Chicago White Sox GM spews condescension to defend mediocrity

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has been operating in his role for the past ten seasons and for someone who has overseen a team that has zero postseason series victories in that timespan, Hahn speaks as someone who foolishly deserves the benefit of the doubt.

It seems like a near certainty that Hahn’s White Sox will not break their steak of postseason incompetence this season and that had led to speculation that the team’s new manager, Pedro Grifol, may be out after one season on the job. Hahn met with reporters and snapped back at those rumors. 

"“Apparently, there was a very well-respected out-of-town reporter speculating about Pedro’s job security on a local sports station,” Hahn said. “…This underperformance that we’ve had so far or any of the issues we’ve had thus far in this season is not on Pedro and on the coaching staff. I don’t think we could have been more clear about that.”-Rick Hahn via NBC Sports Chicago"

The White Sox season is spiraling out of control and it began on Sunday when Grifol got defensive over the questioning of his putting the team’s best hitter, Jake Burger, eighth in the lineup. Hahn, whose condescension has routinely been a deflector during his press conferences, has no answers. 

"“I don’t have the answer for that, in all candor,” Hahn said. “It’s not for lack of individual confidence. It’s not for lack of support from the staff. It’s not from lack of communication about expectations and what we feel guys are capable of doing. It’s been, again, we have been digging ourselves out of a hole for a while now and it’s a little tough to have that edge when you are swimming upstream.’Rick Hahn via Daily Herald"

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn sounds unhinged in his latest media scrum.

The White Sox lack accountability. That is why Hahn feels comfortable with his smug responses and is more irritated by a report from a national reporter as opposed to the disappointing roster that he has put together.

Eventually, likely this off-season, the question of “What are the White Sox doing here?” will need to be answered.

If that answer is the firing of Hahn and nothing else, that will not solve matters either. From the top down, the White Sox need a restructure. The sole firing of Grifol is not the answer. The firing of Hahn isn’t the answer either as Kenny Williams and Jerry Reinsdorf will attempt another “solve-all” managerial hire to try and preserve as core that is not going to have sustained success at the Major League level.