Brandon Brown
They had to wait out a 68-minute rain delay in the ninth inning, but the Chicago White Sox ended up losing for the 41st time in 56 games on Tuesday night (TOR 7, CWS 2). They have baseball’s worst record through four games and their 15-41 start is Chicago’s worst in the franchise’s 124 seasons. It’s not even close: The next worst record through 56 games is 18-38 in 2018.
The ChiSox are in another rebuild, although their last rebuild ended just a few years ago. They have been to the postseason twice in the last 15 years and their Opening Day payroll of $123.1 million ranked 20th among the 30 teams. This represents a drop from last year’s $181.2 million. The White Sox are one of two teams to never surrender a $100 million contract, joining the Oakland Athletics.
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wants to win, at least according to manager Pedro Grifol. Here’s what Grifol told the Chicago Sun-Times about Reinsdorf:
“I’ve known Jerry for a year and a half,” Grifol said. “No one wants to win more than him. I’m sure of that because I’m the one taking calls and talking to him. I get texts. He’s 100% committed to winning. And he’s extremely knowledgeable about the game of baseball.
“He’s not just a fan. From the questions he asks, he knows exactly what’s going on. He knows the game. You haven’t been in the game for 44 years, about 1,000 coaches, sitting in meetings and listening and listening and listening and watching and watching and not knowing the game. He’s passionate, he’s extremely competitive.”
It’s clear Grifol isn’t going to go out and rip up the man who signs his paychecks and will determine whether he sees the third year of his three-year contract in 2025. And I’m sure Reinsdorf wants to win somewhere deep down. Does no one want to earn more than him? Laughable. “Jerry really wants to win” would have been at least plausible.
There is ample evidence to the contrary. Reinsdorf also owns the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, and despite their rich history and literally playing in Chicago, they have only paid luxury tax once in the team’s history (2013-14). Reinsdorf was a central figure in MLB collusion in the 1980s and attempted to break up the union during the 1994-95 players’ strike. He’s as anti-player as any sports owner.
“Sport is a business of failure, but just because you finish second, third or fourth doesn’t mean you had a bad year.” These were Reinsdorf’s words during a panel last May. The more charitable reading is that Reinsdorf says you can have a bad record and still have a successful season if young players emerge. That kind of thing. What the White Sox need to happen in 2024, basically.
Reinsdorf’s story suggests he meant something more like “as long as you hit your profit goals, a bad track record is acceptable.” I don’t envy Grifol for praising his boss. He’s doing what he needs to do to stay employed. But the last 20 years of White Sox baseball and Bulls basketball tell us that winning is not Reinsdorf’s top priority. It’s blatantly obvious.
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