Guardians News: Division rival White Sox considering relocation after 2023 implosion

While the Cleveland Guardians' 2023 season has not going according to plan, the silver lining is that they are not the Chicago White Sox. After entering the season as one of the favorites to win the AL Central, instead Chicago seemingly forgot how to play baseball altogether and have dealt with a fair bit of drama in their clubhouse. The end result has been a 49-77 record and fourth place in a division that no one has seemed like they have wanted to win this season.

The hits keep coming for the White Sox as it was announced yesterday in a shocking move that the team was firing both executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn. Making a change in the front office isn't that unusual, but making such sweeping changes while the season is still ongoing is certainly an eyebrow raiser.

However, the plot thickened when another report came out that not only were the White Sox cleaning house in their front office, but Jerry Reinsdorf was considering selling the team while also contemplating moving the White Sox to Nashville. There is a lot to unpack here.

What does the White Sox potential relocation mean for the Cleveland Guardians?

In general, any discord with the White Sox is good news for the Guardians. Cleveland will take any edge over their division rivals they can get and watching one of the more talented teams in the division implode in on themselves is *chef's kiss*. However, there are some real ramifications to consider from the longer term stuff.

It is highly likely that the White Sox are simply using the threat of moving the team as a form of leverage to get another stadium bought and paid for. Chicago's lease runs out in a few years at Guaranteed Rate Field and Reinsdorf has been vocal in wanting a stadium upgrade. However, Nashville is an intriguing market and at Reinsdorf's age, locking in the opportunity to sell the team in a brand new and exciting market could be on the table.

If that were to happen, there is a whole lot to consider. Would there be any division re-alignment with a team in Nashville as well as the Athletics' impending move to Las Vegas? If Reinsdorf actually pulled the trigger and sold the team, who would that owner be and how differently would the new owner run the franchise?

These are questions we don't have answers to quite yet, but will likely become a focal point of discussion this offseason. It is hard to imagine the White Sox moving away from Chicago given their history there, but it sure seems like that could change especially if the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois don't kowtow to the White Sox's stadium demands.

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