RRosternomics
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RH

Rick Hahn

Born Mar 20, 1971 · Winnetka, IL · age 55

Chicago White Sox GM who engineered an analytics-era tear-down and rebuild into a 2021 division title before the contention window closed.

11 seasons with salary-era data across 1 stint. All figures are franchise-level outcomes during the tenure, not solely attributable to one executive.

Overview

Titles0
Pennants0
Playoffs2
Record761–918
Win %0.453
-4.2GM WAR — wins above a replacement GM (org-adjusted, shrunk; per season) ±4.6168th/195 execs
5.4Depth — 2+ WAR regulars per season (the breadth that drives TAB, not stars)133rd/195 execs
-6.7Dead WAR — WAR/yr bled by sub-replacement players (closer to 0 = better)169th/195 execs
43%Dead money — payroll on <0.5-WAR players (lower = better)151st/195 execs
$26MCheap-talent surplus — $/yr of value from cost-controlled (pre-arb/arb) players above their pay; the selection engine, and the stickiest GM skill we track58th/195 execs
$8MDrafted surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own draftees (the develop-from-the-draft engine)75th/195 execs
$17MTraded-for surplus — cheap-talent surplus from cost-controlled players he acquired via trade20th/195 execs
$1MInt'l surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own international signees80th/195 execs
-68.0TAB — talent above budget — roster-construction alpha (talent your budget bought above expectation), tenure total188th/195 execs
-80.5WAB — realized wins (TAB + the non-repeatable luck of converting talent to wins)192nd/195 execs
1.29Acquisition Leverage — playoff pts per acquired WAR, graded once in the year each deal's wins arrive (the repeatable decision skill)114th/195 execs
-319Roster surplus $M176th/195 execs

Tenure breakdown

TeamRoleYearsSzns WAB WAB/yr TAB WAR surp HG Trade FA R5 AcqLev W-L% POPenWS Surp $M
▸ White Sox GM 2013–2023 10 -80.5 -8.05 -68.0 -95.8 +92.0 +18.7 -13.7 +1.4 1.29 0.453 2–– -319
Career total (1985+ data) 11 -80.5 -68.0 -95.8 +92.0 +18.7 -13.7 +1.4 1.29 0.453 2– – -319

Roster Construction

How the roster was sourced

by valueby volume

Share of acquired fWAR by channel vs. league average.

Build channels — net fWAR

Acquired minus surrendered / signed minus walked.

Home-grown (draft/intl)+92.0
Trade+18.7
Free agency-13.7
Rule 5 / minor draft+1.4
Sourcing mix: 53% draft · 16% FA · 31% trade · 1% R5

Roster value distribution — career average — depth vs. stars

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR, averaged across Rick Hahn's seasons. Bars = his rosters; the black line = the league-average player at each slot. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge.

Players acquired — 198 players, by realized fWAR for the franchise (scroll for more)

PlayerPosTeam How Year Szns fWAR WAR/yr Lev
José Abreu 1B CHW Intl FA 2013 9 +28.1 +3.1 –
Tim Anderson SS CHW Draft 2013 7 +18.9 +2.7 –
Yoán Moncada 3B CHW Trade 2017 8 +14.0 +1.7 0.1
Luis Robert OF CHW Intl FA 2017 6 +13.7 +2.3 –
Adam Eaton OF CHW Trade 2014 3 +13.7 +4.6 1.2
Lucas Giolito P CHW Trade 2016 6 +13.5 +2.2 0.1
Dylan Cease P CHW Trade 2017 4 +13.0 +3.2 –
Carlos Rodón P CHW Draft 2014 7 +12.0 +1.7 –
Reynaldo López P CHW Trade 2016 6 +7.6 +1.3 0.1
Lance Lynn P CHW Trade 2021 3 +6.7 +2.2 24.4
Garrett Crochet P CHW Draft 2020 3 +6.1 +2.0 –
Davis Martin P CHW Draft 2022 4 +5.3 +1.3 –
Eloy Jiménez DH/OF CHW Trade 2017 5 +5.1 +1.0 –
Avisaíl García OF CHW Trade 2013 3 +4.9 +1.6 0.1
Yasmani Grandal C CHW Free agency 2019 3 +4.7 +1.6 5.7
Todd Frazier 3B CHW Trade 2016 2 +4.3 +2.2 6.8
Aaron Bummer P CHW Draft 2014 6 +4.2 +0.7 –
Adam Engel OF CHW Draft 2013 5 +4.2 +0.8 –
Liam Hendriks P CHW Free agency 2021 2 +4.2 +2.1 15.2
James McCann C CHW Free agency 2018 2 +3.4 +1.7 0.7
David Robertson P CHW Free agency 2014 3 +2.8 +0.9 0.5
Conor Gillaspie 3B CHW Trade 2013 2 +2.5 +1.2 0.1
Miguel González P CHW Free agency 2016 2 +2.5 +1.2 6.3
Dallas Keuchel P CHW Free agency 2019 2 +2.5 +1.3 6.3
Johnny Cueto P CHW Free agency 2022 1 +2.4 +2.4 1.8
Jeff Samardzija P CHW Trade 2014 1 +2.4 +2.4 0.6
Iván Nova P CHW Trade 2018 1 +2.0 +2.0 0.7
Mike Clevinger P CHW Free agency 2022 1 +1.9 +1.9 0.0
Omar Narváez C CHW Rule 5 2013 4 +1.9 +0.5 –
Melky Cabrera OF CHW Free agency 2014 3 +1.8 +0.6 0.0
Nick Madrigal 2B/3B CHW Draft 2018 2 +1.8 +0.9 –
Seby Zavala C CHW Draft 2015 2 +1.8 +0.9 –
Michael Kopech P CHW Trade 2016 2 +1.7 +0.8 –
Anthony Swarzak P CHW Trade 2017 1 +1.7 +1.7 0.3
Evan Marshall P CHW Free agency 2018 3 +1.5 +0.5 0.2
Zach Putnam P CHW Free agency 2013 4 +1.5 +0.4 0.3
Gregory Santos P CHW Trade 2022 1 +1.5 +1.5 0.0
Josh Harrison 2B/3B CHW Free agency 2022 1 +1.4 +1.4 1.2
Dan Jennings P CHW Trade 2014 3 +1.4 +0.5 0.1
Geovany Soto C CHW Free agency 2015 1 +1.4 +1.4 0.4
Joakim Soria P CHW Trade 2018 1 +1.4 +1.4 0.1
Tommy Kahnle P CHW Trade 2017 1 +1.4 +1.4 0.2
Chris Flexen P CHW Free agency 2023 1 +1.3 +1.3 0.0
Elvis Andrus SS CHW Free agency 2022 2 +1.2 +0.6 1.5
Jace Fry P CHW Draft 2014 3 +1.2 +0.4 –
Alex Colomé P CHW Trade 2018 2 +1.1 +0.6 0.2
Juan Minaya P CHW Trade 2016 4 +1.1 +0.3 –
Luis Avilán P CHW Trade 2018 1 +1.0 +1.0 0.1
Nicky Lopez 2B/SS CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.9 +0.9 0.0
Brett Lawrie 2B/3B CHW Trade 2016 1 +0.9 +0.9 2.2
Jake Burger 1B/3B CHW Draft 2017 3 +0.7 +0.2 –
Dane Dunning P CHW Trade 2016 1 +0.7 +0.7 –
Kendall Graveman P CHW Free agency 2021 1 +0.7 +0.7 0.6
Matt Lindstrom P CHW Free agency 2013 1 +0.7 +0.7 0.2
Ryan LaMarre OF CHW Trade 2018 1 +0.7 +0.7 0.0
Jimmy Cordero P CHW Trade 2019 2 +0.7 +0.3 0.2
Alex Avila C CHW Free agency 2015 1 +0.6 +0.6 1.4
Matt Foster P CHW Draft 2016 2 +0.6 +0.3 –
Codi Heuer P CHW Draft 2018 2 +0.6 +0.3 –
Danny Mendick 2B/SS CHW Draft 2015 3 +0.6 +0.2 –
AJ Pollock OF CHW Trade 2022 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.5
Moisés Sierra OF CHW Trade 2014 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.2
Joe Kelly P CHW Free agency 2022 2 +0.5 +0.2 0.4
Lenyn Sosa 2B CHW Draft 2022 2 +0.5 +0.2 –
Ryan Tepera P CHW Trade 2021 1 +0.5 +0.5 2.9
Ronald Belisario P CHW Free agency 2013 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.1
Leury García OF CHW Free agency 2021 6 +0.4 +0.1 –
Jared Shuster P CHW Trade 2023 2 +0.4 +0.2 0.0
Michael Soroka P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.0
Vince Velasquez P CHW Free agency 2022 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.3
Xavier Cedeño P CHW Trade 2018 1 +0.4 +0.4 0.0
Tanner Banks P CHW Draft 2022 3 +0.3 +0.1 –
Scott Carroll P CHW Trade 2014 3 +0.3 +0.1 –
Jeanmar Gómez P CHW Free agency 2018 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Billy Hamilton OF CHW Free agency 2021 1 +0.3 +0.3 1.6
Kelvin Herrera P CHW Free agency 2019 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.1
Austin Jackson OF CHW Free agency 2016 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.8
Chad Kuhl P CHW Free agency 2023 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Lane Ramsey P CHW Draft 2023 1 +0.3 +0.3 –
Zach Remillard 2B CHW Draft 2023 2 +0.3 +0.2 –
Bruce Rondón P CHW Free agency 2018 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.0
Tyler Clippard P CHW Trade 2017 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.1
Rob Brantly C CHW Free agency 2017 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Luis González OF CHW Draft 2017 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Frankie Montas P CHW Trade 2013 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Jimmy Rollins SS CHW Free agency 2016 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.6
Bryan Shaw P CHW Free agency 2023 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Al Alburquerque P CHW Trade 2017 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
José Ureña P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Touki Toussaint P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.2 +0.2 0.0
Kyle Crick P CHW Free agency 2021 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.1
Matt Davidson 3B/DH CHW Trade 2013 2 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Caleb Frare P CHW Trade 2018 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Alex McRae P CHW Free agency 2020 2 +0.1 +0.0 0.2
Matt Purke P CHW Trade 2016 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Scott Downs P CHW Trade 2014 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Javy Guerra P CHW Trade 2014 2 +0.1 +0.0 0.0
Blake Tekotte OF CHW Trade 2013 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Rymer Liriano OF CHW Trade 2017 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Jake Lamb 3B CHW Trade 2021 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.7
Dustin Garneau C CHW Trade 2018 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Luis Patiño P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.0
Dylan Covey P CHW Rule 5 2016 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Cheslor Cuthbert 3B CHW Free agency 2020 – -0.0 – –
Jake Eder P CHW Trade 2023 – -0.0 – –
Bernardo Flores P CHW Draft 2016 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Willy García OF CHW Trade 2017 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Gio Gonzalez P CHW Free agency 2019 – -0.0 – –
Brian Goodwin OF CHW Free agency 2021 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Junior Guerra P CHW Trade 2015 – -0.0 – –
Nomar Mazara OF CHW Trade 2019 – -0.0 – –
Yermín Mercedes DH CHW Rule 5 2017 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Justin Morneau 1B CHW Free agency 2016 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.1
Edgar Navarro P CHW Draft 2023 – -0.0 – –
Sammy Peralta P CHW Draft 2023 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
José Rodriguez 2B CHW Draft 2023 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Rob Scahill P CHW Free agency 2018 – -0.0 – –
Jesse Scholtens P CHW Draft 2023 – -0.0 – –
Anderson Severino P CHW Draft 2022 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Michael Taylor OF CHW Free agency 2014 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Mike Wright P CHW Free agency 2020 – -0.0 – –
Michael Ynoa P CHW Trade 2014 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Mat Latos P CHW Trade 2016 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Jarrod Dyson OF CHW Trade 2020 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
César Hernández 2B CHW Trade 2021 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Craig Kimbrel P CHW Trade 2021 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.2
Josh Osich P CHW Trade 2019 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
José Ruiz P CHW Trade 2019 3 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Brady Lail P CHW Trade 2020 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.1
Nicholas Padilla P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Yohan Ramírez P CHW Trade 2023 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Ky Bush P CHW Trade 2023 – -0.1 – –
Nick Delmonico OF CHW Trade 2017 1 -0.1 -0.1 –
Odrisamer Despaigne P CHW Free agency 2019 – -0.1 – –
Danny Farquhar P CHW Free agency 2017 1 -0.1 -0.1 0.0
Erick Fedde P CHW Free agency 2023 1 -0.1 -0.1 0.0
Tyler Greene 2B/SS CHW Free agency 2013 – -0.1 – –
Mark Payton OF CHW Free agency 2022 – -0.1 – –
Blake Smith P CHW Trade 2015 – -0.1 – –
Héctor Noesí P CHW Trade 2014 1 -0.1 -0.1 0.1
Reese McGuire C CHW Trade 2022 1 -0.1 -0.1 0.1
Drew Anderson P CHW Free agency 2019 – -0.2 – –
Zack Burdi P CHW Draft 2016 – -0.2 – –
Ryan Burr P CHW Trade 2017 2 -0.2 -0.1 –
Steve Cishek P CHW Free agency 2020 – -0.2 – –
Ryan Cordell OF CHW Trade 2017 1 -0.2 -0.2 –
Frank Francisco P CHW Free agency 2014 – -0.2 – –
Ryan Goins 2B/SS CHW Free agency 2018 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0
Alfredo González C CHW Trade 2016 – -0.2 – –
Ian Hamilton P CHW Draft 2016 – -0.2 – –
Adam Haseley OF CHW Trade 2022 – -0.2 – –
Nick Williams OF CHW Free agency 2021 – -0.2 – –
Thyago Vieira P CHW Trade 2019 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0
Hanser Alberto 2B/3B CHW Free agency 2023 – -0.3 – –
Andrew Benintendi OF CHW Free agency 2023 2 -0.3 -0.1 0.0
Declan Cronin P CHW Draft 2023 – -0.3 – –
Tyler Danish P CHW Draft 2013 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Clint Frazier OF CHW Free agency 2023 – -0.3 – –
Romy Gonzalez 1B/2B CHW Draft 2018 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Jimmy Lambert P CHW Draft 2016 2 -0.3 -0.1 –
Jordan Leasure P CHW Trade 2023 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Carlos Pérez C CHW Draft 2022 – -0.3 – –
Bennett Sousa P CHW Draft 2022 – -0.3 – –
Jonathan Stiever P CHW Draft 2018 – -0.3 – –
Matt Albers P CHW Free agency 2015 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.1
Ross Detwiler P CHW Free agency 2019 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.7
Brad Goldberg P CHW Draft 2013 – -0.4 – –
Ervin Santana P CHW Free agency 2019 – -0.4 – –
Chris Volstad P CHW Free agency 2016 – -0.4 – –
James Shields P CHW Trade 2018 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.1
José Rondón SS CHW Trade 2018 1 -0.4 -0.4 0.0
Zach Duke P CHW Free agency 2014 1 -0.5 -0.5 2.1
Edwin Encarnación 1B/3B/DH CHW Free agency 2020 – -0.5 – –
Nick Nastrini P CHW Trade 2023 – -0.5 – –
Adrián Nieto C CHW Rule 5 2013 – -0.5 – –
Chuckie Robinson C CHW Free agency 2023 – -0.5 – –
Matt Skole 1B/DH CHW Trade 2018 1 -0.5 -0.5 –
Jacob Turner P CHW Free agency 2015 – -0.5 – –
Andrew Vaughn 1B/OF CHW Draft 2019 1 -0.5 -0.5 –
Jacob May OF CHW Draft 2013 – -0.6 – –
Felipe Paulino P CHW Free agency 2013 – -0.6 – –
Braden Shewmake 3B/SS CHW Trade 2023 – -0.7 – –
Emilio Bonifácio 2B/OF CHW Free agency 2015 – -0.8 – –
David Holmberg P CHW Free agency 2016 – -0.8 – –
Charlie Tilson OF CHW Trade 2016 – -0.8 – –
Cody Asche 3B/OF CHW Free agency 2016 – -0.9 – –
Carson Fulmer P CHW Draft 2015 1 -0.9 -0.9 –
Derek Holland P CHW Free agency 2016 – -0.9 – –
Jon Jay OF CHW Free agency 2019 – -0.9 – –
Edgar Quero C CHW Trade 2023 – -0.9 – –
Welington Castillo C CHW Free agency 2017 – -1.0 – –
Oscar Colás OF CHW Draft 2023 – -1.0 – –
Mike Pelfrey P CHW Free agency 2017 – -1.0 – –
Korey Lee C CHW Trade 2023 1 -1.1 -1.1 0.0
Adam LaRoche 1B CHW Free agency 2014 – -1.2 – –
Daniel Palka DH/OF CHW Trade 2017 – -1.5 – –
Gavin Sheets DH/OF CHW Draft 2017 2 -1.6 -0.8 –
Zack Collins C CHW Draft 2016 – -1.8 – –

WAB = wins above what the team's payroll predicted (resource-controlled). WAR surplus = era-neutral value (WAR minus payroll in win-equivalents). Roster surplus $M = dollar value of WAR over cost. Build channels (realized fWAR): HG = home-grown via amateur draft / international signing; Trade = acquired minus surrendered (incl. purchases/waivers); FA = signed minus walked; R5 = Rule-5 / minor-league-draft pickups. Credit follows the acquisition year — home-grown to the regime at the player's draft/signing (not whoever was in the chair when he peaked), trade/FA/R5 to the GM who made the move. Players acquired as prospects before debuting (e.g. Smoltz, Bagwell; Rule-5 picks like Uggla) are counted as trade/R5, not home-grown. All are franchise-level outcomes during the stint, not solely attributable to one executive.

Graphs

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Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.