In the days since Tony La Russa announced he would not return for a third season with the White Sox, the rumors have been swirling regarding who will be the team’s next manager.
While Ozzie Guillen and Bruce Bochy have both been popular names among betting circles, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the White Sox have three main candidates in mind: Bochy, Joe Girardi, and Mike Shildt.
Nightengale wrote the following in his recent piece:
“The Chicago White Sox want to hire a veteran manager to replace Tony La Russa, not wanting to take a chance on someone with no experience. Some managers who fit the bill: Bruce Bochy, Mike Shildt, Ron Washington, John Gibbons, Bo Porter, Joe Girardi, Joe Maddon.“
“Bochy, Washington and Shildt are considered the leading candidates.”
Bochy, Shildt, and Girardi have all experienced some recent success, but also have plenty of risks associated with them.
Bochy has been retired for a few years and has dealt with health scares in the past; it’s unclear if he would even be open to managing again. Shildt managed the Cardinals for three consecutive playoff seasons in 2019-2021 before he was dismissed due to “differences” between the front office and Shildt on the direction of the team moving forward. Shildt would get no further than the NLCS in any of those three seasons, which included two Wild Card losses.
Washington has been with the Braves for their past few postseason runs and has managed in the World Series several times as the manager of the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014. However, at age 70, there’s no guarantee that Washington will want to return as a manager and may instead opt to remain as the Braves third base coach.
Despite Rick Hahn saying that previous managerial experience was not necessary to earn the White Sox’s job, it’s becoming more and more clear that it’s certainly of high value to the team. For a team with World Series aspirations, it would seem as if Washington would make the most sense out of any of the three leading candidates, given that he alone remains as a coach today.
As more information becomes available, we will provide updates to the managerial search.
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Featured Image: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Bring back Ozzie. (Never happen since Jerry R. doesn’t like him).