White Sox are not in the market for a new manager but reports suggest one former manager is waiting on his opportunity to manage in Chicago.
The Chicago White Sox aren’t in the market for a new manager despite finishing the previous two seasons with 95 losses or more. However, one former manager could be in the market for a managerial job with one of the two baseball teams here in Chicago.
According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, former New York Yankees and Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi is waiting another year to possibly become a manager in Chicago. Girardi reportedly pulled his name from consideration for the then-vacant Cincinnati Reds managerial opening last week.
Girardi surprised reds by pulling out Friday. He had a chance to win job at that point but they never got to point of talking money with him. He also pulled out of rangers derby. Industry speculation: he’s waiting a year on Chicago
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 21, 2018
The belief, according to Heyman, is that Girardi is waiting until next year when possibly the White Sox or Cubs will have managerial openings. Both Rick Renteria and Joe Maddon will be entering the final year of their current contracts with their respective teams next season.
More from White Sox News
- The Chicago White Sox might have had a season ending loss
- The Chicago White Sox are expecting Tim Anderson back soon
- Miguel Cairo’s words spark life into the Chicago White Sox
- Dylan Cease should be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award
- Ozzie Guillen speaks the whole truth about Tony La Russa
With the Sox possibly going into a contending year in 2020, hiring Girardi as their next manager could make sense but Renteria hasn’t given the front office a reason to not be satisfied with his work. Despite coming off their first 100-loss season since 1970, the Sox don’t appear to need a new manager after next season. Many fans are aware that the Sox are very loyal to their coaches and managers. However, anything is possible and Renteria was fired by the Cubs after the 2014 season to make room for Maddon’s addition as manager. The Sox could choose to not extend Renteria’s contract after next season and go after Girardi to be their next manager.
Girardi was fired by the Yankees after the end of last season. Since then, he’s worked for MLB Network. He has familiarity with Chicago as he attended college at Northwestern University and played with the Cubs twice (1989-1992, 2000-2002). Girardi is a native of Peoria, Ill. and would be a nice fit as manager of the Sox.
If the Sox have another season where they approach 100 losses in 2019, it could be hard for them to extend Renteria’s contract and convince fans they can be competitive moving forward. Even if the Sox don’t retain Renteria as their manager going into 2020, there’s no guarantee they will hire Girardi.