Jerry Reinsdorf open to selling the White Sox per Britt Ghiroli

[ScootsMcGoots]

9 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

So a new owner is going to pay the Chicago market price to buy the team and then move it to a market significantly smaller hurting the value of the purchase. 

Brilliant logic all around. 

And if they can't get the funding for a stadium in Chicago, how the hell do they think they'll get it elsewhere?

[Lip Man 1]

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

The Jeter thing definitely didn't work in Miami, and we'll see about Alex Rodriguez...that was for another sport other than baseball after some of his initial attempts failed.  They jury is still out, he was working with at least one major investment partner there.

Wasn't it the T-Wolves?

 

Even Tom Brady only has 10% of the Raiders now, for example.

Then obviously you have MJ.

 

 

Where's Mellody Hobson and George Lucas on all this???

Don't they own 40% of the existing shares right now?

Looking to cash out, or increase their investment?

It was the Timberwolves. 

[Lip Man 1]

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

Wasn't TLR also labelled a "consultant" on that situation in Nashville, or was he also considered part of the investment group?

I never saw his official title just that he was helping Stewart and his group. 

[WhiteSox2023]

@Balta1701 posted this in the other thread yesterday, and then this news comes out today…

On 10/15/2024 at 5:18 PM, Balta1701 said:

I think no matter what, Jerry is going to take this to the wire with a full blown threat to move to Nashville. He knows what a sweet deal he got last time, he's going to follow the same game plan.

That just about sums it up IMO.

Edited yesterday at 02:54 AM by WhiteSox2023

[Lip Man 1]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/10/16/chicago-white-sox-jerry-reinsdorf-sale/

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

23 minutes ago, ScootsMcGoots said:

And if they can't get the funding for a stadium in Chicago, how the hell do they think they'll get it elsewhere?

Shame we can't bet on these things, because I'd bet NBB any amount of money that someone else is not going to buy the Chicago White Sox and then move them. That scenario makes zero sense. 

[CWSpalehoseCWS]

2 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Shame we can't bet on these things, because I'd bet NBB any amount of money that someone else is not going to buy the Chicago White Sox and then move them. That scenario makes zero sense. 

It makes sense only because it's Jerry. Dave Stewart connection to TLR who whispers lovely little unicorn and sugarplum thoughts into Jerry's ears. Jerry is massively internalized and only surrounds himself by YES men. Who knows how much is left up in that 88 year old brain to even make a smart business decision anymore? Tony tells Jerry this is good for baseball, and the "biggest fan out there" Jerry believes him. You've already got the perfect storm brewing:

(1) A all-time worst performance this season continues to damage attendance, season ticket holders, and revenue in a huge market dominated by the team up North.

(2) They're dropping payroll for the second straight year, which easily could make the team enticing for a new ownership group to want in.

(3) The state is not going to budge one inch on any sort of taxpayer funding for a new stadium, and the lease is expiring relatively soon.

The classic "spin" that Oakland used to convince MLB about the issues holding back their competitiveness exists with this organization, self-inflicted or not.

[Tnetennba]

And what happens when the state of Tennessee refuses to finance a new multibillion dollar baseball facility?

[Highland]

26 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

And what happens when the state of Tennessee refuses to finance a new multibillion dollar baseball facility?

This is a good question. And how would a new Sox ownership operate in Chicago with the fans thinking or knowing the team is going to be moved to Tennessee as soon as a stadium is built? The situation would be worse than Oakland giving MLB a huge black eye.

If this is nothing but a ploy, JR is hitting a new low. `Instead of speculating about some new players coming in to rebuild a sick team, we're talking about this nonsense. This is getting more than tiresome. This franchise is barely existing.

[Balta1701]

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

@Balta1701 posted this in the other thread yesterday, and then this news comes out today…

That just about sums it up IMO.

Here’s what I can’t get over - what’s the backup plan? 

He’s literally asking the state of Illinois to build him the most expensive ballpark in history, and he’s spent a year issuing threats to leave if they don’t cave.

if the politicians decline to play ball, has he not backed himself into such a corner as to guarantee a move? He can’t come back and suddenly be reasonable and put up his own money after 3 years of threats to leave.

[Highland]

4 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

Here’s what I can’t get over - what’s the backup plan? 

He’s literally asking the state of Illinois to build him the most expensive ballpark in history, and he’s spent a year issuing threats to leave if they don’t cave.

if the politicians decline to play ball, has he not backed himself into such a corner as to guarantee a move? He can’t come back and suddenly be reasonable and put up his own money after 3 years of threats to leave.

Since when have the Sox had a good backup plan? This is nothing but another fiasco further ruining the team's credibility. They just lost 121 games. Improve the damn team.

[Balta1701]

50 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

And what happens when the state of Tennessee refuses to finance a new multibillion dollar baseball facility?

It is only Jerry Reinsdorf’s arrogance and desire to soak and hurt the taxpayers of Illinois that requires a billion dollars in public funds to go to Jerry. 

If he was willing to finance a billion dollars using the fact that his teams financial status is amazing due to the last deal, and asked the state to put up like $500 million to prepare and assist with the site and to support it through tax breaks, I bet this deal is done and ground is breaking already. Furthermore, having the deal done would have instantly boosted his franchises value, and it would have gone up more as the ballpark approached completion. This would also be true for a team in Nashville, if they have the money to buy the team, they have the money for a stadium, and financing the stadium would be a sound decision for them.

But Jerry can’t tolerate this, even if it makes him money, because it doesn’t soak the taxpayers like he did last time. It’s either all or he walks, because that’s the kind of businessman he is. He is willing to sell the ball club for less than it would otherwise be worth because he has to punish politicians and taxpayers if they don’t bow before him.

[caulfield12]

49 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

And what happens when the state of Tennessee refuses to finance a new multibillion dollar baseball facility?

Didn't they just break records for public funding of the Titans' new stadium/facilities?

Seems hard to go do that well twice when football has 5X more the pull in that region of the country (compared to baseball) through tradition and geographical location in SEC territory.

Nashville and Memphis were "just" AA baseball markets for long periods as well...

[caulfield12]

https://soxmachine.com/2024/10/report-jerry-reinsdorf-open-to-selling-white-sox-in-discussions-with-dave-stewart/#comment-9181720

• "In 2021, the White Sox averaged about 68K viewers per game, to get the same total number of viewers would require 3% of the total Nashville metro population to tune into a game every night. It’s hard to imagine any MLB team being able to get that large of a percentage of viewership consistently.
• There are about 9M people in the total Chicago metro area, 68K viewers is about 0.7% of the total metro population, if a team in Nashville got the same percentage of viewers as the Sox got in 2021, they would be getting about 14K viewers.

I get that there’s a huge shift in the business model for TV and sports TV broadcasting, but Chicago just has more people than anywhere else."

From article comments...

[Chisoxfn]

Hopefully a legit buyer shows up based upon this league and the mlb owners force JR to sell to that person and drive it home - a legit deep pocket buyer with real money. Or if this is a ploy as it seems to be (although I know some of the minority owners have pushed/suggested it’s time to sell) it’s so pathetic that I hope at some point MLB just steps in and auctions this thing out - stay in Chicago - highest bid wins. 

[ron883]

6 hours ago, MikeKreevich said:

Oh hell no. 

Why the f*** wouldn't you want him? Billionaire owners who run them as vanity projects are the absolute best. 

[caulfield12]

What is the current Forbes valuation?

 

It seems like at one point it was around $2.2 billion, but right now $1.8-1.9 billion wouldn't be too shocking despite the Chicago media market, as the current broadcasting situation is a bit of a mess, to say the least.

Not to mention the worst record in baseball history, a so-so first round draft pick (as opposed to 1-1) and a minor league system bereft of much high-impact talent outside the Top 3-4 names.

Luis Robert because of his current contract is not a premium value, it's really Garrett Crochet who is the only (potentially) truly valuable piece of the current major league roster.

Plus the AL Central is on an upswing (at least currently) and you've got a....let's be generous and say a number twenty-something stadium of thirty, but one that likely would be replaced in the next 5-10 years by new ownership and/or public/government entities willing to partner with nearly anyone but JR.

[WhiteSox2023]

21 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

What is the current Forbes valuation?

 

It seems like at one point it was around $2.2 billion, but right now $1.8-1.9 billion wouldn't be too shocking despite the Chicago media market, as the current broadcasting situation is a bit of a mess, to say the least.

Not to mention the worst record in baseball history, a so-so first round draft pick (as opposed to 1-1) and a minor league system bereft of much high-impact talent outside the Top 3-4 names.

Luis Robert because of his current contract is not a premium value, it's really Garrett Crochet who is the only (potentially) truly valuable piece of the current major league roster.

Plus the AL Central is on an upswing (at least currently) and you've got a....let's be generous and say a number twenty-something stadium of thirty, but one that likely would be replaced in the next 5-10 years by new ownership and/or public/government entities willing to partner with nearly anyone but JR.

“According to Forbes, the Chicago White Sox are valued at $2.05 billion as of March 2024. This makes them the 15th most valuable team in Major League Baseball.”

[Lightly Folded]

Reinsdorf is a Bum. He’s not a real Chicagoan. He’s a Freaking born and raised New York Brooklyn jag. Reinsdorf is no different than his fellow New York scum of the earth Al Capone. Reinsdorf came to Chicago to get rich by feeding off the  taxpayers and blue collar working stiffs that Reinsdorf calls “suckers”. Nero had more class than this creep. What he has done and what he’s about to do to this multi century franchise is and has been the acts of a man with no appreciation or respect for the hard working people of the City Chicago. He has never cared about anything other than fleecing us of our tax dollars and our hard earned cash. Go back to New York, Jerry, where you belong.

[Dick Allen]

Considering JR doesn't like dealing with the press, isn't this a suspicious leak?  And to Dave Stewart, the guy JR was supposedly putting on a pedestal to the mayor of Nashville less than a year ago. JR said he would never move the team, but if he died, his son would owe his invertors. 

IMO, just another PR stunt that will blow up in JR's face. He just looks like a bigger ass now.

[Falstaff]

As a Sox fan, I was never a fan of Dave Stewart, he was on par with Hal McRae.  His arrest and tough guy act along with his high pitch voice made for some hilarious comments from fans. I still don't like him today for his comments back when he was with Oakland.

Edited 18 hours ago by Falstaff

[Highland]

It is hard being a White Sox fan.  I don't see the team improving that much. Contention is a long time away. JR only cares about his new stadium and television network. Forget the team.

[Texsox]

13 hours ago, greg775 said:

I hope they change their name. No Nashville White Sox b.s. Call em the Nashville Musicians.

The As have gone coast to coast with the name. Cardinals, Raiders, even the Utah Jazz have all kept their names. 

[Nokona]

If they go that's me done with the sport

[Falstaff]

I survived 2024 but if the Sox ever moved out of town or a group from Dubai bought the club I would be done with baseball.