Rick Renteria and the Chicago White Sox agree to “part ways.” The surprising move comes after the White Sox made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. With good young players like Lucas Giolito and Tim Anderson, the club appears ready to become a consistent contender.
Rick Renteria Ousted Again
Renteria is no stranger to a Chicago team firing him just before the going got good. In 2014, when the Cubs were getting good again, Renteria was let go.
Renteria, in four seasons with the White Sox, had a 236-309 record at the time. However, for the first three seasons, the team was not good enough to compete. Only this season did they have the talent to do so. Renteria had the White Sox well above expectations, almost capturing a division crown. And one win away from advancing to the ALDS.
Do the Chicago teams see Renteria as an actual manager or just a seat-warmer for other more high-profile managers?
The White Sox Have a Bright Future
The White Sox are no doubt moving in the right direction for success sooner rather than later. The roster is loaded with young talent hitting their primes simultaneously.
Whoever the next manager is – possibly A.J. Hinch or Alex Cora – they will inherit a good team. The White Sox did have some bad, but not colossal collapses. First, they lost the division in the last few weeks of the season. Second, they won Game 1 of the Wild Card series and proceeded to lose two straight. Also, that was after Giolito threw an absolute gem bringing a no-hitter into the seventh.
General manager Rick Hahn made the switch, and now the White Sox are in the market for a new manager. Renteria will be back and have another job; he’s a good manager. It would be nice to see him get the chance to lead a team with talent. And let him show what he can do as a manager of a good team. The Cubs and White Sox wouldn’t give him a chance, but someone will.
