White Sox Promote Williams, Hahn

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 26, 2012 3:20PM

In a move that had been rumored for weeks, the promotion of two key members of the White Sox front office will be announced at a press conference on Friday. Kenny Williams will assume a new role as president of baseball operations while Rick Hahn will become Williams' successor as the new general manager.

Hahn has been considered the top GM prospect in baseball by both Sports Illustrated and Baseball America, and has been been courted for a number of such positions over the years. He has already assumed many of the GM roles within the White Sox organization, and by promoting him to the GM role, the Sox hope to keep Hahn with the team for years to come.

Williams succeeded Ron Schuler as GM back in 2000, and built the White Sox's only championship team since 1917. In addition to assembling the 2005 World Series team, he has managed to put a competitive team on the field almost every season he's been at the helm. Even in 2012, which was expected to be a "rebuilding year" for the club, the Sox led the AL Central for much of the season before fading in the final weeks.

For a number of years, Williams also dealt with a rather public feud with outspoken manager Ozzie Guillen, a popular former player who had skippered the team during that magical 2005 season. When it was apparent that it was time for Ozzie to leave, Williams deftly maneuvered an end. Williams let Guillen shot himself in the foot when Miami came calling for a new manager. With a year to go on his current contract, Guillen demanded an extension, received a somewhat low ball offer and then was granted an early exit to pursue the job that offered more guaranteed money. Guillen lasted exactly one season with the Marlins.

Meanwhile, Williams plucked another former player who'd been popular with fans in his day, but was the polar opposite of Guillen in terms of personality—Robin Ventura. Despite a light post-playing baseball resume and no coaching or managing experience, Ventura proved he has the makings of an excellent manager.

So was this front office move done to reward a job well done by both Williams and Hahn, or to protect a coveted asset? Most likely, a bit of both. Williams has proven to be a shrewd assembler of baseball talent. But he hasn't done it alone, and it was important to keep key pieces in place as the team navigates yet another off-season full of player personnel questions. Expect Hahn to assume the public face of the team during free agent negotiations and the winter meetings, while Williams will remain involved behind the scenes. There are also a number of bigger picture issues that await Williams' attention, like boosting attendance and replenishing a tapped out farm system.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf made a similar move with his Bulls when he promoted John Paxson to president of basketball operations while promoting Gar Forman to GM. The new front office structure appears to be working quite nicely at the Berto Center and there's no reason to believe it won't at the Cell, too.