Chicago White Sox News: Should Rick Hahn Be Fired?

The Chicago White Sox were expected to compete for a division title in 2023. Instead, they are playing terrible baseball.

This year was supposed to be the culmination of a rebuild. Instead, the Sox’s championship window might be closing.

Understandably, many people are calling for Hahn to be fired.

The Sox’s win-loss record during his tenure is not good. But when evaluating the record one has to account for the years that the Sox were intentionally bad as they set up the rebuild.

Another factor to take into account — if Hahn is fired and the front office cleaned out at the end of this season, how does a new regime approach things going forward?

This is not a defense of Hahn. I am not arguing that he should stay. I am saying, however, that firing Hahn isn’t as simple a solution as it seems.

A lot depends on how you, the outside observer, feel about the talent level of the players Hahn acquired. Are these players talented but underachieving? Or are they not as talented as we were told they would be?

If you believe that most of the players Hahn acquired are not talented, then it’s an easy decision to fire him. If you believe that they do have talent but aren’t playing up to it, the question is more complex. You must then figure out why they aren’t playing to their potential.

Is it a managerial issue? The Sox have had three managers during the rebuild. Two — Tony La Russa and Pedro Grifol — were supposed to be the field boss that would help this team succeed. By all accounts, Hahn was sort of forced into hiring La Russa by team ownership. However, Grifol is his choice. So Hahn is at least partly on the hook if the current coaching staff isn’t very good.

Is it an injury issue? Injuries happen and can cause a talented team to struggle. But if there’s a lack of organizational depth, that’s on Hahn. If there is organizational mismanagement of injured players — such as playing guys when they are hurt and should rest — that is partly on Hahn. Especially if the manager is playing injured guys because the replacements aren’t good.

Should Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn be fired?

Yes, it’s not Rick Hahn’s fault when a player makes an error. It’s not Rick Hahn’s fault if the coaching staff isn’t lining the defense up correctly, not helping hitters take a better approach at the plate, or not helping pitchers avoid giving up walks.

I personally believe that most of the players Hahn acquired during this rebuild — Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Andrew Vaughn, Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets, and others — have talent. But if that talent isn’t developing properly, that falls on the organization as a whole, not just the major-league coaching staff. That would be on Hahn.

On the other hand, if Hahn is fired, how does the mess get cleaned up? Does the team go into a deep rebuild for another 3-5 years? On yet the other hand, can Hahn and Kenny Williams be trusted with another rebuild? Can they be trusted to fix this rebuild on the fly by making trades at the deadline and during the winter that will allow this team to compete in 2024 and 2025?

The evidence suggests the Sox should lean towards firing Hahn and anyone else in the front office who has failed to shepherd this rebuild to success. That arguably could include Williams, too. But as much as Sox fans want to see a change that will lead to competitive success, we should be careful to remember that if Hahn is axed, it is unlikely that things will instantly improve.

Whether Hahn stays or goes, it’s likely that this failed rebuild isn’t going to be fixed before next season or even 2025. As fans, we should be sad and angry about that.

On the other hand, perhaps a change will point this franchise in the right direction. Finally.