Every offseason, after the White Sox disappoint, many fans are displeased with general manager Rick Hahn. This is not without good reason, as the White Sox have won a total of two playoff games in the last decade plus. After the White Sox have sputtered to a 5-9 start, many fans have made it clear that they are not happy with Rick Hahn.
The People Have Spoken
In a recent poll taken on Twitter, White Sox fans have made it overwhelmingly clear that they are unhappy with how Rick Hahn has assembled this team. Currently, the poll sits at a 97% disapproval rating with over 600 votes.
While this does not speak for all Sox fans, since it is so lopsided with people voting no, it shows that he is not well-liked by most of the fans. After reading the replies, it further proves people are extremely unhappy with Rick Hahn at this point. He has given them no reason to be happy with him to this point.
After an offseason in which we saw Jose Abreu leave for the Astros, there was not much work done on really improving this roster. Abreu was a big part of the team for his whole career. Replacing him and his production would not be easy. The Sox figured it was time to let Andrew Vaughn take over, and to this point that has been a solid move. But, the lack of moves to the rest of the team has been alarming.
Rick Hahn did bring in Andrew Benintendi on the largest White Sox free-agent deal ever, but so far he has not moved the needle. Benintendi provides competent defense in left field and a good bat, but he has not made the White Sox significantly better. Now I am a fan of Benintendi and I liked the move, but it is a problem that he is our biggest free-agent splash ever. This has been indicative of Rick Hahn’s tenure as the Sox GM.
The Refusal To Spend Money
While Sox fans have had to decipher whether the lack of spending is on Rick Hahn or Jerry Reinsdorf. But, judging by the way the Bulls have been run, one can assume Jerry has a big role in limiting the spending. Regardless, Rick Hahn still has a job to do, and with the funds he has been given, he has not done much with it.
Hahn has given an insane amount of money to a bullpen that has ranked last in the league, paid Dallas Keuchel a lot of money to stink, and has refused to fix the second base position. These are just the notable problems that have plagued the Sox as of late.
Under Hahn, the White Sox have given out a lot of bad contracts to players who would be useless for the Sox. Adam Eaton, Yonder Alonso, Adam LaRoche, and the list goes on. His track record in free agency has not been great and he has lost a lot of fans with those moves.
Even more so as of late, he has refused to invest in good depth for this injury-prone team. Instead, he relies on bounce-back seasons and good health. For this team specifically, that is a recipe for disaster. Instead of spending money on solid bench pieces that will inevitably play because of injury, he always picks from the bargain bin.
Hahn Has Also Drafted Poorly
Another reason the fans are not happy is the track record of Rick Hahn’s drafting. There is not a lot of homegrown talent on this team. The two notable players that were drafted by the Sox are Tim Anderson and Andrew Vaughn. Other than that, the drafting has been poor. Garrett Crochet could be a nice piece, but he has had injury issues.
Since taking over as general manager in 2012, the White Sox have had little to no luck in the draft. As GM, he has had 12 first-round picks. Two of those never touched a major league team. Five of them are no longer with the Sox. Andrew Vaughn, Tim Anderson, Garrett Crochet, and Jake Burger are the only first-round picks on this team still. Colson Montgomery looks promising, but he is still young.
I understand drafting is one of the more difficult parts of the game, but he still has not done well with some high-level draft picks. If the team was built for more success, then people would not care. They are ranked as one of the worst farm systems in baseball and don’t look great at the major league level either.
While it may be time for Rick Hahn to be fired, with Jerry as the owner that is very unlikely. Perhaps a promotion is in order like they did with Kenny Williams. If they do decide to make a GM move, I pray that it is from outside the organization.
Hopefully it turns out like the Blackhawks did 15 years ago. The penny pinching owner dies and new ownership gets the team back in shape. I know Rocky was his Dad’s son and that is showing up now, but when he first took over the Blackhawks won 3 titles. Same needs to happen to the White Sox
JI
Hahn needs to go and take the owner with him!
Needs a total reboot starting with ownership. Get an owner with money, a GM from the Yankee or Dodger system, a whole new scouting department and a whole new development department. It’s my favorite all-time team in any sport but they are losing me.
It looked good several years ago when Hahn was making trades and signing young, promising players to team friendly contracts.
It hasn’t panned out.
And as this article correctly points out, the Sox having nothing to offset it – young ascending talent through the draft or the desire to spend big money on proven talent.
This is very concerning for Sox fans.
Not so much for ownership.