Think back to the shortened 2020 season. We were social distancing and watching games with no fans in attendance. If you lived on the south side of Chicago, there was hope. Hope that the White Sox were ready to be competitive again after a long rebuild. They finished 35-25 and earned the second wild-card spot in the American League. Sure, the playoff system was much different in 2020. But, the fact remains they finished ten games above 500 and had an exciting young core.
This hope continued into 2021 when the White Sox ran away with the American League Central, finishing with a record of 93-69 and 13 games up on the second place Cleveland. Although they were unceremonially knocked out by the Houston Astros, things were still bright on the south side. It seemed like the White Sox were on the verge of a dynasty.
However, since that playoff series, things have gone unlike anyone had expected. They have missed the postseason the last three seasons. Not only that, but they’ve become more and more of a laughingstock as each season went along. Whether it was the embarrassing hire of Tony La Russa or Tim Anderson getting knocked out or being without question the worst team in 2024, things were bad. This team is nowhere close to competing. However just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, we got a look into how the locker room feels.
The Newest Bad Press for the White Sox
When Pedro Grifol was hired by the White Sox, it was supposed to be a breath of fresh air. They went from an old-school, experience but past his prime manager in La Russa to a new school, more player-coach in Grifol. He was supposed to be someone the locker room could rally behind and get this team to live up to its potential. However, with the MLB’s worst record 15-46, things haven’t gone the way the Sox envisioned. There is even talk about Grifol already being fired.
Things have gotten worse for Grifol this past week when he made these comments to the media.
Pedro Grifol on the team’s performance today
— CHGO White Sox (@CHGO_WhiteSox) May 27, 2024
“Fucking flat” https://t.co/HoGXSpJULc pic.twitter.com/ETahn20vDm
Now on the surface, this seems like nothing. It seems like a manager who is just describing a team’s struggles. However, this wasn’t taken too kindly by the White Sox locker room. Not because of the comments he made, but for telling the media that. Grifol had just said the same message to the team, and there was a thought among the players that it would stay in the locker room. It was a closed-door meeting and the comments should’ve never been made public.
It’s just another black eye this organization didn’t need. More negative publicity in one of the worst seasons in White Sox history. It was the exact thing they were hoping to avoid when Grifol was hired. A manager who wouldn’t create off-the-field attention like this. The question is why does stuff like this keep happening, and what can be done to change it?
The Culture Problem in Chicago
When looking into the dysfunction and problems facing the White Sox, the blame should be on Jerry Reinsdorf. Now, many of you are familiar with Reinsdorf because he is also the owner of the Chicago Bulls. He oversaw the Michael Jordan dynasty. His success hasn’t translated to baseball. Sure, they won a championship in 2005. But, what has been done since then?
Nothing but underachieving and struggling. Reinsdorf runs the team like his own personal country club. Keeping guys like Rick Hahn and Ken Williams in key front office positions for years. It was very clear that they weren’t able to run a major league franchise or the player development side. Why were they around for so long? Because they told Reinsdorf what he wanted to hear. They were yes men and Reinsdorf liked hanging out with them.
The answer to the White Sox culture problem is simple, but it’s next to impossible. Reinsdorf has to sell the team. Firing the two long-time executives wasn’t enough to solve the issue. This is a problem that runs up to the top. Unfortunately, unlike executives and coaches, you can’t just get rid of an owner. They have to sell the team by their own will. That’s the only way the White Sox can solve their problems.
Thanks for reading! Credit for my feature image goes to Stacy Revere. You can find more MLB content at Belly Up Sports and follow me on Twitter/X.
