AL Central

Starting pitcher Zack Greinke is reportedly "expected to return" for a 20th MLB season in 2023.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday the Kansas City Royals are "interested" in re-signing Greinke, who compiled a 3.68 ERA across 26 starts for the club this season while playing on a one-year, $13 million contract.

The 39-year-old right-hander said after his final start of the season he wasn't sure whether he'd be back next year.

"I don't really know for sure what's going to happen," Greinke told reporters in early October. "We'll figure it out eventually, but I don't know at the moment."

He posted solid overall numbers in 2022 despite a low strikeout rate (4.8 per nine innings) basically unheard of in the modern game. He was able to remain effective thanks to limiting walks (1.7 per nine) and keeping the ball in the park (14 home runs allowed in 137 innings).

Greinke was drafted by the Royals in 2002 and made his major league debut for the club in 2004. His first stint in K.C. ran through 2010.

The Florida native proceeded to make stops with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Houston Astros before returning to the Royals ahead of the 2022 campaign.

His career resume includes the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, six All-Star selections and six Gold Glove Awards.

Baseball Reference shows him having a fringe Hall of Fame case, including a career WAR (76.4) that's slightly above the average Hall of Famer.

Coming back for at least one more season will give him an opportunity to keep building the case that he deserves a place in Cooperstown.

If Greinke returns but doesn't re-sign with Kansas City, it's possible he could generate interest from contenders in free agency as an option for their back end of their rotation.

Another one-year deal with the Royals seems like the most likely outcome, though.

The Chicago White Sox found their next manager.

They officially announced Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol will take over the job vacated by Tony La Russa.

OFFICIAL: Pedro Grifol, a member of two American League pennant winning and a World Series championship staff with the Kansas City Royals, has been named the 42nd different manager in White Sox history. pic.twitter.com/lntIVfxF9F

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 3, 2022

The managerial position was open because Russa announced in October he would not be back in 2023 because of multiple health issues. He was away from the team since Aug. 31, and the White Sox announced on Sept. 24 he would not return during the 2022 campaign.

Bench coach Miguel Cairo managed the team while La Russa was away.

While La Russa is a Hall of Famer with three World Series titles and four Manager of the Year awards during a career that included stops with the White Sox, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, the 2022 season was a massive disappointment for Chicago.

The team won the American League Central with a 93-69 record in 2021, and anything short of a deep playoff run in 2022 would have been falling short of expectations.

Chicago didn't even make the postseason and finished with an 81-81 record. It was a major step back in a winnable division, as the Cleveland Guardians' 92-70 mark was the worst record for any division winner in all of baseball.

The White Sox won the 2005 World Series with Ozzie Guillen as the manager but have made the playoffs just three times since without a single postseason series victory. One rival executive called them "the most underachieving team in the last 50 years," per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

That is the backdrop for Grifol as he begins his new role and attempts to do what Robin Ventura, Rick Renteria and La Russa couldn't after Guillen and lead the team back into the World Series.

Grifol faces plenty of pressure in a major market, and last year's failures in Chicago only serve to underscore the urgency for a team that features a number of notable players, including Luis Robert, Dylan Cease, Eloy Jiménez and Tim Anderson.

The expectation will once again be the American League Central crown at the very worst even though it is Grifol's first season as a Major League manager.

He has experience as a scout, minor league instructor, hitting coach and, most recently, the bench coach of the Royals. He is familiar with the division from his time in Kansas City and will now look to establish a consistent winner in the Windy City.

The Chicago White Sox have reportedly found their new manager.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the White Sox are expected to announce later this week they will hire Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol as their skipper.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported earlier in the day that Grifol and New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza were among the finalists for Chicago's managerial job.

Tony La Russa announced on Oct. 3 that he was stepping down as manager of the White Sox because of health concerns.

Prior to the announcement, La Russa hadn't managed a game since Aug. 28. The team announced three days later that he underwent a medical evaluation and would return home to Arizona for further evaluation with his personal doctors.

On Sept. 11, La Russa confirmed to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press he had a pacemaker inserted for his heart.

Bench coach Miguel Cairo, who joined La Russa's staff prior to the 2021 season, served as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign.

This was La Russa's second stint as manager of the White Sox. He previously led the team from 1979 to 1986. The 78-year-old was hired in October 2020 to replace Rick Renteria. It was his first managerial job since retiring after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series title.

The White Sox went 93-69 and won the American League Central for the first time since 2008 in La Russa's first season. A combination of injuries and disappointing performances saw the team miss the playoffs with an 81-81 record this year.

Grifol has been working as a coach with the Royals since 2013. He was drafted as a player by the Minnesota Twins in 1991 and spent nine seasons in the minors with the Twins and New York Mets before retiring after the 1999 campaign.

After retiring as a player, Grifol worked in scouting and player development with the Seattle Mariners. The 52-year-old served as a manager for the High Desert Mavericks, Seattle's Class A affiliate, in 2012.

The Kansas City Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as their next manager, the team announced Sunday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the news.

Quatraro will take over for Mike Matheny, who was fired after the Royals finished 65-97 in 2022. Kansas City also extended its postseason drought to seven seasons.

"We are extremely excited to have Matt leading our club and core of talent," general manager J.J. Picollo said. "Matt has great experiences throughout his career that have prepared him for this. He thoroughly impressed us all during our interview process and is clearly respected across the industry."

The organization has already undergone some major changes to atone for its recent futility. In addition to moving on from Matheny, the Royals fired pitching coach Cal Eldred. Dayton Moore was ousted as president of baseball operations before the regular season ended.

It wasn't just that Kansas City's fortunes took a sharp downturn after it made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015. Moore's plan to rebuild around young pitching hasn't worked out, and there aren't a bevy of top prospects to generate optimism for the future.

Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez both made their MLB debuts in 2022, and neither is older than 23. Kansas City's pitching staff was also tied for the second-youngest (27.3) in the league, per Baseball Reference.

Although the cupboard isn't totally bare, this isn't like in the early 2010s, when Kansas City had a farm system brimming with potential.

Quatraro's top priority will be helping to see Picollo's long-term vision through.

Given his experience in Tampa and before that with the Cleveland Guardians, the 48-year-old is a natural fit. He knows what it's like to work within a small-market team that needs a steady flow of homegrown talent to thrive.

Selecting Quatraro also sends a message that ownership isn't expecting an immediate turnaround. The Royals are likely years away from contention, so the new manager should get plenty of time in the dugout to establish a new culture.

The Chicago White Sox are expected to interview Ozzie Guillén next week for their vacant managerial position, per Michael Allardyce of NBC Sports Chicago.

The White Sox have already had discussions with Guillén, Allardyce added, and his name has been mentioned as a potential candidate since it was announced that Tony La Russa would not return in 2023.

La Russa stepped down as manager of the White Sox on Oct. 3 because of health concerns that left him unable to manage games since the end of August. He was having an issue with a pacemaker he got in February, and he announced the day he stepped down that he was also dealing with a new ailment.

The 78-year-old had managed the White Sox for the last two seasons, going 174-150 in that span. Chicago reached the American League Division Series in 2021, falling to the Houston Astros in four games, and failed to make the postseason this year after finishing 81-81.

La Russa also managed the White Sox from 1979-1986 and spent time managing the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals before returning to Chicago.

Guillén told NBC Sports Chicago earlier this month that he was interested in taking the White Sox managerial role, per Allardyce.

"It is not in my plans. I don't know if it is in the White Sox' plans," he said. "Even if they think I can help them for next year, I'm very open to listening to it."

He added: "I will respect the game. I will respect the organization. But meanwhile, I'm fine where I am and do what I do."

Guillén has not managed a Major League Baseball club since 2012, when he led the Miami Marlins to a 69-93 record before being fired after his only season with the franchise.

The 58-year-old began his managerial career with the White Sox in 2004, serving as the team's manager through the 2011 campaign. He went 678-617 in that span and led the team to a World Series title in 2005, when he was also named Manager of the Year.

The White Sox have cast a wide net in the early stages of their latest managerial search. Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington, Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol are among those in the mix for the position, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Terry Francona will be back in the Cleveland Guardians' dugout for the 2023 season.

Even though it seemed like a given Francona would be back after the team's successful 2022, he confirmed the decision on Friday.

Terry Francona will return as the Guardians manager in 2023. He noted he’s thought more about when the end of his career could be this season, but said this group energized him this year.

“I want to see that group grow. I want to be a part of that.”

— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) October 21, 2022

Francona told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Sept. 10 he has started talking about his future with Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff.

"I want to enjoy what I’m doing," he said. "It’s getting harder to do that, just because physically it’s harder. I just want to be careful. And at the same time, I want to be fair to the team."

The 63-year-old has dealt with a number of health issues in recent years. Cleveland announced in July 2021 he would miss the remainder of the season. Francona explained how much he was struggling physically at the time:

Everything I do is hard, whether it's getting to the airport or getting to the clubhouse. You've seen me taking pitchers out, that's not even easy. It's just—it doesn't make it very enjoyable and I miss that. It's not like during the season I have a whole lot of life anyway, because I love being at the ballpark, but all I do is go to the ballpark and then come home and get off my feet and lay in bed. And I gotta give myself a chance to have a little bit of a life.

The Associated Press' Tom Withers reported in October 2021 that Francona was still on crutches and due to have a checkup that would help determine the manager's status moving forward.

Francona returned to the Cleveland dugout for the 2022 campaign. He made it through the full 162-game regular season for the first time since 2019.

Terry Francona made it through 162 games for the first time in three years. One of his daughters called him today to tell him that.

"She actually told me: 'I had the under.' Thanks a lot!"

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) October 6, 2022

This season was a huge surprise for the Guardians, who had modest expectations coming into the year after going 80-82 in 2021 and largely eschewing free agency. They finished 92-70 to win the AL Central for the first time since 2018.

Cleveland fielded the youngest roster in MLB this season (average age of 26.42 years old). Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez and Will Brennan were among the many rookie contributors the team used to make the playoffs.

The Guardians' season came to an end with a loss to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. But the future looks very bright for the franchise with José Ramírez leading the way after signing a long-term extension in April.

When Francona first joined Cleveland in 2013, the team had missed the playoffs for five straight years but had the foundation laid for what would be an American League pennant-winning squad in 2016. He didn't have to toil for years in mediocrity or worse before the turnaround began.

During his 10 seasons managing the club, Cleveland has posted nine winning seasons and made the playoffs six times. He is the franchise's all-time leader in games managed (1,516) and wins (845).

Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington, Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol and Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada are reportedly among the top candidates in the Chicago White Sox's wide-ranging search for a new manager.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the update Friday, with a rival MLB executive saying the White Sox wrapped up the 2022 season as the "most underachieving team in the last 50 years."

"You know I don't comment on rumors," team owner Jerry Reinsdorf told Heyman when asked about the managerial vacancy.

Chicago entered the season as the favorite to win the AL Central, and FanGraphs projected the club with the eighth-best odds to win the World Series at 5.3 percent.

The South Siders didn't come close to reaching those expectations. They posted an 81-81 record and a negative run differential (minus-31) while finishing 11 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the division and five games behind the AL's final wild-card spot.

Tony La Russa, who was hired by the White Sox in October 2020, stepped away from the team in August to focus on his health. He stepped down from the managerial role in early October, saying his recovery from heart problems would extend into the 2023 season.

Miguel Cairo managed the club on an interim basis for the remainder of 2022, but so far doesn't appear among the main targets to fill the full-time role.

Washington is the name that stands out among the candidates listed by Heyman for a club that could use a culture shift.

The 70-year-old former Texas Rangers manager has established himself as a no-nonsense leader with a work ethic that's unsurpassed around MLB.

He's well known for his relentless infield work, and the impact of his daily pregame drills with the Braves aren't simply an intangible.

Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley, who posted a minus-nine defensive runs saved (DRS) at third base over his first two MLB seasons, has compiled a plus-19 DRS over the past two years, per FanGraphs.

"Working with Wash every day, he's watching every little thing," Riley told Scott Miller of the New York Times last October. "Every ball he's hitting, he's making sure you're making the right moves."

Washington also owns a strong managerial track record, racking up a 664-611 record and a pair of World Series appearances across eight seasons with the Rangers (2007-14). He won a World Series ring last year with the Braves, who hired him in 2017.

The White Sox have the talent to contend, and the former MLB infielder is the type of manager who would ensure the work is being put in to reach the club's full potential.

Chicago hasn't announced a timetable for making a decision about filling the vacancy.

Carlos Correa has already stated his intention to become a free agent, but the Minnesota Twins intend to make a play to keep the two-time All-Star shortstop.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Twins "plan to bid" on Correa in free agency and "may stretch" to sign him.

Correa told Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día (h/t ESPN.com) on Oct. 13 he's going to exercise his opt-out clause to become a free agent.

"With the year that I have had, my health and my being at the best moment of my career at 28, that is the right decision," Correa said.

This will mark the second consecutive offseason that Correa will be on the open market. He was expected to land a long-term deal last winter, but he instead opted for a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins in March.

Minnesota structured the deal to provide Correa with an opt-out after each of the first two seasons. It will be interesting to see how the free-agent market for shortstops plays out this offseason.

Correa and Trea Turner are going to be available for every team to sign. Xander Bogaerts could join them if he declines his player option with the Boston Red Sox.

Heyman did note the Twins won't go to the same level for Correa as the Texas Rangers did when they signed Corey Seager to a 10-year, $325 million contract in December.

Correa had an excellent 2022 season in Minnesota. He hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers and 64 RBI in 136 games. The former American League Rookie of the Year has hit at least 20 homers with a .450 slugging percentage in six of the past eight seasons.

Injuries contributed to the Twins finishing a disappointing 78-84 and third place in the AL Central this season. Since winning back-to-back division titles in 2019 and 2020, they have gone 151-173 over the past two seasons combined.

Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez will have surgery on his right hand in the coming weeks after playing through an injury for much of the season, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic.

Per that report, Ramirez could have opted for a midseason surgery but chose against doing so to avoid missing significant time.

Cleveland was one of the surprise teams of the regular season, winning the American League Central with a 92-70 record.

Ramirez was the driving force behind the Guardians' offensive success. The four-time All-Star hit .280/.355/.514 with almost as many extra-base hits (78) as (82) in 157 games.

Everything has been going right for Ramirez in 2022. He signed a seven-year contract extension with the club in April that keeps him in Cleveland through 2028. The $125 million deal is the richest in franchise history.

Ramirez sat out his first game of the season on June 18 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters the 30-year-old was dealing with thumb soreness that wasn't expected to be a serious issue.

One reason the Guardians emerged as a playoff team is that the players around Ramirez performed better than anticipated. Josh Naylor (.771 OPS), first-time All-Star Andres Gimenez (.837 OPS) and Steven Kwan (.373 OBP) added depth to the lineup.

The season ended against the New York Yankees this week. But a strong foundation is in place, led by Ramirez.

Veteran shortstop Carlos Correa told El Nuevo Día newspaper (h/t ESPN) on Wednesday that he will opt out of the final two years of his contract with the Minnesota Twins and become a free agent.

The news comes as little surprise after ESPN's Buster Olney reported on May 18 that there was "an industry assumption" that Correa would opt out of his contract to become a free agent again if he ended the season on a high note.

The 28-year-old signed a three-year, $105.3 million deal with the Twins as a free agent ahead of the 2022 campaign. He went on to have a solid first season in Minnesota, slashing .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in 136 games.

However, the Twins finished third in the AL Central with a 78-84 record. They missed the playoffs in what was a disappointing season.

The 28-year-old was seeking a deal worth $330 million-$350 million in free agency before he signed with the Twins, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman. It's possible he'll be searching for the same type of long-term contract this time around.

Correa began his career with the Houston Astros, which selected him first overall in 2012. He made his MLB debut in 2015 and went on to win Rookie of the Year after slashing .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs, 68 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 99 games.

The Puerto Rican went on to play seven seasons in Houston, earning two All-Star selections, a Gold Glove, Platinum Glove and 2017 World Series title.

One of his best seasons with the Astros came in 2017 when he hit .315/.391/.550 with 24 home runs, 84 RBI and two stolen bases in 109 games.

It's unclear which teams might be interested in adding Correa this winter.