Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have the young talent in place to compete for the playoffs for years to come, and they are reportedly interested in a Hall of Famer to lead the process.

After the White Sox announced they were parting ways with manager Rick Renteria on Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the team plans on reaching out to Baseball Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa.

La Russa has not managed since 2011 but is apparently "quite intrigued" by the possibility.

Nightengale noted Jerry Reinsdorf, who is the White Sox chairman, is a close friend with La Russa.

What's more, general manager Rick Hahn told reporters: "The ideal candidate will be someone who has experience in a championship organization in recent years."

The 76-year-old La Russa certainly has championship experience. He started his managerial career with the White Sox in 1979 before moving to the Oakland Athletics in 1986 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996. He had a winning record at all three stops and has a 2,728-2,365 mark throughout his career.

He also won a World Series championship in 1989 with the A's and in 2006 and 2011 with the Cardinals, in addition to six pennants. La Russa has won four Manager of the Year awards. Since retiring from managing, the Florida native has worked in a front-office capacity for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he is current a senior adviser of baseball operations.

Chicago has not won a playoff series since 2005 and is looking for a manager to turn it from a playoff contender to a championship contender, much like the crosstown Cubs did when they moved from Renteria to Joe Maddon. Now the Angels manager, Maddon led the Cubs to the 2016 World Series crown, their first since 1908.

The White Sox have the pieces to contend with the likes of Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez, so it's understandable that their next manager would be a win-now hire.

Bringing La Russa back would represent a fairly stunning one given how long ago he managed, but the White Sox are at least looking into the possibility.

Former Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch is reportedly considered a "strong candidate" to become the next manager of the Chicago White Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Hinch and former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora are considered "obvious candidates," per Buster Olney of ESPN.

Rick Renteria had served as the White Sox manager for the past four seasons, leading the team to the playoffs in 2020, but the organization announced Monday that the two sides will part ways.

Hinch could be a top managerial candidate for any opening this offseason after serving his yearlong suspension for his role in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He was fired by Houston shortly after his discipline was announced.

The 46-year-old has had plenty of on-field success, winning the World Series in 2017 and another American League pennant in 2019. In five years with the Astros, Hinch accumulated a 481-329 regular-season record with three 100-win seasons.

The MLB findings determined the manager "neither devised the banging scheme nor participated in it," although he was held accountable for having full knowledge of the team's conduct.

Cora, who was Houston's bench coach in '17, was reportedly responsible for developing the scheme. The Red Sox fired him as manager in January after he spent two seasons in the role.

The 44-year-old Cora had plenty of success prior to the scandal, winning the World Series with Boston in 2018 after going 108-54 in the regular season.

The White Sox job could be the top opening in baseball this offseason considering the team's young core:

White Sox managing job looks like a great one at this time. Seem poised for a sustained run.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 12, 2020

The White Sox have a young roster built to be competitive for the long haul and ownership has recently shown a willingness to spend to supplement that young core. Would expect their managerial opening to draw a lot of interest, especially from the top candidates.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) October 12, 2020

Jose Abreu is a top contender for the 2020 AL MVP award, while stars like Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Nick Madrigal and others should continue to improve.

Based on the early candidates, it appears Chicago is seeking a proven manager who can help take this squad take the next step after the White Sox were eliminated by the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card Series this postseason.

The Chicago White Sox announced Monday morning that the team and manager Rick Renteria were "parting ways" after four seasons. 

Renteria, 58, compiled a 236-309 record during his time as the manager. The White Sox were one of the best stories in all of baseball this year, however, going 35-25 and clinching a playoff berth. They lost in the American League Wild Card Series to the Oakland Athletics. 

Renteria also spent one season as the manager for the Chicago Cubs in 2014, leading the team to a 73-89 record. He's also had stints as the bench coach of the San Diego Padres and the White Sox and managed Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. 

This is the second time Renteria has been fired by a Chciago team seemingly on the brink of a special run. He was dismissed by the #Cubs after the 2014 campaign in favor of Joe Maddon. Now, having led the #WhiteSox to the postseason for the 1st time since ’08, Renteria was axed

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 12, 2020

White Sox just fired manager Rick Renteria.

They won just 72 games last season and played at a 94-win pace this season, but they also blew the division lead to the Twins down the stretch amid some questionable pitching moves.

Pretty desirable gig considering their young talent.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) October 12, 2020

The White Sox managerial vacancy will be an intriguing one for prospective candidates. The team has a lot of talent, from Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu to Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. 

"It's just the start of something. I think it was good for us to get in," Anderson said after the team was eliminated from the playoffs, per ESPN. "Guys got a taste of it, and I think it's just going to make them more hungry to get back there."

As for who might take over that talented young core, ESPN's Buster Olney listed A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora as "two obvious candidates for a White Sox team ready to climb to the next level."

#WhiteSox GM Rick Hahn said that for a manager they would be looking for an experienced candidate with recent experience in a championship organization. Let me look that up in my thesaurus. Ah, it says Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch. Who else falls into that category?

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 12, 2020

Bob Nightengale of USA Today added that Chicago loved Renteria "as a person, but it was his bullpen management down the stretch, and in Game 3 vs. the Athletics, that prompted his firing as manager."

As the Chicago White Sox closed the regular season with seven losses in their last eight games, it looked increasingly like they'd be fodder for early playoff elimination.

Lucas Giolito had other plans.

Giolito no-hit the Athletics for six innings as part of a two-hit effort in seven-plus frames, leading the White Sox to a 4-1 win over Oakland in Game 1 of their AL Wild Card matchup Tuesday at Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox are one win away from advancing to the division series. 

Giolito carried a perfect game into the top of the seventh before Tommy La Stella hit a single to break up the potentially historic day. 

Jose Abreu went 2-for-4 and was one of three White Sox players to hit a home run to help Giolito on the offensive side. Yasmani Grandal and Adam Engel also went yard.

   

Notable Stats

White Sox

P Lucas Giolito: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

SS Tim Anderson: 3-for-4, 1 R

1B Jose Abreu: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

DH Yasmani Grandal: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

RF Adam Engel: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

   

Athletics

P Jesus Luzardo: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K

SS Marcus Semien: 0-for-4, 1 K

1B Matt Olson: 0-for-4, 3 K

   

Giolito Has to Stay True Ace for White Sox to Make World Series Run

18 👆
18 👇

Lucas Giolito -- #MLB's No. 1 overall prospect in 2016 -- with 6 perfect frames for the #whitesox in his first #Postseason start. pic.twitter.com/kd8mYpBQd5

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 29, 2020

Giolito's Game 1 performance was among the best outings we'll see all postseason. His ability to replicate that dominance is the only way the White Sox will have a real shot of advancing in longer series.

The White Sox have the bats to strike fear into any opposing staff. Their 306 runs in the regular season were second in the American League, behind only the New York Yankees. 

Jose Abreu is probably going to win AL MVP, Tim Anderson is a walking base hit, and Eloy Jimenez will return at some point during these playoffs. That's more than enough to keep the White Sox competitive with any team, all without mentioning Luis Robert or Yasmani Grandal, the latter of whom went yard Tuesday.

The concern has always been about the pitching, particularly whether starters not named Giolito or Dallas Keuchel can hold up. Keuchel, who has been brilliant in 2020, should give the White Sox an excellent chance of advancing to the ALDS.

How the White Sox handle that third spot could define their playoff run. If Giolito and Keuchel remain dominant, the White Sox could use a committee approach and instantly be as formidable as any team in the sport. 

If Giolito's start is any indication, the White Sox could be a bigger threat than many expected. 

   

Oh No, It's the Existential Dread of Athletics Playoff Baseball

I don't really need to say more than that.

This is the 11th time the A's have been in the playoffs since the turn of the century. They have advanced past their first round exactly once, in 2006, when they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. Their last three appearances have been Wild Card Game exits, and now they're a game away from a two-game ouster in this new best-of-three format.

There's not any real fair takeaway from any of this. The A's playoff failures span no less than a handful of eras in terms of talent. The franchise deserves credit for being continuously competitive despite regularly boasting one of the sport's smallest payrolls.

That said, in the last 25 years, the Rays have made a World Series. The Marlins have hoisted a couple of titles. The Royals went to back-to-back World Series and won one. 

The pressure to perform in September and October isn't going away until the A's make a run. 

Chicago White Sox pitcher Jimmy Cordero has been suspended by Major League Baseball for three games after plunking Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras on Friday, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, while manager Rick Renteria received a one-game ban.

Contreras hit a homer in the third inning and flipped his bat high in the air. Cordero hit him with a pitch in the seventh inning, and umpire Dan Bellino and his crew saw it as retaliation.

Willson Contreras’ bat flip after a HR 😂

(@MLB)pic.twitter.com/ErYaqJXHYS

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 26, 2020

Cordero was ejected, and when Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper stormed out of the dugout to protest the call, they were ejected as well. Cordero said after the game that it wasn't intentional.

"It was just a bad pitch, a bad pitch to him," Cordero told reporters. "The ball sinked a lot, and that happened. No, it was not intentional."

Renteria backed up his player.

"The ball got away from him," he said. "He pitched him in and the ball got away."

"I was a little livid because we were sure of how we viewed it, but understandably the umpires have a judgement on that and they did what they did," Renteria added.

Cubs manager David Ross defended Contreras and his celebration, citing a bat flip by a White Sox star last season.

"All the hype is on the guy on the other side when he bat-flipped, right?" he said. "I thought Tim Anderson's bat flip last year where he flipped it and looked in his dugout, that's what you want. That's what Willson did."

Tim Anderson.

Bat flip.

LET'S GO HOME.

(via @NBCSWhiteSox)pic.twitter.com/dKcAoKJsIZ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 27, 2019

Cordero, 28, has had a tough season, going 1-2 in 29 appearances with a 5.61 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

Contreras also homered in the ninth for his seventh of the year. He's hitting .243/.357/.411 with 26 RBI.

The Chicago White Sox are heading back to the playoffs.

Thursday's 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins clinched the first postseason berth on the South Side since 2008, and it's just the second since the Sox won the World Series in 2005.

WE’RE IN! #ChangetheGame pic.twitter.com/WCcf2eD15W

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 17, 2020

The @whitesox are the first AL team to clinch a 2020 playoff spot 👏 pic.twitter.com/AQiJzA4yPS

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 17, 2020

Led by first baseman Jose Abreu, shortstop Tim Anderson, pitcher Lucas Giolito and a cast of rookies playing like established veterans, Chicago's rebuild has accelerated to the point where the once dark-horse wild-card candidate has become a legitimate World Series threat.

The White Sox are just two seasons removed from a 100-loss campaign that followed a dramatic teardown and rebuild led by general manager Rick Hahn.

Ace Chris Sale was sent to the Boston Red Sox for a package featuring third baseman Yoan Moncada and pitcher Michael Kopech; outfielder Adam Eaton was dealt to the Washington Nationals for Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning; and Jose Quintana was moved just a few miles north to the Chicago Cubs for slugger Eloy Jimenez and starter Dylan Cease.

Each player acquired in those trades has become a major key to the success of the Sox in 2020 with Giolito's transformation—going from finishing as the worst qualified starting pitcher in 2018 to the no-hitter-throwing ace of the rotation two years later—serving as a microcosm of the rebuild itself.

Along the way, Abreu (.332/.374/.644, 17 home runs, 50 RBI) and Anderson (.365/.401/.582, 19 RBI, 41 R) have earned legitimate MVP considerations, while 23-year-old center fielder Luis Robert (.246/.307/.485, 11 home runs, 30 RBI) looks increasingly like a favorite for Rookie of the Year.

Yet the work of Hahn goes well beyond scouting and developing. The GM made two significant offseason acquisitions last winter in catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Dallas Keuchel.

It was Keuchel, in fact, who called out his teammates early in the season for poor performance, arguing the club was too talented to make excuses.

The Sox responded immediately by taking control of the American League Central, cementing themselves as one of baseball's most entertaining teams.

All of it dovetailed into a charmed season for Chicago, which is seeing its championship window crack back open for the first time in years.

It may stay that way for quite some time.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel is day-to-day after leaving Sunday's start against the Kansas City Royals because of lower back stiffness.

Keuchel threw just 49 pitches in the contest, allowing two hits over five shutout innings. He also struck out a pair of batters.

After waiting out the free-agent market early last year, Keuchel eventually landed with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, prorated contract. The two-time All-Star had a solid 3.75 ERA in 112.2 innings over 19 starts. 

The White Sox added the University of Arkansas alum in the offseason, signing him to a three-year deal worth $55 million in December. Lucas Giolito was their only starter who pitched at least 50 innings and had an ERA under 4.50 in 2019. 

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 season didn't begin until July 23. Keuchel and Giolito gave the White Sox a strong one-two punch at the top of their rotation, but should he miss time, Keuchel's absence will change things for the team. He's been terrific with a 2.19 ERA in nine starts. 

Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito completed the first no-hitter in Major League Baseball this season, allowing just one baserunner in a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

27 outs, no hits for No. 27. pic.twitter.com/GlFwa2iFVC

— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2020

It's the first no-hitter in Giolito's career. It's also the first no-no for the White Sox since Philip Humber's perfect game in Seattle in 2012 and the 19th in franchise history.

Giolito's final line on the night: no runs, no hits, one walk and 13 strikeouts—the most ever recorded in a White Sox no-hitter and tied for Giolito's career high.

He needed just 101 pitches.

"Oh my God, I can't feel anything," Giolito said as he was handed a well-earned bottle of water after getting mobbed during an on-field celebration.

"I don't have any words. I wanna cry."

This is awesome. pic.twitter.com/I5BOtSiuIx

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) August 26, 2020

The starter said he shook off catcher James McCann only once during the whole game but wouldn't allow himself to think ahead to the possibility of notching the no-hitter until after the seventh inning. That's when it all kicked in. Rather than stay silent and focused, he grabbed McCann, went over his pitches and made sure the two were on the same page.

"Just staying with the same mental routine for every single pitch," Giolito said of his focus. "This pitch here, full focus, full execution straight through the target. I screwed up that last one, but [Adam Engel] bailed me out big-time."

Out No. 27 had an 85 percent hit probability, per Statcast, and instead went scorching into the outstretched glove of Engel in right field.

Engel: "I can't say enough good things about Lucas on and off the field. I'm still on Cloud 9 for the guy."

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) August 26, 2020

The 26-year-old used just three pitches all evening: a four-seam fastball he threw 47 times, a changeup he went to 38 times and a slider he used 16 times.

For Giolito, it's the high point of a career that began when he was drafted No. 16 overall in 2012. He suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery only weeks later, struggled through a 2018 season in which he led the league in walks (90) and earned runs (118) and bounced back to become an All-Star in 2019.

Every no-hitter has a signature defensive play.

TA and Abreu provided this one's. pic.twitter.com/LZVY0AsuoS

— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2020

For Chicago, it's a coming-out party after years of rebuilding. The club acquired Giolito along with Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez for Adam Eaton in a 2016 deal with the Washington Nationals that continues to pay dividends for both teams. The Sox worked with Giolito throughout his struggles and now get to reap the rewards of having a bona fide ace.

https://twitter.com/zackcollins0/status/1298457331957747712

Chicago is now 18-12 on the year (8-2 in its last ten games) and 1.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for first place in the American League Central.

With Giolito powering the way, it might not be long before the rest of baseball is looking up in the standings at the White Sox.

There are moments in sports when you just need to step back and let the video do the work. 

This is one of those moments.

While we'll transcribe below for those reading at work, please take a moment and watch Ozzie Guillen describe his hatred for Nick Swisher. It's the only way to truly do it justice.

Yeah so @OzzieGuillen really didn't hold back when discussing Nick Swisher pic.twitter.com/KJyvwJTWOM

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) August 6, 2020

To be fair to Guillen, he wasn't exactly catching Swisher with a stray. NBC Sports Chicago co-host Chuck Garfien teed him up by asking whether he disliked Carlos Gomez or Swisher more during his time as a manager. 

Guillen did not disappoint.

"Oh my god, Nick. Nobody can compare that with Nick Swisher. I hate Nick Swisher with my heart," Guillen responded.

Guillen wouldn't elaborate on why he hated Swisher, other than calling him "fake," but did note the feeling was mutual.

"I never talked to him. I was managing him, but I don't like the way his attitude was all fake, and I don't like fake people," Guillen said.

Swisher played for Guillen with the White Sox during the 2008 campaign before being traded to the New York Yankees. Guillen said their one season together was "one year too long."

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech filed for divorce from actress Vanessa Morgan in June. The couple got married in January. 

TMZ Sports reported the news Monday.

Speculation was raised about the couple's status after Morgan announced Friday she was pregnant with a son who's due in January but didn't mention Kopech.

A representative for the Riverdale actress told Tracy Swartz of the Chicago Tribune the White Sox starter is the child's father.

No further details about the breakup were released.

Kopech, 24, made his debut for the White Sox in 2018. He posted a 5.02 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 14.1 innings, showcasing a high-powered fastball that made him one of the organization's top prospects.

The Texas native missed the 2019 season because of Tommy John surgery and confirmed in early July he'd opted out of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign.

Morgan starred in The Latest Buzz and My Babysitter's a Vampire before joining the Riverdale cast in 2017. She also competed on The Amazing Race Canada in 2013.