White Sox: The ugly reason Charlie Montoyo was fired, but Tony La Russa is safe

The reason why the Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa is safe is pretty obvious when you look back at his hiring.

MLB had already seen two managers fired from their jobs within the first couple of months of the season,  with the Philadelphia Phillies firing Joe Girardi and the Los Angeles Angels moving on from Joe Maddon. The list grew to three on July 13, just days ahead of the All-Star break. The Toronto Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo, even though they held a 46-42 record entering the day.

The Chicago White Sox are not living up to the expectations they had entering the 2022 season, and all fingers are being pointed to manager Tony La Russa, who is in his second year with the team. For those pushing for the White Sox to show La Russa the door, it is unlikely to happen. The reason is obvious:

He’s owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s guy.

Jerry Reisndorf factor is why White Sox are unlikely to fire Tony La Russa

The White Sox made the move to fire Rick Renteria after the 2020 season, despite making the postseason. Instead of hiring a manager like A.J. Hinch, the White Sox got La Russa to come out of retirement to be their next skipper. The move was pushed by Reinsdorf, who said that one of his biggest regrets was firing La Russa back in 1986.

Do you think he’s going to move on not even two years into his tenure?

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that there is “unrest” in the White Sox locker room under La Russa. He further elaborated on it during an appearance on 670 The Score in Chicago, saying that this is coming from White Sox players, and they are telling this to players on other teams.

”Everybody is asking themselves, ‘What’s wrong with the White Sox?’” Nightengale said, h/t Audacy.com. “The most disappointing, underachieving team in baseball. The answer I get just inside the clubhouse, I mean, guys are complaining about Tony La Russa, guys complain about the front office and things like that. But when it comes down to it, everybody is saying there’s really no leadership in that clubhouse.”

The team is 42-45 and sitting in third place in the AL Central entering July 13 and are 3.5 games back for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. Yes, the team has dealt with a multitude of injuries, but La Russa’s decision-making has been baffling throughout the season. Two that come to mind are intentionally walking Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner on a 1-2 count, and doing the same thing this week to Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, but on an 0-1 count.

There is still plenty of the season to go for the White Sox to turn this around. But to expect the White Sox to move on so suddenly from La Russa? That is probably not happening, based on the fact that Reinsdorf personally brought him back to the organization.