So far, the MLB Winter Meetings have been mostly quiet as the baseball world waits with bated breath to see where Shoehei Ohtani will sign. Ironically, the Chicago White Sox were the more active Windy City team on Tuesday by signing pitcher Erick Fedde. On Wednesday, reports surfaced indicating White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was active on another front and met with Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell.
During the White Sox' downward spiral to end the 2023 season, reports indicated that Reinsdorf was potentially exploring a move to Nashville. Reinsdorf later shot down those rumors but added that now is the time to start looking at plans for the team's future home as the White Sox' lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires after the 2028 season.
As a result, fans speculated that Reinsdorf's meeting with O'Connell could involve potential relocation talks, though the nature of their discussions is unknown.
Regardless, Reinsdorf doesn't have a good track record with the fan base, to put it lightly. From clumsily addressing the August incident of gunshots inside the stadium to enabling a poor product on the field, Reinsdorf has little to no trust from the South Side faithful. Furthermore, the threat of relocation was a tactic Reinsdorf deployed the last time the White Sox needed a new stadium.
Meeting with O'Connell doesn't mean Reinsdorf is actively looking to move the White Sox to Nashville years down the road. But it has stirred up White Sox fans, who have been conditioned to assume the worst due to the organization's subpar operations under Reinsdorf and drastic downfall in recent years.
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