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The Chicago White Sox fired longtime executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn on Tuesday night as they neared the completion of a poor season. Both Williams and Hahn had spent more than two decades in the organization. Williams was the architect of the 2005 World Series championship squad, while Hahn had served as the club's general manager since 2013. 

The White Sox had made the postseason in both 2020 and 2021 after a decade-long absence from October. Alas, these last two seasons have qualified as disappointments. The White Sox finished last year with a .500 mark, good for a distant second place in a weak American League Central. That performance is aspirational compared to the 49-77 mark Chicago entered with on Wednesday. Should their pace hold the rest of the way, this will mark the third time since 2013 that the White Sox win fewer than 40% of their games.

"Ultimately, the well-worn cliché that professional sports is results-oriented is correct," owner Jerry Reinsdorf wrote in a team-issued statement. "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."  

Reinsdorf may not look far for his next general manager. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Tuesday that Chris Getz, the former utility infielder turned assistant general manager, is "expected to be named the next White Sox GM." Nightengale added that Dayton Moore, currently with the Texas Rangers after a lengthy stint as the GM of the Kansas City Royals, "could" join Getz in the White Sox front office ahead of next season. The White Sox are not expected to make any official announcements for at least several weeks.

Whomever the White Sox appoint as their next brain trust will have a challenge ahead of them if they're to ascend to the top of the AL Central again. For perspective on that, and who the White Sox might trade if their new management rebuilds, let's break down the talent in the organization.

Veterans

The White Sox were active at the deadline, shipping away a number of mainstays, including right-handers Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Joe Kelly. They're bound to shed more this winter, when catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder Elvis Andrus reach free agency. Shortstop Tim Anderson and right-hander Mike Clevinger also have outstanding club options.

It seems certain that the White Sox will enter next season with a lot of money tied up into unmovable veterans. Infielder Yoán Moncada, in the midst of a career-worst showing, is set to make nearly $25 million. Closer Liam Hendriks, who recently underwent Tommy John surgery, will make another $15 million. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi, signed last winter to the most lucrative deal in franchise history, will make $17 million. And so on.

In our estimation, the White Sox have three players making Real Money who could be traded this winter if the new management commits to a rebuild:

  • CF Luis Robert Jr.: Robert is, without a doubt, the most desirable player on the White Sox roster. He's a star, an all-around contributor who plays a good center field, signed for submarket prices through his age-29 campaign. Of course, those same reasons make him someone the White Sox may want to hold onto, lest they outright punt on being competitive at any point between now and the 2027 season. 
  • DH Eloy Jiménez: Some contenders showed interest in Jiménez at the deadline. Why not? He has top-notch raw strength and a track record of above-average hitting. Jiménez isn't much of a fielder -- indeed, he's a risk unto himself out there -- but he's a legitimate power source who'll play all of next season at age-27. He's also controllable through the 2026 season, including a pair of club options for the 2025-26 campaigns that combine for $34 million.
  • LHP Aaron Bummer: OK, maybe we're taking creative liberties here by suggesting Bummer makes "Real Money." He won't earn more than $21 million combined over the next three seasons, even if both of his club options are exercised. He's had a rough year from a surface-level perspective, but there are positive underlying indicators that should make him an interesting buy-low candidate for a team seeking relief help.

Otherwise? We wish Getz luck in dealing from his veteran group.

Arbitration eligible

Two notable members of the White Sox rotation will be entering their second years of arbitration eligibility this winter: Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech.

Cease has had a step-back season after finishing second in AL Cy Young Award balloting last winter. He'd still appeal to teams seeking potential frontline starters. Kopech's command issues, already a problem last season, have grown worse this year. His 14.7% walk rate is the highest among any pitcher with at least 100 innings thrown -- no one else is within a percentage point. A team who thinks they can fix him, either by tinkering with his mechanics or by moving him back to the bullpen, could view him as a buy-low candidate.

Two recent first-round picks also merit mention here, as they'll be reaching arbitration for the first time.

First baseman Andrew Vaughn has above-average strength. He tried to tap into it more this season by lifting and pulling the ball at greater frequencies. Unfortunately, he's remained closer to the league-average line than not. Add in how he's a right-right first baseman through and through, and it's unlikely that the White Sox would be fetching a massive return if they dealt him.

Left-hander Garrett Crochet has battled his body and his command since debuting in 2020. There's no questioning his impact-caliber stuff -- he's a high-leverage reliever when he's hearty and hale. Even so, his availability and location are dice rolls at this point, complicating his trade value.

Pre-arbitration 

We're not going to belabor the point too much, but there's not a ton to be found here. Put another way: these White Sox have two players in their age-25 season or younger who have contributed above the replacement-level line this year: right-handed reliever Gregory Santos and lefty Sammy Peralta, and Peralta has made all of five big-league appearances.

Santos, 23, has had a legitimately good season. He's a slider-sinker righty with elite arm strength. He's been traded twice before in his career -- once from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants, then from the Giants to the White Sox -- and it would make sense for the White Sox to cash in on him when he's at peak value. That said, rebuilding teams tend to hold onto their relievers until they get deeper in their careers, so we suspect the White Sox will follow suit.

Otherwise? One outfielder, Óscar Colás, has had a dismal intro to the majors while another, Gavin Sheets, hasn't come close to repeating his 2021 efforts. Infielder Lenyn Sosa hasn't done much in a limited sample. It's worth continuing to play him most days, just to see if there's something there.

Prospects

As uninspiring as the above sections were, rest assured that the White Sox do have some interesting prospects worth highlighting and dreaming on. 

Shortstop Colson Montgomery, ranked by CBS Sports as the No. 12 prospect in the game back in June, has long elicited comparisons to Rangers shortstop Corey Seager because of shared facial structures and builds. Montgomery's ascent was slowed this season by injury, but he's the clear successor at shortstop to Tim Anderson, and he could debut next year. 

Lefty Noah Schultz (listed at 6-foot-9) is now dealing with his own physical issues -- he was placed on the IL over the weekend with a shoulder impingement -- but he's worth keeping tabs on thanks to a power sinker.

Third baseman Bryan Ramos has homered 11 times in 56 Double-A games, and should crack top-100 lists this winter. 

The White Sox also added four notable youngsters through the draft and trades in July. Let's hit them in quick, bullet-list fashion: 

  • C Edgar Quero (Giolito trade) has held his own as a 20-year-old in Double-A. He projects to be a bat-over-mitt backstop who also could debut as soon as next season. 
  • SS Jacob Gonzalez (first-round pick) entered the spring looking like a potential top-10 selection. He slid into the teens, but he's an accomplished lefty bat with the athleticism to remain at the six.
  • LHP Jake Eder (Jake Burger trade) is a power lefty who has already achieved success at the Double-A level. His command will dictate if he can stick in a rotation for the long haul, but there's big-time upside here.
  • RHP Nick Nastrini (Lynn trade) was easy to overlook in a loaded Dodgers system. He too has good stuff and command issues. 

There aren't a ton of sure things here, but those seven prospects at least give the White Sox something to work with heading forward. Considering the state of the big-league team, they're going to need all the help they can get.