The Chicago White Sox are doing their due diligence (we hope) when it comes to hiring Tony La Russa’s eventual replacement. There are some interesting candidates being put out there by inside sources but the interviews keep rolling in.
On Wednesday, they are going to interview Joe Espada who is the bench coach of the Houston Astros. He serves under Dusty Baker who is obviously one of the best managers of his time. Espada is learning his trade very well down there in Houston.
The White Sox are wise to be considering a man like this for the job. He is with an organization right now that has had a lot of success. There is the cheating scandal that hovers a cloud over them but there is no doubt that they have continued to be an elite team year after year.
Espada replaced Alex Cora as the bench coach after the 2017 season. Cora went on to become a World Series champion manager with the Boston Red Sox a year later in 2018. The White Sox would love for Espada to follow in his footsteps if fired.
The Chicago White Sox are interviewing Joe Espada for their new manager.
This is a person that is no stranger to interviewing for managerial positions. He has interviewed for the job with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs over the last couple of years. Obviously, both organizations have gone in different directions.
Since then, he has gained even more valuable experience with the Astros. The team has had a lot of success with him in the dugout including multiple ALCS trips and an American League pennant. For someone who has never been a manager, he would be a great fit for a first-time manager role.
The White Sox aren’t the only team that he is interviewing with today. The Astros have an odd off-day after a big game-one win over the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS so he is taking up his time wisely. The Miami Marlins are the other team that he is interviewing with.
A lot of people are going to be interviewed by the White Sox over the next few weeks but all we can hope for is for them to make a smart decision. The Tony La Russa experiment failed miserably so it can only go up from here. It will be interesting to hear how Espada’s interview went.