Billionaire Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, 88, in ‘active discussions’ to sell the team after historically bad season
The Chicago White Sox might be up for sale after garnering the worst regular-season record in Major League Baseball history, as billionaire Jerry Reinsdorf is in ‘active discussions’ to find new owners.
The 88-year-odl Reinsdorf is shopping the team to a group led by former major-leaguer Dave Stewart, per The Athletic.
Reinsdorf bought the White Sox for around $20million in 1981 and is MLB’s second-longest tenured owner behind the Steinbrenner family, who bought the Yankees in 1973.
Reinsdorf is the team’s majority owner with 19 percent of the team under his control, per Forbes. All of that stock is reported to be part of the discussions.
Stewart stated earlier this year that he wanted to bring an MLB team to Nashville. It is unclear if he becomes the majority owner of the White Sox whether relocation plans would be in the works.
Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is reportedly looking to sell his baseball team
The White Sox finished 2024 with a 41-121 record, the most losses in a single MLB season in history.
The Windy City has two MLB franchises in its city, with the Cubs on the city’s north side and the White Sox stadium located a few miles south of downtown Chicago.
Nashville is already home to the Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Sounds play home games at 10,000-seat First Horizon Park, meaning a new ballpark would have to be built should any move to Nashville happen for a professional franchise.
Reinsdorf has also been the majority owner of the Chicago Bulls since 1985, one year after the team drafted Michael Jordan.
The White Sox have a lease to play at Guaranteed Rate Field through 2029. Reports have surfaced in the past about Reinsdorf considering erecting a stadium in suburban Chicago or moving the team elsewhere.
Under Reinsdorf’s ownership, the team threatened to move to Tampa Bay before it moved into its publicly-funded current home, then-known as Comiskey Park in 1991. MLB then awarded Tampa with an expansion franchise, the Rays.