Is Jerry Reinsdorf preparing to sell the White Sox?

Simply invoking Jerry’s name will get groans from most Sox (and Bulls) fans, but I’m not here to talk shit about him being a bad owner. I’m not a fan of his methods, but there are about a billion articles about that so no need to add to the pile. I’m merely here to ponder a question that I keep thinking about as the business side of baseball continues to be the larger focus for the White Sox this season: Is Jerry prepping to sell?

The Off-Season

Probably the biggest news of the off-season was the talk of building a White Sox stadium in the South Loop at the 78. He made a big deal about how this would keep the team in Chicago, but it would be shocking if the other MLB owners allowed a team to leave a market as gigantic as Chicago. What is more likely is that a brand new stadium paid for by the state and city would inflate the value of the team. A team whose on-field product is certainly not driving up the cost.

Additionally in the off-season, the White Sox did very little in terms of acquiring free agents. And pretty much everything they did in that arena were short 1-2 year contracts. This on its own feels like cost cutting when you know you’re not going to compete. But these two combined start to make me wonder if handling the stadium business and clearing the roster for 2025 could mean that something more immediate is on the horizon.

And speaking of Stadium business, Sliver Chalice (which Jerry owns) took back over full control of Stadium Network towards the end of last year. As noted by a huge FromThe108 fan:

“This is how a franchise or network ultimately owns its audience instead of leasing the audience, which is the current linear RSN model,” Brooks Boyer (CEO, Silver Chalice Ventures) said.

The New TV Deal

The possible TV deal with the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox all going to Stadium is interesting. Though it’s not a huge surprise since their current deal with NBC Sports Chicago ends this year

Side note: Stadium’s current streaming online has a comments section. I can only imagine what that would look like with the current White Sox.

Back to the tv deal. Sewing up the deal so there is one less thing for a new owner to worry about and/or question as they’re buying does two things:

1. It provides a more concrete number for tv revenue.
2. It adds another piece available for purchase, a portion of ownership on the network the team plays on

I assume that Michael Reinsdorf will continue in his role with the Bulls and eventually own them with his siblings. So I don’t think the whole network would be for sale. However, even a part ownership as part of the deal will again increase the valuation.

Most of the people I talk to think that Reinsdorf passing away is the only way the team changes hands. To me though, there is just something about all of these things in short succession that seem like more than it’s being made out to be. It even puts things like the hiring of Chris Getz in a different light as the next owner wouldn’t feel it as much of a permanent situation, unlike they would if a major search had happened and a big money GM was brought in. Like all of the business side is being tidied up, while the baseball side is an “under construction” page on a website.

-Chorizy-E

Join us in Milwaukee as we tailgate with Sox Machine and the Chicago Sports Bums.

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