White Sox Hire Tony La Russa As Manager

White Sox Hire Tony La Russa As Manager

The Chicago White Sox have gone with an out of the box approach when it comes to hiring their next manager. Rick Renteria was fired this offseason, so Chicago has been on the hunt for a new manager. Today, they found their guy hiring Hall of Famer Tony La Russa.

The White Sox announced the news themselves:

Tony La Russa, a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame, the third-winningest manager in baseball history, a three-time World Series champion and a four-time winner of the Manager of the Year Award, has been named the new manager of the Chicago White Sox. pic.twitter.com/RKP24rleHP

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 29, 2020

La Russa, 76, is 42 years older than any player on the White Sox 40 man roster. La Russa managed the Cardinals and A’s, winning a championship with both. He returns to Chicago, where he previously managed the White Sox from 1976-1986.

The La Russa hire is a strange one. This will go down as a defining moment for the White Sox brass. La Russa has not managed since 2011 and has been involved more in the front office with a variety of teams. La Russa spent time with Dave Dombrowski in Boston and Dave Stewart in Arizona.

The White Sox are an emerging team with a lot of young talent. Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal, and Lucas Giolito are just a few notable examples. La Russa is going to be in charge of a young team coming off a playoff trip. The pressure to win is ON.

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Jeff Passan has added that La Russa was a “Reinsdorf decision”:

The hiring of Tony La Russa has ruffled feathers in the White Sox organization. A number of employees have concerns about his ability to connect with younger players and how he will adapt to the field after being away 9 years.

This was a Jerry Reinsdorf decision. Simple as that.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 29, 2020

Oh, the drama is brewing. Passan has noted that La Russa hire was not universally loved in the White Sox front office. La Russa’s ability to connect with players and time away from the game is a massive concern. Time will tell how this hire goes.

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