The White Sox have fired Ken Williams and Rick Hahn.
The team announced Tuesday that Williams, executive vice president, and Hahn, senior vice president/general manager, were relieved of their duties effective immediately.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision for me to make because they are both talented individuals with long-term relationships at the White Sox,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Ken is like a son to me, and I will always consider him a member of my family. I want to personally thank Ken and Rick for all they have done for the Chicago White Sox, winning the 2005 World Series and reaching the postseason multiple times during their tenures. I have nothing but the greatest respect for them as people and appreciate the commitment and passion for the White Sox they exhibited over the years.”
The Sox will begin a search for a single decision maker to lead the baseball operations department and anticipate having an individual in place by the end of the season. The organization embarked on a rebuild in 2016 that failed, leading to two postseason championships but having a significant decline in the last two seasons.
The Sox are 49-76 entering their game against the Mariners Tuesday.
“Ultimately, the well-worn cliche that professional sports is results-oriented is correct,” Reinsdorf said. “While we have enjoyed successes as an organization and were optimistic heading into the competitive window of this rebuild, this year has proven to be very disappointing for us all on many levels. This has led me to the conclusion that the best decision for the organization moving forward is to make a change in our baseball department leadership.”
Williams was in his 11th season as executive vice president with the Sox after serving as the club’s general manager for 12 seasons. The Sox won the 2005 World Series under his guidance as general manager.
Hahn served as the Sox general manager for the past 11 seasons, leading the Sox to consecutive postseason appearances in 2020 as a wild card and 2021 as AL Central champions.