Each spring, The Athletic hosts an anonymous players survey in an effort to get an idea of the perceptions of teams and players around the league. The survey is issued between Spring Training and June 1st, and players are granted anonymity to promote honesty in their answers.
After surveying more than 100 players, The Athletic has released this year's results, and for the Chicago White Sox, it’s as brutal as expected.
Players share poor opinions of the White Sox
Coming off a record-setting 121-loss season, it’s expected that the White Sox would not be received positively around the league, and the results of the survey reflected just that.
One question on the survey asked responders if there are any organizations in baseball that have a good or bad reputation among players. Players were allowed to submit more than one answer, so there were 241 total responses. The White Sox were one of nine teams that received zero positive votes, and they got 31 negative votes.
Only the Athletics, notorious for trading away their best players and blaming the fans for their low payroll, received more negative votes (39) than the White Sox.
Players were also given the opportunity to make comments anonymously about their votes. One player gave an honest description of the organization, stating: “It’s just a dumpster fire through and through." Another asked a fair question: “They just lost the most games in history. I mean, why would you want to join that team right now?"
White Sox still have organizational dysfunction
The dysfunction of the White Sox organization in recent years is no secret. Just this past offseason, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal released a damning report on the state of the organization, including testimony from former players and staff. Players described the White Sox as being more like a “family business” than a professional baseball team, and the team lagged behind the rest of the league in everything from analytics to upgrading their team plane.
Players celebrated leaving the White Sox and joining a more competent organization, and it’s given Chicago a reputation that has made attracting prized players incredibly difficult. If players have options, they rarely choose the White Sox.
Losing 121 games in 2024 isn’t the problem, it’s merely the result of deeper problems that have haunted this organization for years.
White Sox are making progress
Over the past two years, it seems like progress has been made. White Sox GM Chris Getz has been given sole authority over baseball operations, an organizational structure that is much more clear than what we had in the chaotic era of Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn.
One of the first moves Getz made was put together a committee to evaluate the organization’s procedures from top to bottom. That committee has reportedly provided owner Jerry Reinsdorf with a number of suggestions that will be implemented over the next several years.
Bringing in well-respected manager Will Venable, as well as hiring Brian Bannister and Ryan Fuller to oversee the pitching and hitting respectively has been a step in the right direction. But the biggest step forward was the recent news that billionaire Justin Ishbia has an agreement in place to take control of the White Sox sometime between 2029 and 2034.
Justin Ishbia and his brother, Mat, are known as aggressive in their business ventures. It's an ownership group that will do what it takes to get the White Sox back on the map.
Sox still have a long way to go
Despite all the positive steps taken by Chris Getz and others, the dark cloud of 2024 still hangs over the White Sox organization, and with another last place finish imminent in 2025, it’s obvious that there’s a long way to go to change the league-wide perception.
Improved process will eventually lead to improved results, but development isn’t always linear, and it may take some time.
MLB players want to see the White Sox making strides both on and off the field before they begin to take them seriously again. Well-run organizations don’t always win, but poorly-run ones never do. If the White Sox want to be highly regarded as an organization again, it starts with winning. Winning cures all, and hopefully it’s only a matter of time before the results on the field match the improved processes.
It’s been a hard few years to be a White Sox fan, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. For now though, there’s still a long way to go and all we can do is hope for better days.