In an off-season where most White Sox fans have had low expectations, an interesting wrinkle has emerged. There had been prior rumblings that the White Sox may be considering a move out of Chicago, but people did not put much stock into it.
But now, there is plenty of evidence there that would potentially lead someone to believe that there is a real chance of the White Sox moving out of Chicago. This is fueled after a report by Shia Kapos, which reported that Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf met with Nashville Mayor, Freddie O'Connell last night.
Well, this can mean a lot of things, but the instant reaction that many fans are concerned about is a potential move of the team to Nashville. This would be an interesting move, as Nashville does not have a MLB team and the MLB has been looking to expand their market.
A simple sighting like this should not be the end of the world, as Jerry could be meeting with him for a plethora of reasons. He is already in Nashville because of the Winter Meetings, so it's not like he went out of his way to go to Nashville for a meeting.
But, the response from the White Sox seemed a bit fishy. According to Daryl Van Schouwen, the White Sox can confirm that Jerry Reinsdorf met with the mayor in Nashville, but they declined to comment any further on the matter. Scott Reifert, a spokesmen for the White Sox said "we won't have additional comment." Now, this could be just general organizational talk that doesn't want to get into the details, or it could be them not wanting to comment on something potentially significant. It is likely the first option, but still a very curious situation to confirm the meeting and to have no further comment.
At the end of the day, it seems that a move for the White Sox would be unlikely. They are in a huge market and despite sharing a city with the Cubs, they still make a boatload of money. Plus, they are one of the original American League teams, so it is not likely that the MLB would be on board with it.
Perhaps Jerry Reinsdorf happens to be friends with the mayor, or perhaps he is doing scouting of his own to sell the White Sox and start an expansion team in Nashville, independent of the White Sox. That would be ideal, but again, not very likely. Nobody knows except for Jerry and the Mayor. Regardless, Sox fans should not have to worry about a move in the near future, as the White Sox are under contract for at least six more years at Guaranteed Rate Field.
A move for the White Sox would be bad for business, as I am not sure that many, if any fans would follow them once they moved, likely ruling out a move to another city. Nonetheless, Sox fans will still be interested in this development, as it is one to follow.
