As yet another White Sox managerial search starts heating up, a new potential candidate has surfaced.
According to a recent comment from The Athletic’s Keith Law, Buck Showalter is interested in the team’s opening. It’s unknown whether that interest is mutual, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an interview from the organization.
“I wrote about their future in a piece last week, on the 23rd. There’s pitching coming. Getz is trying to overhaul some areas of the organization that have stagnated for years. Simply having Kenny Williams out of the picture helps too. One thing I heard that I would hate for them is that Buck Showalter is angling for the manager’s job – given his propensity to interfere in player development, he’s the wrong hire for that position.”
Showalter, 68, has spent a combined 22 years at the helm of five major league teams during his career. His stints include the Yankees (1992-95), Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Rangers (2003-06), Orioles (2010-18) and Mets (2022-23). In that span, Showalter owns a record of 1726-1664, yielding a .509 winning percentage and four Manager of the Year awards.
He notched his most recent accolade with the Mets in 2022 after leading the club to their first 100-win season since 1988. Despite losing to the Padres in the Wild Card, Showalter seemed to be pressing all the right buttons in the first season of his three-year deal. That all changed quickly after a loaded Mets roster flopped in 2023, leading to Showalter’s dismissal following the hiring of David Stearns as the president of baseball operations. The skipper has since served as an analyst on MLB Network and appears to be itching to get back into a major league dugout.
Outside of this latest report, other rumblings from 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine suggests that the Dodgers’ Clayton McCullough may be a leading candidate for the White Sox job. Likewise, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has remained steadfast in his connection of former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker.
I was advised not to expect too much about the job because they really like McCullough and consider his experience ideal for leading and developing the young team.
– Anonymous American League Coach (via Bruce Levine)
With Terry Francona just named the next manager of the Reds, Schumaker accepting a potential job offer from the White Sox may have become more likely since it’s the only vacancy outside of Miami. Of course, more spots could open up at the end of the postseason, but both the Marlins and White Sox may be close to making their final decisions by then.
The White Sox hope to have a new manager hired by late October or the first week of November. Under MLB guidelines, they can ask permission to speak with candidates who are currently working for playoff teams and then interview them in October. And while Francona may not have been a great fit on the South Side, it’s fair to believe he was likely on the list of candidates that Chris Getz has said is up to about 20 at this point.
With the search expected to intensify over the coming weeks, we will be keeping a close eye on future developments. Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for further updates!
Featured Photo: © Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images
