White Sox Rumors: GM Rick Hahn 'Unlikely' to be Fired amid Team's Struggles

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn's job appears to be secure, at least for now.

Hahn is "unlikely" to be fired despite the team's struggles this season, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The White Sox are officially eliminated from playoff contention and sit second in the AL Central with a 77-79 record, a whopping 11 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

It's been a disappointing season for the White Sox. However, the team has struggled through a number of injuries to key players this year, including star shortstop Tim Anderson, outfielder Luis Robert, infielder Danny Mendick, catcher Seby Zavala, relievers Kyle Crick and Garrett Crochet and starter Michael Kopech.

The White Sox also had to work through the absence of manager Tony La Russa, who has been sidelined with a medical issue since the end of August. The team named Miguel Cairo its interim manager in his absence.

That said, there's no excuse for the team's lack of success under Hahn, who took over as general manager in 2013, replacing Kenny Williams.

After years of disappointment, Hahn enacted a full-blown rebuild during the 2017 season, trading Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, and two other minor league players. Moncada has never lived up to his status as a former No. 1 prospect, and while Kopech has mostly been solid, the White Sox were hoping he would be better.

In 2018, the White Sox finished with a 62-100 record, one of the worst in baseball. They improved slightly in 2019, finishing with a 72-89 record, and in 2020 they made the playoffs for the first time in 12 years after finishing 35-25 during the pandemic-shortened season.

The 2020 campaign marked Hahn's first postseason appearance as general manager of the White Sox, but the team lost to the Oakland Athletics in the wild card.

In 2021, the White Sox finished first in the AL Central with a 93-69 record, marking the first time since 2008 that the franchise won the division crown. It was also the team's first 90-win season since 2006.

At that point, Hahn's White Sox had made the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, but Chicago was eliminated by the Houston Astros in the divisional round of the playoffs

Now in 2022, the White Sox are back to being a non-playoff team, and something needs to be done about the club's lack of success. If Hahn isn't fired by season's end, he'll surely be on the hot seat entering 2023.