Finding a manager is one of the first orders of offseason business for the White Sox. Chicago dismissed Pedro Grifol in early August. Grady Sizemore finished the season on an interim basis. While Sox GM Chris Getz left the door ajar for Sizemore to take the full-time job, Getz had previously indicated that the team was likely to go outside the organization for a solution.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Sox’s early list of targets includes Rangers associate manager Will Venable, Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso, and former Angels skipper Phil Nevin. That’s not an exhaustive set of candidates, nor is it clear if anyone from that trio will actually interview.
Nevin is the only one of that group with previous managerial experience. The former All-Star infielder took over the Halos on an interim basis when Los Angeles fired Joe Maddon in June 2022. The Angels signed Nevin to a one-year extension covering the ’23 campaign. They decided not to re-sign him last winter on the heels of a 73-89 season. Nevin interviewed for the Padres’ vacancy that eventually went to Mike Shildt. He did not coach this past season.
Venable and Descalso are more recently retired players who have long been viewed as potential future managers. Venable had spent time as Alex Cora’s bench coach with the Red Sox before accepting the associate manager role under Bruce Bochy in 2022. He has held that position in Texas for the past two years. Venable won a World Series ring during his first season in Arlington. He took himself out of consideration for managerial roles early last winter, reportedly declining a chance to interview with the Mets for the job which went to Carlos Mendoza.
While Venable has been on coaching staffs for the past seven years, Descalso has just one season of MLB coaching experience. The former Cardinals infielder took the bench coach role with St. Louis last offseason. He spent this year as Oli Marmol’s top lieutenant and has also worked in the Diamondbacks’ front office since retiring as a player in 2021.
I’m pretty good at MLB 9 Innings, I’ll give the White Sox job a shot.
Ozzie Guillen will get them over 0.400. As long as he sticks to using no -offensive swear-words, he is the guy for this job.
If they were willing to bring back Tony la Russa they would probably rehire Ozzie
That 2005 White Sox team had five starters who among them started a total of 152 games.
Was a team full of cast offs and bad reputation players along with a few unknowns that panned out. I’d like to see Jerry clean house and try it again once more before he croaks. Send 85 percent of the team packing and bring in 25-30 misfit’s from the free agent market to spring training. That would get me back in the seats. Also get a flamboyant manager that’s not afraid to speak/act. Grifol stunk. The radio interview where he said he was doing a fine job is what got him fired. TLR WAS a great manager. Too bad they brought him back after he was past it. You knew Renteria was going to be fired when you saw him change the pitcher every inning in the last playoff game. It’s too bad he was better than Grifol or TLR. It’s time to bring 18 men to play with the 7 or 8 kids that showed promise last year. I’ve seen enough of Sheets , Vaughn, Colas, Lopez….way past the time to clean house.
Ozzie actually is a good manager but Jerry wouldn’t do it in a million years.
Breaking the record for most losses would change some people’s minds. But probably not Jerry’s, have to concur.
Run Grady. Run fast. Run far. Don’t look back. Do not pass go. Do not put this on your resume’.
You’d be over qualified
I never thought that anyone on this site play that game lol. How much have you sunk on that game? $1000?
DodgerOK, I piloted an APBA face-to-face league team to a championship in the 70s. Granted, I used Johnny Bench in 161 games and had Jon Matlack as my closer. But I stand on my record.
@DodgerOK
You have a shot. Jerry only cares what your salary demands might be.
Why hire a gifted carpenter and ask them to make furniture from mulch?
You don’t want that life.
Nevin and his garbage kid need to leave baseball.
And why haven’t you been banned yet?
Put a hat on a laptop and save some money. An extra the White Sox might opt for, is a laptop equipped with a laser. Cut down on some whiners, and encourage the umps to make “correct” calls.
“You know, I have one simple request, and that is to have laptops with frickin’ laser beams attached to them!”
Ok Dr Evil.
Astros already did this. With Dustybot to boot
Nathanial Hackett is looking for a new gig. Since football obviously isn’t his sport, maybe he could give baseball a try. His resume includes refences.
If the White Sox weren’t in such a sad state, and had a more immediate promising future, I’d love to have Skip Shumaker. That guy comes from the very successful Cardinal way of baseball.
The only reason Hackett (why can’t you be Nate or Nathan why does it have to be Nathaniel) was in New York was because of Aaron Rodgers, he didn’t even call the plays in GB that was Matt lafleur!
Hackett screwed Russell Wilson so bad too
I was not expecting to see a reference to my favorite NFL team in the replies but after what I’ve seen from the Jets’ offensive coordinator the last 2 years I agree with you Don!
Don’t forget about Hackett’s awesome tenure in Denver with the mighty Russel Wilson at QB. He might have left that line off his resume in order to get hired again.
Watch they hire David Ross(something I would despise) and he turns them around still finishes last place but he nearly doubles their wins from this year.
I like David Ross, he doesn’t deserve that kind of punishment. No one is going to get the White Sox beyond 55 or so wins next year.
I say 57!
With them cutting payroll, getting more than 45 feels optimistic, especially if they trade Crochet.
Meh. Dbacks and Royals say hi
They’ll have minimum 110 losses.
Tom Tucker: Here’s Ollie Williams with the latest on the white Sox’s manager search, Ollie
Ollie: “WHO WANTS THIS JOB”
Tom Tucker: thanks Ollie
Nevin seems like the prototypical Getz hire
Nevin was a crappy 3B coach during his time with the Yankees.
He was indeed. He was a hothead too.
Bobby Valentine!
Too bad the headline isn’t, Latest On White Sox’s Owner Search
The baseball gods are punishing the White Sox fans with Jerry continuing to own the team.
If you could trade Reinsdorf for Arte Moreno would you do it?
Sob, that is a fascinating question.
No
No, that’s just as bad. Arte is terrible as well.
Joe Girardi
I wouldn’t mind that. He’s really annoying when he occasionally calls a cubs game.
Please give this job to Olie Marmol.
If Tito comes out of retirement why can’t la Russa again
La russa still has a role in the wsox
No, please no. I’ll take a water cooler as the manager over getting LaRussa again.
lol I still remember the trea turner 2 strikes incident
Only if roid rage Papi goes ballistic on said cooler
sad tormented: Why do you hate the White Sox that much?
Fine. He can bring in 95-year old Al Worthington as pitching coach.
Phil Nevin? Lol. If they want to keep losing. Nothing but a meatheaded goon.
May as well just hold a lottery for every game for the right to be manager for the day, can help draw a couple dozen more fans too
“A development guy?” That’s what the minor leagues coaches are for. The Sox need players who can hit, not who might be able to sometime later.
White Sox need to overhaul their development of position players at all levels. And you still develop once you hit the majors. It’s a big jump from the minors, with plenty of adjustments to make. I don’t know much about McCullough, but a development guy is exactly what the Sox need.
I’d still like to see Schumaker hired. He’s a good coach who has experience with rebuilds. He’s no Francona, but Francona was never going to take this job. I am certainly hoping for someone who’s been a successful manager before, not just a third base coach on a successful team. Mostly, the Sox need a strong leader with proven developmental skills who preaches and practices the fundamentals.
Bring back Terry Bevington. Let’s light this candle.
Save the cash, just have Benny as a player/manager
AJ should be on top of the list. White Sox fans love and respect him. Only problem he might demand to much from the owner and front office because he tells it like it is and they like someone who is a yes man and does what their told.
It’s gonna be A-Rod managing with Bonds as hitting coach and Clemens the new pitching coach.
@Hank
But then Jerry would need to hire a major league pharmacist for the team and those aren’t cheap.
Please interview Oli Marmol and hire him.
Whoever gets the Sox job likely will not be the best candidate, it will be the cheapest and likely see about the same as the past two years in terms of performance.
A) They need a GM with autonomy to make baseball decisions, which will not happen as long as ‘the Chairman’ owns this club.
B) They also need a manager with some autonomy to make decisions on who to play and when to play them, who stays and who goes, but see point ‘a’.
At this point, any GM or Manager worth a damn will never work for such a clown in Reinsdorf.