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White Sox: Ken Williams Should be on the Hot Seat

By Matt Manetti

Jul 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams during ceremonies to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at U.S Cellular Field. Kansas City won 7-6 in 13 innings. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams during ceremonies to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship prior to a game against the Kansas City Royals at U.S Cellular Field. Kansas City won 7-6 in 13 innings. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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The White Sox desperately need to make changes in their front office. Ken Williams has been with the organization since 2000 but has failed to produce results. If they have another losing season, they should have no choice but to cut him loose.

The Chicago White Sox have had the same front office in place for a long time. There is a lot of blame to go around but executive vice president Ken Williams should shoulder most of it. After giving the day-to-day operations of general manager to Rick Hahn, he has become nothing but a distraction. Because of this, the organization is in turmoil and needs a change. Williams should be handed his walking papers if this team has a repeat of 2016 next season.

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The main problem I have with Williams is he is not allowing Hahn to run the team. Last time I checked, Hahn is the general manager and Williams is executive vice president. However, he still thinks he’s in charge of baseball operations, even though he was promoted because he didn’t want to handle those responsibilities.

Still, Jerry Reinsdorf let’s him run around and do whatever he wants, at the expense of the organization. According to reports, one of the key reasons the Sox didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline was because Williams didn’t want to. He seems to have a lot of power for someone who supposedly has no say in baseball operations.

The arrangement would be different if both men could actually work together. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have a phenomenal relationship in the Cubs front office. But we don’t see that with Williams and Hahn. It always seem like they have to cover for each other and make it seem like they’re on the same page. When your two top executives don’t agree on the direction of the team, you definitely have a problem.

We can’t entirely blame this on Williams and Hahn. Reinsdorf should shoulder some blame, as well, for enabling this to happen. It doesn’t seem like he’s concerned about winning. If he was, he wouldn’t let Williams run amuck with the organization. Because he does, the Sox have become a joke. The front office doesn’t have baseball guys making the decisions. The only reason Williams still has a job is because he’s one of Jerry’s guys. The Sox front office is full of yes men, who don’t dare tell Reinsdorf he’s going in the wrong direction.

It’s sad to say, but it might be best the Sox struggle in 2017. It’ll be a long season for fans, but maybe that’ll open ownership’s eyes to the real problems facing this team. They have some talent, but they don’t have smart baseball people making the decisions. They need a breath of fresh air and really need to start over. Getting rid of Williams will allow this organization to bring in an energetic young executive, who can help mold this team for the future.

Next: David Robertson Has Surgery

As long as Williams is around, this team will always be subpar. Jerry, do the fans a favor and can this guy. Let’s stop living in 2005 and get this team back on track so we can actually watch some good baseball on the South Side.

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