Victor Mateo and Domingo Toribio also were terminated after a two-month investigation by Major League Baseball's Department of Investigations, the team said.
"It's very disappointing. This is a tough day," general manager Kenny Williams said Friday in San Francisco, where the White Sox opened a three-game interleague series against the Giants. "It's not consistent with (owner) Jerry Reinsdorf, myself or what the White Sox organization stands for."
Findings from baseball's investigation have been turned over to federal authorities. The White Sox said the three were dismissed "for actions in Latin America that were violations of club policy and standards" but did not elaborate.
Williams said he could not comment further on what wrongdoing led to the firings. Wilder is a longtime baseball man. In 2005, he interviewed for Boston's general manager job before Theo Epstein returned to the Red Sox.
"This is an investigation we brought to Major League Baseball as part of our reorganization in the Dominican Republic," Williams said. "We now have a new facility, complete with state-of-the art equipment and facilities. We're trying to achieve greater results down there. We wanted to be sure our operations were consistent with what we stand for. Obviously, they were not in this investigation and we've made some changes accordingly.
"As to the what and the why, I'm not at liberty to expound on that."
Williams is eager to move forward and continue upgrading his franchise's operations in the Dominican Republic.
"That's the bad news. The good news is we're well on our way to getting a top-notch facility in place down there and a structure that is hopefully going to prove to be much more efficient," he said. "We are not going to take a step back from what we're trying to do. Now, we feel we have the best chance of success down there."
