(670 The Score) With his White Sox mired in a disastrous 7-18 start, general manager Rick Hahn took the brunt of the blame for the organization's struggles.
"Put it on me," Hahn said Thursday afternoon. "That's the job. That's the absolute gig. Put it on me. Put it on me. I'll tell you this, let's make it real clear: It sure as heck isn't on (first-year manager) Pedro (Grifol) and his coaching staff. They are doing everything in their power to prepare, to focus on what's controllable and what's fixable, addressing the problems as they arise and really doing everything in their power to get this thing right. So it's absolutely not on the manager or the coaches. Ultimately, it's the players who play the game and when they don't achieve at the level we've projected, they certainly bear a level of responsibility for that. But at the end of the day, the people who put the players on the roster and put them on the field are the ones that bear the responsibility if that group doesn't achieve. And that's me. That's fine."
The White Sox have lost seven straight games entering play Thursday evening, when they'll host the MLB-leading Rays. The White Sox are already seven games back of the AL Central-leading Twins. Chicago ranks 22nd in MLB in runs per game (3.84) and 29th in team ERA (5.62).
As NBC Sports Chicago analyst Ozzie Guillen put it the other day, the White Sox are capable of losing in many, many different ways, which has added to their woes.
"We're all extremely frustrated and disappointed with how we've started here," Hahn said. "I will say despite the start, there remains a very strong focus in that clubhouse, both in the coaches' room and in the players' side of the locker room on getting this thing right and a belief that this group can get things right. At the end of the day, that comes with winning ballgames, and that has to start soon. We have to start digging ourselves out of this hole that we've created for ourselves, as soon as possible.
"The attitude and the approach down there remain consistent with what was set in spring training, and the goals remain unchanged."
Hahn acknowledged the White Sox have let their fans down in a big way.
"We're upset," Hahn said. "We're feeling every emotion in the book, ranging from rage to disappointment. And we've done perhaps the exact opposite of what we set out to do in terms of regaining our fans' confidence and trust in what we're about here. At the end of the day, we have to win. That's the way we're going to earn this back. We can sit here and talk about how it's early. We can sit here and talk about all these other teams that have had rough starts but still turned it around and even won World Series after those rough starts. But in the end, it's not going to matter unless we start winning ballgames, and we have the opportunity to start doing that tonight. And the focus and the commitment remain strong. But when you say we need to earn this back on the field, we know we're doing quite the opposite of that. And we still have that important not just hole in the standings to dig out from but hole in terms of regaining our fans' trust. We completely understand that and more than just empathize with the emotions they're feeling. We're living it day and day out, so we absolutely understand any frustration, dissatisfaction or finger pointing even that's coming from outside the organization. We absolutely get it."
Despite the White Sox's ugly start, their goals remain the same in Hahn's mind. He also proclaimed he still believes in his group.
"At the end, the goal is to return to the level of competitiveness with the World Series aspirations that we felt we able to potentially fulfill as an organization a few months back and to that extended period that you referenced," Hahn said. "It doesn't do any of us sitting here today any good as a club – again, media, fans, have at it, do what you've got to do – it doesn't do us as a club sitting here tonight trying to win ballgames and right this ship with this current group to try to dig back to when did this potentially start, whether it was the second half of '21 or portions of last year.
"The focus is getting is right for '23, and then if changes need to be made after '23 or at some point later in the season, assessing when the right time to make those changes are."
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