even with the current assclown co-GM’s, than Theo Epstein under Jerry.
Did you know the Reinsdorf opposed Cohen buying the Mets because he knew that Cohen’s spending would put upward pressure on player salaries? Of course, the Mets are a mess, but it’s not because of spending or the lack thereof! We all know that Reinsdorf’s lack of spending is a contributing factor to the White Sox’ problems!
Grifol should be gone,it seems that he does not mind losing,and laziness does not work.Could please tell me what Kenny Williams does?The trades that Hahn made were not bad if some of the prospects pan out.the biggest loss in the trades was Giolito a good lifetime Era, if Burger breaks out and hits 50 hrs then that was bad trade his problem is contact ,Lynn how he is pitching now he sucked as a whitesox pitcher,it remains to be seen if these prospects three or four of them do really well then Hahn did okay if they were not going to sign Giolito anyway,I would have paid him more lifetime Era in the mid 3 he should have a few more good years.left.The best pitcher this year is Diekman.who I would keep and Cease and Kopech,and give a year or two to see how these pitching prospects pan out,once again I would replace Grifol with someone who has a history of winning who knows how to,Grifol is not a bad guy he is just not very good at managing this team.
You say that Grifol is not good at managing this team! Would the winning-est managers past, present or future have any success with this team given the countless issues surrounding this team, along with the lack of accountability at higher levels of the organization?
What a joke. Looking for scapegoats when Reinsdorf & Williams are the problem. Hahn & Grif will take the fall. The Sox will never be good again til they have a new owner. Everyone should go including the training staff.
I don’t understand how half of a farm system is on the east coast and the other half is in Arizona. Shouldn’t the minor
League system be near the White Sox ?
For attendance and to build interest in little kids . The team just made 5 trades how are those players doing?”Unknown”
Kane County , Indianapolis, Lafayette ,Kankakee, Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bus load of little leaguers in uniform come to the game .
The main problem is that the Sox do not have enough players who are really fast, can bunt and hit for a high average and on base percentage with low strikeouts. In addition to the home run hitters, you need players who can manufacture runs in a closely contested game with top pitchers. Also there were many instances of poor strategy and poor base running when 2-3 men were on base in close games.
Also , not having a real closer huer the Sox this year.
they should get all of them out mgrs piching everyone of them and start over
I’ve never seen a club in this much trouble. Usually it’s one or two things. Manager, poor players, or under performing players. Or the GM, VP…..the Sox are terrible at all positions possible. Bad owner, GM,VP, coach and players. Dumpster fire.
Ozzie should be the manager. Grifol is a nice guy, but not experienced enough and is a sleepy. motivator.
I favored both A.J. and Ozzie to replace LaRussa. Ozzie because he is outspoken, is proven as a world champ manager, and is a true field manager. Pierzynski played with his head in the game. His “steal” of first base against the Angels, caught in a rundown between 2nd and third are prime examples of his in-game awareness. A.J. and Ozzie were not wanted by Reinsdorf and company for one reason only – they had contrary opinion. Kenan Middleton, a God sent truth teller, no doubt had A.J. and Ozzie each ROFLMAO,