Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has had his fingerprints all over the organization for years, culminating in one of the worst MLB teams over that span. Now coming off a historically bad season in Chicago, details are coming out about Reinsdorf’s decision-making.
After finishing the 2020 season with a 35-25 record, losing the AL Wild Card series, the White Sox fired manager Rick Renteria. With a talented roster featuring several young potential stars and multiple All-Star hitters, Chicago wanted a manager who could help the club take the next step.
- Tony La Russa manager record (Baseball Reference): 63-65 in final season as Chicago White Sox skipper
Instead, Reinsdorf got involved in the process. The White Sox owner hand-picked Tony La Russa to take over as manager. Even though La Russa hadn’t worked a game in a decade and had long been considered out of consideration for managerial vacancies, Reinsdorf hired him in part to make up for his decision to move on from La Russa following the 1986 season.
Reinsdorf’s decision wasn’t well-received by the fan base and it received criticism and mockery from some around baseball. The skeptics proved to be right, with the White Sox losing the American League Division Series in 2021 and then moving on from La Russa late into a pedestrian 2022 season.
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Chicago replaced La Russa with Pedro Grifol, who only made things worse as the White Sox roster fell apart. Now with the White Sox setting the MLB record for single-season losses, new details have emerged on what could’ve been had Reinsdorf not got involved.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, then-White Sox general manager Rick Hahn wanted to hire A.J. Hinch to replace Renteria following the 2020 season. However, Reinsdorf wouldn’t have it and insisted on the hiring of La Russa.
Instead, the Detroit Tigers hired Hinch and after a three-year process to rebuild the roster, the Tigers made the MLB playoffs in 2024 thanks to an incredible second-half run. Detroit is now headed to the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, while Chicago watches its division foes from MLB’s proverbial cellar.
There is some positive White Sox news, though, with Heyman reporting that Reinsford will allow general manger Chris Getz to hand-pick his own manager this winter. Although, given the massive rebuild underway in Chicago, the White Sox will have the worst of the choices among teams with vacancies.
