A recent move made by Chicago White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia has some speculating that he may be interested in shedding the “minority” part of his title.
Ishbia, brother of Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, had been heavily linked as the top suitor to buy the Minnesota Twins. According to The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg, Ishbia has “dropped his pursuit” of the team. Instead, Ishbia has opted to increase his stake in the White Sox by purchasing more shares from other limited partners.
Per the report, those in the know believe Ishbia’s move sets him up to “at some point” buy out longtime White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s stake. Though one White Sox executive denied the notion, the Reinsdorf family had reportedly approached Ishbia to increase his investment with the team.
The Reinsdorf family was said to have presented Ishbia with that option after news broke of the latter’s interest in the Twins. There were rumblings late last season that Jerry Reinsdorf was “open” to potentially selling his stake in the team.
The Ishbia brothers bought their minority stake in the White Sox in 2021. Their initial investment was for a “mid-single-digit percentage” of the team, so likely about 5-7%.
The White Sox appeared to be a team on the rise back in 2021. They made the ALDS for the first time in over a decade that season with a roster stacked with seemingly ascendant players. But the team has been in a tailspin since, culminating in the White Sox’s historically bad 2024 campaign.
There were rumblings late last season that Jerry Reinsdorf was “open” to potentially selling his stake in the team.
