There’s quite a lot of intrigue in the front office and managerial arenas this offseason. Let’s check in on the latest bits of information …
- WGN broadcaster Dan Roan crafted an eyebrow-raising tweet regarding the next White Sox manager. Indications are that the organization is preparing to make a swift and dramatic decision to fill the top dugout opening. Roan hints at a forthcoming announcement that Tony La Russa will be tapped for a return run on the South Side. It’s certainly not a firm report of an imminent agreement, but Sox fans may want to keep an eye on the news wire on Thursday.
- The Angels have a new potential target in their GM search, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Halos have asked the Cubs to green-light a chat with Dan Kantrovitz, the current VP of scouting in Chicago. Kantrovitz, who has been with the Cubs for less than a year, could in theory be considered for the top job in Anaheim or targeted as one of two hires if the club decides to bring on both a president of baseball ops and a general manager.
- This time last year, Kantrovitz was still with the Athletics — a team that now appears to be looking at the end of an era with the potential departure of Billy Beane. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle addresses several elements of the situation in response to reader inquiries. Unsurprisingly, she anticipates that GM David Forst would step into Beane’s shoes in the event of the latter’s departure. Kantrovitz might’ve been in line to succeed as GM had he remained. As things stand, Slusser suggests that AGM Billy Owens stands to move up the ladder if he’s not first snatched up by another org.
- The Cardinals are planning to trim costs in player payroll after a round of front office cuts. It turns out that the recent departures included a trio of notable former players, according to Mark Saxon of The Athletic (via Twitter). Former Cards Chris Carpenter, Jason Isringhausen, and Jim Edmonds are no longer being paid as special assistants.
Reinsdorf continues to get in the way of his franchises. Hinch is perfect for them but no hire the 76 year old who couldn’t even come up with a valid reason why he put Harold Bains in the HOF.
The guy has 3 rings. Some criticisms are valid but not this.
Sorry, but I would have to disagree with you there. They need a manager who will be there for the FULL contention window, not a hall of fame manager who would be there for 2 years tops because of age. Hinch would be the more logical choice between the two.
Hinch should have been banned from baseball for life! He’s a disgrace to baseball and POS!
Agree, Hinch/Cora should both be banned. If LaRussa is there for two years, then so be it. Team change Mgr’s all the time, maybe that is his window
LOL larussa spent the majority of his career riding the backs of cheaters to success
Wait a minute… Now I don’t twitt at all, so perhaps there’s more to it than meets my eye, but if I understand this correctly, this tweet:
__”Don’t be shocked at a major SOX announcement on Thursday and yes, it’s probably what— and WHO— you think it is”__
…os being interpreted as a hint that it’s La Russa?? Sorry, not who he means.
You’re wrong
Well, ff—
Bruce Bochy
Do the cardinals really need both a GM and a president of baseball operations? How about saving money buy dumping Mo and Girsch and hiring one competent person for the job.
True.
I agree!!
This!
Do the cards need multiple pitchers? The answer to both is yes. Obviously, you have no idea the amount of work that is needed, and by the way, they make less than part time pours
I wholeheartedly agree, Dump “Mo the PBO.” Having a PBO and GM in this day and age is pretty redundant.
His career is built on players using steroids but he is in hall of fame. Yet people are upset at thought of hinch or cora getting a job.. What a joke.
His career isn’t wasn’t built on players using steroids. Two players used steroids who once played for him, which also weren’t against the rules in baseball at the time. There is a tremendous difference between LaRussa and Hinch.
There is a huge difference between single players cheating and what the Astros did as a team, but all illegal drugs have always been…you know, illegal in MLB, as with anywhere else the law applies. They may not have been adamantly testing for them, but it doesn’t mean they were legal. Just being illegal means it was “against the rules in baseball at the time.”
But hey, at least we got to see McGwire cry in front of Congress on national TV.
That’s not entirely accurate, Chief. Steroids weren’t added to baseball’s banned substance list until 1991. Testing officially began in 2003. So while steroids may have been illegal criminally in the 80s, they weren’t technically cheating at that time as it applies to baseball. I’m not trying to make an argument condoning it. Just pointing out you can’t break a rule that doesn’t exist.
@Appa;lachian Those A’s teams in the late 1980s-1990s were filthy with steroids. Look at every single player’s stats before they went to the A’s and after. It’s ridiculous how every one of them suddenly boosted their stats upon landing in Oakland. To think LaRussa didn’t know and turned a blind eye is silly. He’s a smart guy.
I mean yes, jek, you can point to the stats. It would certainly lend itself to the argument you’re making. You could very well be right? I can’t dispute it. It’s not what you think or know though, it comes down to what you can prove. In the absence of a positive test or an admission of guilt, none of it can be proven.
I seriously doubt only two used steroids but drug use is easier to hide from the manager than banging a trash can. My main beef with Larussa is I don’t think this young team will relate to him.
Jeff, can we get a second opinion on the tweet? I read it and thought “oh, that’s interesting”, but my eyebrows didn’t raise, so just looking for clarification.
I had a different kind of rise when reading the tweet, something most 65-year old men would be thrilled with!
Viagra or Cialis?
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong if he’s hired but I just don’t think Tony is the best candidate for the Sox manager. I’m well aware of his success but for some reason he just doesn’t seem like he fits.
This ‘boomer’ Chicago baseball fan still prefers old school ball mixed in with all the advanced analytics. As such, I hope Tony La Russa is named the next White Sox manager. To anger the young sabermetric nerds even more I hope current White Sox front office pitching consultant Dave Duncan reunites with La Russa in the dugout as his pitching coach. My final wish to totally enrage all the nerds would be for Rick Renteria to return as the bench with La Russa grooming him as his heir apparent to complete the forthcoming White Sox dynasty.
This 65-year old Chicago baseball fan still prefers old school ball mixed in with all the advanced analytics. As such, I hope Tony La Russa is named the next White Sox manager. To anger the young sabermetric nerds even more I hope current White Sox front office pitching consultant Dave Duncan reunites with La Russa in the dugout as his pitching coach. My final wish to totally enrage all the nerds would be for Rick Renteria to return as the bench with La Russa grooming him as his heir apparent to complete the forthcoming White Sox dynasty.
I agree that Duncan comes with LaRussa and is probably the real reason Coop was fired. JR won’t won’t hire someone from the tarnished Astros unless Springer is part of the deal. JR does not want any references to the Black Sox. He has too much respect for the game.
I believe Duncan has already stated that he would not be coming with LaRussa.
So if you’re younger and want to gain even more insight into baseball, you’re a nerd? Get off my lawn, grandpa.
Grandpa has loved statistics every since he began collecting baseball cards back in the early 1960’s. That said, I don’t want my manager staring at spread sheets while in the dugout. Stats are a useful tool, even more so in this advanced era of sabermetrics. They should not be the only one. Too much emphasis on numbers is helping to ruin the game I have loved for nearly 60 years and I blame many of the young executive nerd hires with MBA’s for much of this.
If you mean going “by the (new) book” can be a problem, like with Kevin Cash removing Blake Snell, I’ll concede that point. A mix is needed.
I just don’t see the need to call everyone who follows the numbers nerds. And to that point, I apologize for the “grandpa” comment. It was meant in jest, but it was inconsiderate.
I think La Russa is going to bring in Pierzynski as a bench coach then mentor him to take over as manager in a few years. I have no clue how long La Russa’a contract is for since the White Sox are quiet on that front. La Russa’a old school mentality with using his knowledge of the game by knowing how to use his talent when pulling off a suicide squeeze bunt or pulling a pitcher is something these analytic managers can not decipher when it comes to winning a game in a crucial setting.
Just ask Kevin Cash with pulling Snell in game six in this past World Series. Cash’s decision was all about analytics and not going with his gut when his starting pitcher was lights out a giant that Dodgers line up.
I still think LaRussa is a smokescreen and they’re quietly going after Hinch. But since LaRussa is the only confirmed interview, it’s either LaRussa or Hinch. If it’s LaRussa, I don’t see why they’re waiting. And it’s not like any other team is going to swoop in and scoop him up.
I could definitely be wrong, but I still say it’s going to be Hinch.
Since Larussa is the only confirmed interview, what, other than your imagination, brings Hinch into the conversation? If its because he’s unemployed, you’re missing out on a few million other names.
Phil Jackson could bring Jordan out of retirement and run the triangle
It’s almost as if the word “Rumors” is part of this website.
I see issues with Hinch being announced Thursday as the manager. They couldn’t even interview him until yesterday. So they’re going to go from a single Zoom call, to not having a follow-up interview(s), or meeting in person before hiring him as manager, especially considering he’s coming off a suspension for orchestrating the greatest team scandal since the 1919 Black Sox? All manager hires now pretty much involve multiple rounds of interviews. Hiring Hinch should involve more than a single Zoom call! I doubt they’ve conducted multiple rounds of interviews, met in person, and agreed to and signed a contract since the World Series ended late Tuesday night, unless the White Sox and Hinch violated the rules of his suspension and were meeting and agreeing to a contract over the past couple of weeks. Remember, the Tigers also have expressed an interest in Hinch. He’s not going to talk to them too? An announcement today would immediately bring about an investigation!
Another item not discussed enough with hiring Hinch is his suspension doesn’t end until, I believe, January 21, 2021. That’s almost three months away and only a few weeks short of camp opening. He won’t be able to engage with players, participate in offseason planning meetings, etc. All the things you want your manager to do in the offseason, he can’t.
Last, LaRussa is friends with Reisendorf. Why would he publicly do this to LaRussa without hiring him if his goal was always Hinch?
I have no idea if there will be an announcement today, Thursday. I’m not saying Hinch won’t be interviewed and even eventually be the final candidate. I simply don’t see it all happening today unless it’s LaRussa.
The points you bring up are excellent! I actually don’t know this for fact, and you may well be correct, but I think I’ve seen on other MLBTR articles that the two manager suspensions end with the completion of the World Series… Still validates your points, even if that’s true.
Thanks for a good, thoughtful post!!!
Duncan already said in an interview he is not coming with LaRussa.
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/if-la-russa-goes-to-white-sox-sidekick-duncan-will-not-be-along-for-the/article_162f7227-9cdd-5dd1-9434-ecfa9d5c704f.html
Dave Duncan won’t be returning to the dugout primarily because of health issues. That said, he doesn’t mind returning as a White Sox front office pitching consultant when MLB returns to some sort of normalcy in the wake of COVID-19. Clearly Tony La Russa still wanted Duncan with him in the dugout and his hiring would play into the former pitching coach returning to the White Sox organization in some capacity.
Obviously Duncan has had 2+ years gauging and evaluating all of the White Sox pitchers and their bright young coaches. He’s very bullish on their upside and would likely consult with La Russa regarding the many potential internal candidates the organization has to fill the roles of pitching coaches on his friends staff.
Reinsdorf and LaRussa are lifetime friends and I think there’s a better chance that he is named GM or President of Baseball Operations etc than manager. I can’t believe that LaRussa would want to go through the daily grind and or take over a franchise that may need to replace him in a year or two when they have the core locked up for the next 3-5 years.
According to the same new interview with Dave Duncan above, Tony La Russa very much wants to return to the dugout as White Sox manager and not continue as a front office executive in MLB. Regardless of whether La Russa gets the job, it is a fascinating interview regarding both Duncan and La Russa.
how do you expect a 90 year old dude to connect with and inspire tim anderson, lucas giolito, eloy jimenez, etc.?
By showing off your World Series rings?
by that logic bears should hire Joe Gibbs.
Considering all the Bears head coaching hires your suggestion would have been better. Unfortunately for Bears fans, Joe Gibbs is totally invested these days as a 79-year old NASCAR racing team owner. He’s not only enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but also the NASCAR HOF where he continues to be a major figure in auto racing.
Btw: Tony La Russa is not 90. He just turned 76 earlier this month. Gibbs will be 80 next month and is still very successful despite his advanced years.
Angels after wrong cub. They need theo
Yes! The Angels will have to wait until Theo’s Cubs contract expires following the 2021 season. Then he can reunite with and can Joe Maddon all over again!
I cant get my hopes up as an Angels fan with an owner like we’ve got
If it’s LaRussa, everything that leaked about the reasons Renteria was fired and everything Hahn said at his year end press conference were lies.
A buddy of Jerry who hasn’t had success in a decade is not the way to get this team over the top.
Tony showed how badly the game has passed him by during his time with the DBacks.
Tony La Russa never managed a Diamondbacks team. His last managerial gig was guiding the 2011 Cardinals to his third World Series championship, the kind of experience that Rick Hahn was looking for in his next manager.
I’ve got to agree with Aaron. As an Atlanta fan I thought Tony was a great Executive. Ha ha! He really was actually pretty bad at that part of the game, though. You can’t judge his ability to manage off of that however. They’re two different jobs.
2011 isn’r recent. Especially in baseball terms. He was in AZ’s FO. Where analytics took a back seat..
Stop it. Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan were among the first managers and pitching coaches to embrace advanced analytics even before they could have printed a spread sheet off of their home computers. Duncan admitted as much in his interview article. All the griping about La Russa seems to be coming from the younger fans who feel that his 76-year old age is the primary factor. That is blatant discrimination.
If LaRussa unretires, does that mean we get to undo his backroom arm twisting that got the completely ridiculous case of Hal Baines being a HOFer from joke status to an ugly reality?
Fair trade, right Sox?
And La Russa has been named the new White Sox manager! https://www.mlb.com/news/tony-la-russa-named-white-sox-manager
Why not cut the head of the snake off first??? John Mozeliak is the highest paid. Plus he’s caused more turmoil, player discontent and financial stress than anyone else in the organization.