Levine: White Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf Wants Answers, Better Results
Bruce Levine --
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man isn't happy, and therefore no one else in the White Sox organization can be feeling very good about anything that has occurred on the field for the 2015 team.
The man is team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. The maddening, underachieving White Sox have been a huge disappointment for all involved, including the boss, as they entered play Tuesday sitting at 65-71.
"Jerry is very, very focused on not only what's happened over the last six months here," general manager Rick Hahn said. "He was obviously heavily invested and heavily involved in the offseason putting this together. What is more important to him is where this is headed and what our plan is."
Reinsdorf anted up $120 million in payroll commitment to back the vision of Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams in the offseason following 2014.
The club invested both money and players to bring in what they believed would be a championship-caliber group of players. The owner will decide if the coaching staff, players or decision-makers themselves bear responsibility for the consistently inconsistent results.
"He is communicating very openly and directly about where we have fallen short in his opinion," Hahn insisted. "He has related his thoughts about getting better and wanting to hear our thoughts on what we are going to do."
The White Sox will have a tall order to rid themselves of some heavy contracts that might not work for them with their future vision of the 25-man roster. Reinsdorf, who's a fan as well as a vested party, won't stand pat, nor will his executives moving toward the near future. I asked Hahn what the marching orders are moving forward for him.
"Well it is to get this right as quickly as possible," Hahn said. "It is to put us in position to win, ideally, multiple World Series as quickly as possible. In terms of specific payroll and other specifics, it is premature for that."
What's not premature is the fact that Reinsdorf is approaching his 80th birthday. That he wants the best for now and the future for his franchise is a given. With a solid base of young starting pitching on the roster, a total tear-down like the crosstown Cubs planned for three years seems unlikely.
"He wants to hear what we have in mind to get this thing right as soon as possible, " Hahn said of Reinsdorf. "He is very focused on that."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
