Sometimes, the tiniest decisions echo the loudest in sports history. A name left off a list, a stat added at the last moment, and a deal made with more hope than certainty—these choices can come back to haunt teams in ways no one could have imagined at the time. This is such a story, involving the Chicago White Sox.
In 2016, pressure was quietly mounting behind the scenes for a team that looked like a contender on the surface. Amid strong performances and an anxious team, the former White Sox GM made a move that he’d do anything to forget.
It was a bright Summer day on June 4, 2016. A time when the White Sox were making noise with a 23–10 record, giving fans every reason to think a postseason run was within reach. The team looked powerful. However, deep down, the management, including then-GM Rick Hahn, knew the gaps were already showing. One pitcher was succeeding with “smoke and mirrors,” another was going from injury, and the pressure to win—and win now—was mounting fast. What came next was a trade that turned into a disaster.
The deal? A 17-year-old prospect named Fernando Tatís Jr., who had not yet played a professional game, was sent to the Padres alongside Erik Johnson. In return, the team acquired James Shields, hoping he would bring stability. But, instead of a turnaround, the team was left with regret.
Fast forward, and Fernando Tatís Jr. is now a $340 million star, while the team is still facing the implications. Hahn currently opened up on MLB Network, and said, “Obviously, a horrible trade. San Diego asked for Eric Johnson… and we wound up shuffling and pivoting in the end. They asked for Tatis, which they deserve a ton of credit for identifying this guy.” Such a brutal honesty stung, specifically, as it highlighted just how uncertain the decision-making process was.
Now, we need to pause—because the why is where things get messier. The White Sox were trying to save a season that felt like it was slipping away. With Robin Ventura possibly nearing the end of his tenure, there was internal pressure to “make it work.” The approach? Patch the holes with short-term fixes. However, it did not work. As Hahn said, “That was probably the straw that broke the camel’s back… we just did not have the depth.” That is why, when he was asked if there was one trade he wished he could take back, Hahn replied without hesitation, “I mean, it begins and ends with Tatis. I mean, what fool would trade him?”
While the White Sox continues to feel the sting of losing a generational star, Tatís himself is now going through a different kind of pressure—one that has nothing to do with trades and everything to do with performance.
Former White Sox star gets honest about his struggles
It is been a rough May for the Padres’ star right fielder. After brightening the first month of the 2025 season with an NL-best batting average and an 11-game hitting streak, Tatís has hit a cold spell, and he is not sugarcoating it. In a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, the 26-year-old acknowledged that both mental and mechanical issues are playing a part in his decline.
“Obviously, you miss your pitches, and pitches (outside) the strike zone get called strikes, and then you are trying to defend yourself. It was just a lot of stuff coming together,” Tatís stated.
This is not just a minor blip. Tatís has batted a disappointing .182 in May, dragging his average down from .345 to .269 in less than four weeks. He is hitless in six of his last nine games and managed just three multi-hit performances in the month, seven fewer than April. It is a stretch that would disappoint any star player, let alone one carrying a nine-figure contract and the pressure of a clubhouse’s expectations.
SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 5: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park August 5, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
Despite the declining numbers, the pop has not entirely vanished. Tatís still has 13 home runs and 28 RBIs this season, and his overall slash line is .269/.339/.495 remains respectable. But for a talent once seen as the face of MLB’s future, those stats feel more like crisis mode than domination.
Still, the energy has not faded. Tatís’s mindset might be his biggest asset right now. “Just staying positive, man. I’m trying to bring even more of myself, what I can do in the field. And … just trying to find a way. In baseball, you never have the right answer,” he said.
That kind of attitude is what makes Tatís so captivating, not just as an athlete but as a human being navigating the rollercoaster of professional sports. The timing could not be more crucial, either. With the Padres fighting to stay competitive in the NL West, his resurgence could be the difference-maker.
The next game is just around the corner. And for Tatís, it is not just another chance at redemption, it is an opportunity to recast the narrative of a difficult month. Because, as much as trades and past regrets define the story in Chicago, it is all about the comeback in San Diego. And few talents are built for the spotlight quite like Fernando Tatís Jr.
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