That popping sound you’re hearing across Chicago is White Sox fans opening bottles of champagne as Jerry Reinsdorf is reportedly in talks to sell the team.
The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli reports the 88-year-old Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, “is in active discussions with a group led by former big leaguer Dave Stewart.”
Stewart won World Series championships with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, and the Toronto Blue Jays, and was a former executive with the Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The talks come after the White Sox lost a record 121 games in 2024.
Reinsdorf bought the White Sox in 1981 for $20 million. During that time, the White Sox made the playoffs seven times and won the World Series in 2005.
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Jerry Reinsdorf’s ownership failures
Things took a turn for the worse for the White Sox this decade.
Before the 2021 season, Reinsdorf decided to hire as manager then 76-year-old Tony La Russa, who hadn’t managed in over a decade, over former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who was coming off a suspension following the Astros cheating scandal.
Despite the White Sox making it to the playoffs with La Russa in his first year, he lasted less than two seasons with the team, leaving before the 2022 season ended.
“La Russa’s hiring was widely criticized, particularly after it was revealed that he had been charged with driving under the influence — his second such incident — that February,” The Athletic previously reported. “The White Sox lost to the Astros in the first round of the playoffs in 2021, their first season under La Russa. And things fell apart in his second season. Injuries to several players in whom the White Sox had invested heavily were a significant factor, but La Russa made bizarre in-game decisions, acted as a one-man show rather than the head of a collaborative staff, and failed to get the most out of his players. His health also suffered. He dealt with cancer, required a procedure to repair the circuitry of his pacemaker and did not manage the team after Aug 28.”
Reinsdorf was also accused of having antiquated procedures on how to operate a franchise and the team was also slow to adopt analytics.
However, 2024 was an unmitigated disaster for the White Sox. They finished 41-121, setting the modern-day record for most losses in a season. It was also the second consecutive season they lost more than 100 games.
“This year has been extremely painful for all, especially our fans,” Reinsdorf told The Athletic through a team spokesperson last month. “We did not arrive here overnight, and solutions won’t happen overnight either. Going back to last year, we have made difficult decisions and changes. Those changes have continued this summer, and we look forward to naming a new manager with new energy this fall.”
And to add insult to injury, the White Sox are unable to land the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft due to the league’s anti-tanking measures.
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Will Chicago White Sox get new stadium?
The news of Reinsdorf reportedly willing to sell the franchise comes as the White Sox are looking for a new stadium in the next four years.
“Last month, the team constructed a pop-up field at the proposed site where they’re seeking funding. It is an undeveloped, 62-acre South Loop parcel of land called ‘The 78,’ named for its potential in becoming Chicago’s 78th neighborhood. The land is just south of downtown Chicago and would reportedly require a mix of private and public funds, the latter of which has been met with resistance,” The Athletic reports.
The team’s lease at Guaranteed Rate Field, which opened in 1991, runs through 2029.
It’s not yet known how much Reinsdorf is seeking for the White Sox or when a deal will materialize.