Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol is getting interest from multiple teams with managerial openings, according to a report from Enrique Rojas of ESPN, who lists the Royals, White Sox and Marlins as those who are interested in Grifol.
Grifol, 53 next month, was drafted by the Twins and played in the minors from 1991 to 1999. He got as high as Triple-A but never got the call to the major league level in his playing days. He subsequently transitioned into other roles, such as the director of minor league operations for the Mariners and then joining the Royals’ coaching staff in 2013.
His name has frequently come up in past managerial searches, a reflection of the respect that Grifol has around the game. Prior to the 2018 season, he was a candidate to manage the Tigers, then was considered by the Orioles a year later. He was in the running for the Giants and the opening in KC prior to 2020 but lost out to Mike Matheny, who was in the chair for the past three years but got fired recently. He was then up for the job in the Tigers’ dugout again prior to 2021 but lost out to A.J. Hinch.
There’s been a lot of shakeup within the Royals after another disappointing season. In addition to Matheny, the club has also parted ways with pitching coach Cal Eldred and president of baseball operations Dayton Moore. In the case of Moore, general manager J.J. Picollo was promoted to take over, keeping some semblance of continuity despite the obvious desire for change. It’s possible that the same approach could apply for the managerial vacancy, with Grifol potentially getting the bump from the bench coach position into the manager’s chair.
It seems the Royals will have some competition for Grifol’s services, however, with the reported interest from the White Sox and Marlins. The Sox will be looking to replace Tony La Russa, who recently announced he is stepping down due to health reasons. In the case of the Fish, they and Don Mattingly announced a mutual decision to not continue their relationship beyond 2023. In addition to those clubs, there will also be others looking for new skippers. The Blue Jays and Phillies are currently in the postseason and playing with interim managers, who could potentially be retained for the future. The Rangers fired Chris Woodward midseason and replaced him with Tony Beasley on an interim basis, with Beasley recently undergoing an interview to stick around and remove the interim tag from his title.
Idk working under Matheny may have fried his brain.
And so it begins. Everyone is under consideration for every opening ever.
Slider, I hear ya. It’s nauseating and annoying most definitely.
If the White Sox are smart there hunt for a new manager start and ends with a 5 year 25 million dollar deal with world series manager JOE M
You don’t want Joe anywhere near your pitching staff
That goes double for the bullpen. He almost mismanaged the Cubs into losing in 2016.
Maddon’s “goofy uncle Joe” schtik seems to wear off quicker and quicker with each team he manages. I would Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi would have a better chance at that job than Maddon anyway. I still think Dave Martinez is a good fit if he leaves the Nats
“Their”
And NO thanks for JM!
If Rick Hahn was telling the truth about the criteria the White Sox would be looking for — namely experience in the dugout with a team that has had recent post-season success — Grifol is not their guy. 2015 was not recent.
He may have been telling the truth about what he wants, but JR’s criteria are:
1. Have you ever worked for me before and/or are you a friend of mine?
2. Can you tell the difference between a baseball and a turnip?
New Sox manager to be Bochy!
They could do worse, but he also has health-related red flags. I’d rather have a guy with some experience, but a bit younger and able to withstand the rigors of a full season of traveling and late nights.
Joe Matheny? Mike’s younger brother that no one has ever heard of?
I think Hahn and Jerry will look for someone a little less age than Tony , WS winner , Cito
In the article above, I’m pretty you have a typo and you meant 2022, not 2023 about Donny Baseball.
IMO the Royals should give Pittsburgh coach Mike Rabelais a shot as Manager. He did well with Tigers AA team and has MLB experience now. The Royals can field an entire team of rookies so they don’t need an old Manager who thinks he’s the star of the team and platoons career part time veteran players.
As a White Sox fan, if we’re going bench coaches, I’d rather have Quataro (Rays), Espada (Astros), or Gonzalez (Orioles). The first two have been bench coaches for successful franchises and Gonzalez has been part of a surprising Orioles team and has a winning big-league managerial record, despite leading teams with lesser talent than those first two guys. Several more intriguing options after that before they go poaching from the Royals.
I imagine Esparza replaces Dusty Baker.
You might well be right, but it’s also possible the Astros want someone with more experience while their window’s wide open. Nothing’s official until the ink’s on the contract.
Well, this shows that the Marlins will very likely be looking for a new face.