Jerry Reinsdorf recently completed his 44th season as Chicago White Sox chairman. He’s only the seventh individual in Major League Baseball history to surpass 40 years as a team owner.
How much more he adds to that total has become a focus after Wednesday’s report by The Athletic that the 88-year-old Reinsdorf is “open to selling” and in “active discussions” with a group led by former major-league pitcher Dave Stewart that has been trying to bring a team to Nashville, Tenn.
“We don’t comment on rumors and speculation,” a White Sox spokesperson said Wednesday.
Ald. Nicole Lee, whose 11th Ward includes Guaranteed Rate Field, said Thursday: “I’ve gotten no confirmation one way or another from the team (about a possible sale). But, look, I have known for some time in my conversations with the Sox and Jerry directly that he wants nothing more than to secure the future of the White Sox here in Chicago. And I know that he’s trying to do that while he’s still able to.”
Much of the off-field news surrounding the organization this year has centered on the drive for a new ballpark on The 78 property in the South Loop.
While the next steps are unknown, here’s a by-the-numbers look at the Sox during Reinsdorf’s tenure.
$2.05 billion
The estimated value of the White Sox as of March, according to a Forbes report.
What’s the going rate for a big-league team? The most recent ownership change came in January, when the Angelos family agreed to sell a control stake in the Baltimore Orioles to David Rubenstein for $1.725 billion. That move was finalized in March with the approval of MLB owners.
In November 2020, Steve Cohen closed a reported $2.4 billion deal to purchase the New York Mets.
The last move involving an American League Central team came in 2019, when the Kansas City Royals were sold to John Sherman for a reported $1 billion.
More change could be on the way in the division after the Pohlad family announced on Oct. 10 its intent to explore a sale of the Minnesota Twins.
“It’s our objective to find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins,” executive chair Joe Pohlad said in a statement.
20
The top 20 single-season attendance totals in franchise history have come during Reinsdorf’s ownership. That includes a record 2.95 million in 2006, a year after the Sox won the World Series.
More recently, the Sox ranked 13th in the majors in 2021 as fans made their way back to the park after stadiums were empty in 2020 because of the pandemic. The Sox were 19th in attendance (1,976,344) the next season.
They slipped to 24th (1,669,628) during the 101-loss 2023 season and ranked 27th (1,380,733) this year while setting the modern (post-1900) MLB record for most losses in a season with 121.
The ballpark currently named Guaranteed Rate Field has been the team’s home since 1991 after a process that saw the Sox close to moving to St. Petersburg, Fla., in the late 1980s.
The team’s lease at Guaranteed Rate Field with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority expires in 2029, and reports first surfaced in August 2023 via Crain’s Chicago Business of the possibility of moving from the ballpark.
The Sox confirmed a meeting between Reinsdorf and Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell took place during the MLB winter meetings in December, but they did not disclose the topics discussed.
In the latest major-league relocation, the Athletics are moving from Oakland to Las Vegas — with a stop in Sacramento, Calif., while a new park is built in Vegas, scheduled to open in 2028. They’ll be the first team to move since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals ahead of the 2005 season.
Nashville has long been mentioned in speculation as a city to consider if MLB decides to expand. And Stewart has had ties to projects in that regard.
All eyes have been on The 78 since January, with funding a major sticking point. Reinsdorf has said in the past that without clarity on a direction for a ballpark, any new owner — whenever that happens — would be the one to make those decisions.
$75 million
The total value — the highest in Sox history — of the five-year contract left fielder Andrew Benintendi signed in January 2023. The previous record was a four-year, $73 million deal for catcher Yasmani Grandal in November 2019.
According to MLB.com, the A’s are the only other MLB franchise whose largest contract — via either free agency or an extension — is less than $100 million.
The Sox had the 15th-highest payroll at the start of the 2024 season, according to USA Today, at $142,995,900. They were No. 7 as recently as 2022, according to Spotrac.com.
7
The number of times the Sox have reached the playoffs during Reinsdorf’s 44 years in charge, including a World Series title in 2005.
They won division titles in 1983, 1993, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2021 and earned a wild-card berth in 2020. The back-to-back postseason appearances in 2020-21 marked the first time in franchise history the Sox made the playoffs in consecutive years.
The highest of highs have been replaced by the lowest of lows recently, with the Sox recording consecutive 100-loss seasons for the first time in franchise history in 2023-24. This year featured the record-setting 121 losses.
“By all measures, our on-field performance this season was a failure,” Reinsdorf said in a letter to fans on Sept. 29. “As the leader of this organization, that is my ultimate responsibility. There are no excuses.
“I understand we need to show our progress through action, and I commit to you that everyone associated with the White Sox is focused on returning this organization to the level of success we all expect and desire.”
Wednesday’s report brings another level of intrigue to the offseason.
Tribune reporter A.D. Quig contributed.
