Miguel Cairo is one possible Tony La Russa replacement for the Chicago White Sox to consider but so are these three other candidates.
Tony La Russa’s time with the Chicago White Sox may be coming to a close. The team shared a recent update on his health and La Russa has been told to not return to the team for the rest of the 2022 season.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 24, 2022
It’s unfortunate that things may end this way with La Russa and his return from retirement. He was already on the hot seat because of the way the team underperformed. Bench coach Miguel Cairo will finish the year as the team’s skipper, but he might not be the best option for next season.
With La Russa not returning this year and possibly stepping away from the job entirely, these three candidates stand out as possible replacements.
1) White Sox should be the ones to give Joe Espada a chance
Joe Espada has been a managerial candidate for several years. Never the bride and always the bridesmaid, the bench coach of the Houston Astros is the obvious future manager to eventually replace Dusty Baker. However, with Baker doing his job well, that might not happen for a few more years.
The White Sox could use a much different manager than La Russa. Someone younger and more relatable to players would be the complete opposite. Espada fits this billing.
From almost the moment he took over as the member of the White Sox, there seemed to be a poor relationship between him and the players. The team played well in year one under his guidance. This season, in so many ways, has been disastrous.
Espada is unproven as a skipper but often a favorite to get hired every winter. He should, once again, be a contender for every available job.
2) White Sox could look to swipe Sandy Alomar Jr. from the Guardians
Sandy Alomar Jr. has been with the Cleveland coaching staff for several years. Currently the first base coach for the Guardians, he has a connection to the White Sox organization already. While best remembered for his days playing in Cleveland, Alomar also had years with the White Sox. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a part of their championship team in 2005. He departed after 2004 and wouldn’t return until late 2006.
Alomar is a highly-respected former player who meets a criteria many look at. The position he played during his career, catcher, often breeds some fantastic skippers. On the Guardians’ staff, he has had chances to manage during Terry Francona’s absences in recent seasons due to illness. The situation with the White Sox is somewhat similar with La Russa likely to bow out because of his own health.
For Alomar, the question may be about comfort. He has been in Cleveland for a long time. The pressures of coaching first base aren’t nearly what they would be if he was to take over as the manager for the White Sox.
Neither young nor old for a manger, he’s at a sweet spot age. He isn’t a manager coming out from a broadcast booth either. He has been right in the thick of things. Who would know the White Sox better than a coach who has seen them up close for a decade?
3) White Sox could take a chance on A.J. Pierzynski
Baseball fans seem to either love or hate A.J. Pierzynski. It probably depends on whether or not he was good for your team or punched a player on your squad in the face.
Pierzynski has yet to manage in the big leagues. Maybe it’s his outgoing personality, the fact that he was a catcher, or a pattern the White Sox have followed which has led them back to familiar names and faces.
La Russa had already managed the club in the past. Two other recent managers, Robin Ventura and Ozzie Guillen, played for the team. Pierzynski is someone the White Sox organization knows well.
He would bring youth to the manager role but also some fire. Maybe as a manager he’d be a little less volatile—or possibly more. People do change when they retire. But if Pierzynski did exit the leisure of a post-playing career because he has seen his investments drop dramatically in the stock market this year, we’d have to assume some of the some attitude would return even if he’s now in his mid-40s.
The White Sox will have their pick of experienced manager candidates and others who would be first-timers. Being a manager is a results-driven job. La Russa didn’t get them. While we all wish him the best of health, it’s definitely time to move on.