The Chicago White Sox decided to fire manager Pedro Grifol on Thursday, a move that comes after the White Sox, who are in the midst of a historically bad season, tied the American League record with 21 consecutive losses.
The White Sox have named former Cleveland star Grady Sizemore as interim manager, but are expected to select a new manager during the upcoming offseason.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, there is a new “name to keep an eye on” in the White Sox manager search.
Morosi says DeMarlo Hale, associate manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, could be considered for the manager position with the White Sox.
Before becoming the Blue Jays’ associate manager this season, Hale served as the Cleveland Guardians’ bench coach from 2020 to 2023. During his time with the Guardians, Hale was named interim manager in 2021 after then-manager Terry Francona had to sit out the end of the season for health reasons. Hale was also the Blue Jays’ bench coach from 2013 to 2018. In 2007, Hale won a World Series as third base coach with the Boston Red Sox.
As Morosi noted, Hale is also from Chicago, making a possible return home for the longtime coach and co-manager even more likely.
White Sox face comprehensive restructuring
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The White Sox will most likely embark on a complete rebuild this coming offseason. While they were able to do a few things this offseason, such as trading starting pitcher Erick Fedde to the St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Eloy Jimenez to the Baltimore Orioles, they were unable to completely rebuild after failing to find a trade for star player Garrett Crochet.
Part of that rebuild will be finding a new manager. While it would be irresponsible to blame Grifol for all of the White Sox’s many problems this season, it’s clear they needed a change. Getting that decision right could be the most important step in general manager Chris Getz’s young tenure at the helm of the White Sox.
Whether Getz chooses Hale, a veteran baseball player with deep ties to Chicago, one of the current managers who will be fired at the end of the season, or a younger former player, he will have to hit the nail on the head with that hire. The White Sox have struggled since winning the AL Central in 2021 despite having a talented, young roster. They are too great a franchise to continue losing 100-plus games.
