Report: Minnesota Twins rival considering relocating to new stadium in Nashville

One of the best rivalries in baseball might look a lot different by the time the next decade rolls around.

The Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have quietly had one of the most enjoyable rivalries in all of baseball over the last few decades. Things reached a peak in the mid-2000s when both teams were perennial playoff contenders and trading blows atop the AL Central.

Even when times were darker, and both teams hit the skids during the 2010s, meetings between the Twins and White Sox never fail to entertrain. Who can forget Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter back in 2011, something he White Sox countered in 2022 when Dylan Cease did the same thing? It’s like a sibling rivalry, where there’s real competition between both sides but at the end of the day there isn’t any real bad blood to be had.

Arguably, the Sox-Twins rivalry is the best in all of Chicago’s baseball scene as the Cubs have nothing that compares to the intensity felt when Minnesota makes a trip down to the South Side. At the Friendly Confines, opposing fans will pack the ballpark to cheer on rivals like the Cardinals and Dodgers.

Down on the South Side, however, Twins fans always feel the need to stick together in enemy territory and White Sox fans are never afraid to rib visitors from Twins Territory.

It’s such a rewarding rivalry, one with a gritty respect between the fan bases, but it’s one that might be about to change in a significant way thanks to the looming threat of relocation.

Chicago White Sox reportedly considering move to Nashville

According to Chicago Business, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf recently revealed that he’s considering relocating the team when the lease at Guarunteed Rate Stadium is up in 2029.

Relocation isn’t the only option, as the report also states the Sox are considering a new ballpark in the Chicago suburbs. It doesn’t sound like renewal at the current site is on the table, but a new stadium being build in the same area might change the conversation.

There’s also an outside chance that Reinsdorf puts the team up for sale, something White Sox fans would likely rejoice over. It also could increase the likelihood of relocation, or at the very least put pressure on a stadium deal getting done somewhere to sweeten the deal.

Should the White Sox move, it would mark the third time in team history that the White Sox built a new stadium in almost the exact same spot. Old Comisky was demolished in the early 90s to make way for the ballpark the team plays in today, but it ranks near the bottom of the league in terms of uniqueness. This is probably due to when it was built, as Guarunteed Rate — as it’s called now — was built before the retro boom of the mid-90s and well before the trend toward ultramodernism.

The White Sox aren’t the only Chicago team looking to relocate. For years the Bears have talked about moving out of Soldier Field to a new stadium in the suburbs, something the briefly brought about a potential new stadium location for the White Sox.

How cool would it be if the White Sox moved into the Solider Field plot, with the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan serving as an outfield backdrop? For as much as the Cubs are associated with the city, it would be hard to argue against the White Sox being Chicago’s team if they ever made that sort of move.

Then again, the reason the Bears are moving is partially due to how impossible it is to get to Solider Field via public transportation. Right now the White Sox have a train stop right outside of their stadium, making it one of the most accessible experiences in the league.

That begs the question of why the team would want to move, especially since its called the South Side of Chicago home for over a century.

Money talks, though, and chatter that once seemed ridiculous might start to get more serious than we ever thought possible.

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