The finalists for the Chicago White Sox managing vacancy have been revealed. It looks like interim manager Grady Sizemore will not be getting the job long-term.
Two of the final three candidates set up for the Sox to make an amazing hire, while the other one would be disappointing.
The Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins could find themselves in a battle over the same managerial candidates.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 29, 2024
The White Sox's three finalists for their managerial vacancy are Texas Rangers associate manager Will Venable, former Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin, and…
Venable would be a home run hire based on his post-playing career. Working for Theo Epstein and then being on the coaching staff for three World Series-winning managers, Joe Maddon, Alex Cora, and Bruce Bochy, is an impressive way to prepare to become a big-league manager.
Albernaz has worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, the San Francisco Giants, and the Cleveland Guardians. With all the young pitching the Sox have, it makes sense to replicate what the Guardians are doing. Therefore, hiring someone from Cleveland would be a good idea.
That is, if the Sox can hire one or the other.
Venable could decide to stay in Texas as he is the heir apparent for the Rangers manager job whenever Bruce Bochy decides to step down. Plus, the Rangers have an owner willing to spend money and a baseball head who makes deals to put the team over the top.
Plus, Venable and Chris Young are close from their days at Princeton. Albernaz has legit ties to the Marlins with Peter Bendix in charge of Miami's front office and Gabe Kapler, who is the assistant general manager.
If the White Sox are trying to get a manager at their price, that could impact the team's ability to hire Venable or Albernaz. If history is any indicator, the Sox price is as low as possible. To convince either one of these candidates to take the job, money will be a factor.
That sets up Nevin getting hired, and that would be a disappointment. He had a failed run as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels. While some of that was attributed to poor ownership, injuries to Mike Trout, and distraction of Shohei Ohtani's future there, he contributed to the Angels' problems.
Plus, there are his ties to team advisor and speculated shadow general manager, Tony La Russa. The last thing the White Sox need is more ties to La Russa. This franchise has known nothing but decline since Tony rejoined the organization.
Yes, the Sox won the AL Central, but that was because of all the talent the club had. Otherwise, it has been getting taken to the woodshed in the 2021 ALDS by Houston, the disappointing 2022 season, and Chris Getz getting named the GM in the worst search known to man with Tony around the Southside.
While Nevin does check the former player and former manager box to give the appearance of a decent hire, Venable and Albernaz's potential seems more attractive. Plus, it is known Nevin is a below-replacement-level manager. It would be better to take a chance on Venable or Albernaz to see if they can be good enough to add a couple of extra victories.