The Chicago White Sox fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn, effective immediately, the team announced Tuesday with a news release and social media post.
The White Sox began the day with a 49-76 record, 16 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins. They played host to the Seattle Mariners later Tuesday.
The organization went through a stated rebuild in the past decade, culminating in playoff appearances in both 2020 and 2021, but won a total of only two postseason games during those years. The White Sox went 81-81 last season before cratering this year amidst dysfunction within the clubhouse.
Williams was with the team since 1992, working his way up in various roles, including general manager. He oversaw the team that won the 2005 World Series before being promoted to executive vice president in 2012. That’s the same year the team promoted Hahn to general manager.
The team failed to make the postseason those first five years under Hahn before embarking on a rebuilding effort not long after the Cubs did the same on the other side of town. The White Sox’s rebuild produced a trove of young talent, but the parts were always better than the sum as they failed to find balance within their lineup or produce a good defensive team.
The team also cycled through managers, promoting Rick Renteria in 2017 before he was replaced by Tony La Russa, who came out of retirement in 2021. The team won the AL Central by 13 games that season but regressed in 2022 before La Russa retired again due to health concerns. Former Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol was hired last November, but his first season has been marred by poor play, an in-game fight with the Cleveland Guardians, and a clubhouse that former White Sox relief pitcher Keynan Middleton alleged earlier this month had “no rules.”
The release indicated the White Sox will begin a search for a “single decisionmaker” to lead the baseball operations department, and hope to have an individual in place by the end of the season.