Jerry Reinsdorf ripped for White Sox's disastrous season in scathing report

The Chicago White Sox are destined for ignominy. If they don't reach 43 wins, they will tie the 1962 New York Mets' 120 losses for the worst record in modern baseball history. The White Sox would have to win seven of their last nine games. That's unlikely to happen.

What is guaranteed is that the 2024 season will be the nadir of the franchise's 124 seasons. And the bulk of the blame for the White Sox hitting rock bottom can be directed to man at the top of the organization, owner Jerry Reinsdorf, according to a scathing report published by The Athletic on Thursday.

The story details just how lost the White Sox have become and how far they are behind in keeping up with modern amenities and infrastructure to suceed in today's MLB. It also illustrates how the franchise is being held back by Reinsdorf's constant meddling with his outdated baseball philosophy.

"You got a baseball fan owner who thinks he knows everything, and maybe he did in 1992,” a former employee told The Athletic, "but the amount of info has skyrocketed in the last 30 years and he’s put his middle finger up at that.”

A recently departed veteran also said: “They don’t do the little or the big things right."

Reinsdorf reportedly overruled then-general manager Rick Hahn to hire a 76-year-old Tony La Russa in 2021 instead of A.J. Hinch. He also didn't renew the contract of broadcaster Jason Benetti, a fan favorite, because he didn't like Benetti's personality and preference for analytics.

When the White Sox have turned to analytics, they did so in the most confusing manner. Third-party data and in-house data would be different, making it hard to evaluate players. Said a former baseball operations employee: "It was comical. No one knew what was what."

The .@WhiteSox had a "huge conflict" within the organization over the team's analytics approach says @Britt_Ghiroli pic.twitter.com/sCY6LEG4Qh
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) September 19, 2024

The article is full of damning quotes from those who have left the organization. "As long as Jerry’s philosophy is the overarching one, they won’t ever succeed," a former employee said. Added a former staffer: "Jerry just thinks he has the answers."

Reinsdorf said he has no intention of selling the White Sox despite the fans' increasing hopes of new ownership.

Said one former White Sox player: “The rumor was always we will never figure it out until ownership changes. (But) the real thing holding it back isn’t the people and player development; it’s the owner.”