(670 The Score) In a rare on-the-record media session, White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf on Thursday afternoon fired back at a Crain’s Chicago Business article that suggested he’s seriously looking to relocate the organization from the South Side.
The White Sox have six years left on their lease at Guaranteed Rate Field, which is owned by the Illinois Sports Facility Authority. If one is to believe Crain’s and other speculation across the industry, the White Sox are pondering a new location in the city or surrounding suburbs – and also could take the more drastic step of exploring a move to Nashville.
Reinsdorf pushed back at that.
“First of all, somebody at Crain’s decided that he wanted to write that the White Sox … have some options and they might move out of the city, they might move out of town, they might go to Nashville," Reinsdorf said during a media session in which he addressed the White Sox's promotion of assistant general manager Chris Getz to general manager. "That wasn’t us (saying that). That was a guy at Crain’s. Ever since the article came out, I’ve been reading about that I’ve been threatening to move the team to Nashville. That article didn’t come from me. But it’s obvious that if we have six years left (on the lease), I think that’s what it is, we’ve got to decide. What’s the future going to be? We’ll get to it. But I’ve never threatened to move out. We haven’t even begun to have discussions with the Sports Authority, which we will have to do soon.”
The White Sox have played on the South Side since they joined the American League in 1901, and their current stadium opened in 1991.