What if I told you that Major League Baseball is in relatively good health right now?
The league’s attendance is rising, thanks in part to the faster, more action-oriented gameplay brought by new rules. The presence of generational stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, along with a return to better competitive balance after a sluggish period in the 2010s, also contributes positively.
However, there are the Chicago White Sox and other franchises struggling due to poor ownership.
Under Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox aren’t just a bad team; with 120 losses, they currently tie with the 1962 New York Mets for the worst record in MLB’s modern era. To avoid setting that record, they must win all five remaining games.
According to Baseball Reference, the entire 2024 roster has a value of 4.7 WAR, which is less than 20 individual hitters. Even doubling that number wouldn’t reach figures like Bobby Witt Jr. (9.4) or Aaron Judge (10.4).
Interestingly, while the White Sox are the only 100-loss team in MLB at the moment, the Miami Marlins (99) and Colorado Rockies (97) could also join this group by the end of the regular season. This would mark the sixth consecutive season featuring at least three 100-loss teams, a rarity that occurred twice between 1966 and 2017.
This trend suggests a troubling indifference among MLB’s wealthy owners, but for the White Sox, the issue is incompetence.
Reinsdorf’s Unremarkable Reign on the South Side
It’s fair to say that Jerry Reinsdorf has succeeded in business.
After amassing a fortune in real estate during the 1970s, the 88-year-old bought the White Sox and the NBA’s Chicago Bulls in the 1980s. Together, these teams have won seven championships and are currently valued by Forbes at 2.1billion and∗∗4.6 billion, respectively.
However, as a baseball owner, it is equally fair to assert that Reinsdorf is Very Bad At This.
How many White Sox players does it take to catch a ball?
Apparently not enough. 😬
(🎥: @NBCSWhiteSox) pic.twitter.com/HktvUzyEUv
— theScore (@theScore) September 25, 2024
The 2005 World Series win marked a historic moment, being the White Sox’s first championship since 1917. Yet overall, the team’s winning percentage under Reinsdorf sits at .495, slightly lower than the .502 they achieved before his takeover in 1981.
Additionally, while the franchise’s valuation may sound impressive, it comes with an asterisk. The Chicago Cubs sold for only ** $ 2 million** more than what Reinsdorf purchased the White Sox for in 1981, but the Cubs are now worth twice as much.
Reinsdorf is also responsible for the uninspired design and execution of Guaranteed Rate Field, which reflects the team’s lackluster reputation. More than ever, he is synonymous with the listlessness that has driven the team into decline.
Throughout the 21st century, he has shown a lack of imagination, retaining the same front office for two decades before hiring Chris Getz as a replacement for the previous regime, including Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn.
Reports suggest the team might repeat this strategy with interim manager Grady Sizemore, whose winning percentage (.225) is even worse than that of Pedro Grifol (.239) before his dismissal, representing the White Sox’s peculiar decision-making.
In 2021, Reinsdorf infamously intervened to hire Tony La Russa as manager, bypassing the front office’s choice of A.J. Hinch. This decision not only demonstrated Reinsdorf’s loyalty to past figures but also his disregard for modern analytical approaches, as exemplified by Hinch.
“You got a baseball fan owner who thinks he knows everything, and maybe he did in 1992,” remarked a former White Sox employee. “But the amount of info has skyrocketed in the last 30 years, and he’s put his middle finger up at that.”
Reinsdorf’s genuine love for baseball—he stated in 2023, “it’s in my blood”—is perhaps his best trait as an owner, but given the poor results, it becomes an almost useless quality.
Regardless of whether he decides to sell the team or pass it on to his sons, the franchise has been worse for having experienced his ownership.
Reinsdorf Is Not Alone on Bad Owner Island
As depressing as the White Sox are, it’s a mercy that their story is also inherently comedic. Heck, even their social media department is finding lulz in the Ls.
By contrast, there’s nothing funny about the other ownership-authored tale of woe in baseball this year.
What John Fisher hath wrought on the Oakland Athletics is a long story, but suffice it to say that it’s basically the plot of Major League sans the triumphant ending. For all his “Rooted in Oakland” rhetoric, he began looking for a way out of Oakland as soon he first acquired a stake in the A’s in 2005. His tactics pissed off basically everyone, even including a fellow nepo-billionaire owner of a once-great Oakland sports franchise in Mark Davis.
Fisher will, at last, get his wish when the A’s relocate to Las Vegas in 2028. But he can only hope a loving fanbase will be waiting there with open arms, lest he come to be haunted by all the crud. People don’t forget fire sales followed by raised ticket prices at a crumbling stadium.
In short, Fisher isn’t fooling anyone with that eyeroll-worthy letter he sent out on Monday.
Dear John,
With all due respect, which is more than you likely deserve, save it. Be an adult. Get in front of a camera and say it with your chest. Releasing a letter, clearly written by someone else, and including a bunch of names you DEFINITELY do not know, is just… pic.twitter.com/3nOOC9xBit
— Trevor May (@IamTrevorMay) September 23, 2024
Yet even if Fisher is king of the hill among MLB owners who see fans as easy marks for patronization or outright punishment, he’s not alone in the bracket. Consider:
Castellini Family, Cincinnati Reds: That one guy genuinely thought “Where are you going to go?” was a smart remark.
John Henry, Boston Red Sox: Blames Red Sox fans for the high expectations he himself established.
Christopher Ilitch, Detroit Tigers: Hesitant to spend like his father did.
Greg Johnson, San Francisco Giants: Known for his statement about “our goal is to somewhat break even.”
Dick Monfort, Colorado Rockies: Once showed excitement for a .500 record.
Arte Moreno, Los Angeles Angels: Generally clueless about his decision-making.
Bob Nutting, Pittsburgh Pirates: Allegedly content with mediocrity.
Tom Ricketts, Chicago Cubs: A big-market owner who views big payrolls and star players as optional.
Bruce Sherman, Miami Marlins: Acquired the team from Jeffrey Loria but continues to manage it in a similar fashion.
John Stanton, Seattle Mariners: Appears comfortable targeting 85 wins each season.
Hal Steinbrenner, New York Yankees: Owns MLB’s most valuable franchise but claims financial constraints regardless.
Despite these challenges, Major League Baseball is currently in a good position, which is both promising and precarious.
Ultimately, it is the fans who determine the sport’s vitality. The more fans there are, and the more engaged they become, the healthier the league will be. The assumption that fans will always be there should not be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, many owners are currently assuming just that.
Must Bad Ownership Be Inevitable?
The improvement in competitive balance might be intentional.
The collective bargaining agreement implemented in 2022 includes provisions aimed at preventing teams from intentionally performing poorly. The draft lottery is a key element, along with incentives to deter service time manipulation. Despite some flaws, the expanded 12-team playoff also encourages more teams to compete.
However, the ongoing issue of 100-loss teams and a general atmosphere of half-hearted ownership indicates there is still room for improvement.
Discussions around a salary floor will likely arise. Other proposals could include a fantasy-style draft order and reducing the amount of time young players need to serve before qualifying for free agency. Such measures could discourage the outdated tactic of merely stockpiling cheap young talent, potentially revitalizing front office creativity, where groupthink often prevails.
Even with these measures, can we expect bad ownership to disappear? Can MLB really hope to legislate against owners like Reinsdorf, who seem indifferent to wins and losses, or Fisher, who is focused solely on profits?
Probably not, unless MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the 30 owners actively agree to hold each other accountable. One might imagine a scenario where the commissioner has the power to remove owners with excessive losses or those consistently under-spending on payroll.
However, that scenario is unlikely.
The last time Major League Baseball forced an owner out was in 2011, when Bud Selig pushed Frank McCourt to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers, due to financial inability.
Is there a precedent? Sure, but it doesn’t apply to today’s bad owners, whose revenues continue to rise while player costs have just started increasing after years of stagnation. In this context, it would take a significant failure for an owner to lose enough money to necessitate action from the commissioner.
Rather than indulging in unrealistic ideas, it’s more practical to accept that once someone gains sufficient wealth and influence to purchase a baseball team, their financial and social status is likely to expand, regardless of their mismanagement.
Consequently, fans dealing with bad ownership will continue to face the same two choices they’ve always had: either stop watching or keep watching and hope to avoid experiencing 120 losses.
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