The top candidates to replace Tony La Russa as White Sox manager
Following Monday’s announcement that Tony La Russa is stepping down as Chicago White Sox manager due to health concerns, general manager Rick Hahn has begun the search for a new skipper. Hahn’s criteria for the next manager included recent dugout experience as a coach or manager for a winning organization, good communication skills and an understanding of how the game has evolved over the last decade. He also added this twist:
“One thing that perhaps breaks from the mold of at least the last few hires, having a history with the White Sox, having some sort of connection to White Sox DNA is by no means a requirement,” Hahn said.
The description would almost immediately eliminate several names who had been speculated as possibilities, including former catcher A.J Pierzynski and former manager Ozzie Guillen. But it leaves several intriguing candidates as the White Sox look for a fresh voice. Here are some potential best fits for the role.
The internal candidate
Miguel Cairo — Hahn indicated Cairo would be the one exception to the idea he could be looking outside the organization. As the current acting manager, he seems to have provided a burst of energy as the team played well under him for a short time. But that all came to a halt when the Sox were swept at home by the Guardians in a critical September series. The White Sox went on to lose eight straight under Cairo despite his attempts to instill some accountability in the clubhouse.
Outside the organization
Davey Martinez — The current manager of the Washington Nationals has one year left on his deal, but could be a leading candidate for the White Sox job — assuming he could be lured to Chicago.
Martinez, 58, played for the White Sox from 1995-1997 and was the bench coach on the other side of Chicago, in 2016, when the Cubs won a World Series. He also won a ring in 2019 as the man in charge of the Nationals. Despite his years with the team in the 90’s, he would fit the criteria of going outside the organization’s comfort zone.
Washington is at the beginning of a rebuild in an extremely tough NL East while the team is also up for sale. The timing might be right for Martinez to return to Chicago.
Sandy Alomar Jr. — Alomar left a great impression on the organization during three separate stints with the White Sox as a player back in the early 2000s. Though he hasn’t been around the team for over a decade — again filling the criteria of going outside the organization — he is still familiar with the market and team.
The current first base coach of the Cleveland Guardians, Alomar also has some recent managing experience. While manager Terry Francona dealt with health issues midway through the shortened 2020 season, Alomar guided the Guardians to a 28-18 finish and a playoff appearance.
Joe Espada — He’s been the hot candidate over the past few seasons having been the bench coach for the Astros’ current run. It remains to be seen if he’s in line for Houston’s job when Dusty Baker retires, but Espada has already interviewed for several recent openings — including with the Cubs and Rangers. It’s only a matter of time before Espada gets a top job, and he certainly would have an understanding of how the game has evolved having worked for an organization at the forefront of innovation.
Will Venable — Venable is a name that is picking up steam across the industry as he’s well regarded as the bench coach of the Boston Red Sox. Now that he’s been back in uniform for about five seasons, the former major league outfielder should start getting more managerial consideration. His dugout experience for a franchise with recent success matches one of Hahn’s criteria.
Pedro Grifol — Grifol has seemingly done everything else as a coach or coordinator after playing eight seasons in the minors, and it might finally be his time to manage whether in Chicago or elsewhere. As a current bench coach in the division with the Royals, he’d be familiar with White Sox personnel. One admirer called him ‘the complete package’ and noted that his experience working with Latin players could make him a strong fit in Chicago’s clubhouse.
Don Mattingly — The former Marlins and Dodgers manager checks a lot of the boxes Hahn is looking for after having just announced he won’t be returning to the dugout in Miami.
Outside-the-box option
Joe Maddon — OK — this a longshot candidate, but it wouldn’t be the first time the White Sox hired a former Cubs manager. Ricky Renteria managed the Cubs in 2014 then the White Sox from 2017-2020. Maddon brings experience, but his best managerial years came while growing a culture with younger teams and the White Sox should be past that stage.
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Jeff Passan
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Jeff Passan
Senior MLB Insider
- ESPN MLB insider
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Jesse Rogers
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Jesse Rogers
ESPN Staff Writer
- Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
Right-hander Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year, $15 million contract, sources told ESPN on Tuesday, continuing the future Hall of Famer’s career at age 42 in one of the pitcher-friendliest stadiums in baseball.
Verlander, entering his 20th major league season, is considered perhaps the best pitcher of his generation, with the most innings pitched, strikeouts and wins among active players. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander is coming off the worst season of his career and joins a Giants team likewise looking for better results than 2024. The deal is pending a physical.
Shoulder and neck injuries limited Verlander to 17 starts, and over his last seven he posted an 8.10 ERA. With a falling strikeout rate and climbing home run rate, Verlander began to show signs of aging after a career in which he seemed impervious to it.
After a dominant 13-year stretch with the Detroit Tigers, Verlander found a second life after joining the Houston Astros in 2017. He won Cy Youngs in 2019 and 2022 — and after the latter signed a two-year, $86.6 million contract with the New York Mets. Verlander spent 16 starts with the Mets before being traded back to the Astros in August 2023.
Over his career, Verlander is 262-147 with a 3.30 ERA over 3,415⅔ innings. He has struck out 3,416 batters, walked 952 and won a pair of World Series with the Astros.
Returning to Houston wasn’t an option for 2025. With Oracle Park a dream for pitchers, Verlander gravitated toward the Giants, whose rotation includes right-hander Logan Webb, left-handers Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison, and a number of other options for the fifth spot, with right-hander Hayden Birdsong seen as the likeliest candidate.
The Giants had spent a month with limited action before signing Verlander. A month ago to the day, they agreed with shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract.
San Francisco, which hired former star catcher Buster Posey as its president of baseball operations in September, went 80-82 last season and finished in fourth place in the National League West, which is arguably the best division in baseball.
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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
Northern Illinois will join the Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026, the school and conference announced Tuesday.
“What a great opportunity for NIU Athletics as we expand our horizons, adapt to this new national model of college athletics and prepare to start a new chapter in the history of NIU Football,” NIU athletic director Sean T. Frazier said in a statement.
In addition to NIU, the Mountain West will include Air Force, Hawai’i, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming in 2026.
The move is another fallen domino in college sports’ ongoing conference realignment process that caught up to the Mountain West in the fall, when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announced they were leaving for the new-look Pac-12, which collapsed in 2023.
“We are excited about adding Northern Illinois football to the Mountain West,” commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement. “In evaluating NIU, the MW Board of Directors and Directors of Athletics carefully considered and were impressed by its history of football success and its commitment to academic excellence.”
It is unclear what conference NIU’s remaining sports will compete in once it moves to the Mountain West for football. The school said it will continue discussions with the Mid-American Conference — where it has participated since 1997 — but will also review opportunities in “several of the regionally based multi-sport conferences.”
The Mountain West also recently announced the additions of Grand Canyon and UC Davis for sports other than football (Grand Canyon does not have football; Davis will remain at the FCS level).
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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
Georgia added another potential playmaker to its receiving corps on Tuesday, as former Texas A&M standout Noah Thomas committed to play for the Bulldogs in 2025.
Thomas, who has one season of eligibility remaining, led the Aggies with 39 catches for 574 yards and eight touchdowns this past season.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs added former USC receiver/kick returner Zachariah Branch, who was the No. 9 overall player and No. 4 receiver in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings. He had 1,863 all-purpose yards with the Trojans in two seasons and returned two kickoffs for scores in 2023.
At 6-foot-6, Thomas gives the Bulldogs a much-needed target in the red zone, which they were lacking this past season. His best performance came in a 43-41 loss in four overtimes at Auburn on Nov. 23, with five catches for 124 yards with two scores. He had six receptions for 109 yards and one score in a 21-17 victory over Arkansas on Sept. 28.
Earlier Tuesday, receiver Dillon Bell announced that he’ll return to Georgia for one more season. The junior had 43 catches for 466 yards with four touchdowns in 2024.
The Bulldogs are expected to lose their top two receivers: Dominic Lovett, who has exhausted his eligibility, and Arian Smith, who announced he’s forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Receiver Anthony Evans III also entered the transfer portal.
The Bulldogs led all FBS teams with 36 receiver drops this season, according to ESPN Research.
Georgia also landed two safeties from the transfer portal on Tuesday: Miami’s Jaden Harris and UAB’s Adrian Maddox, who had committed to Florida on Sunday. Harris started 13 games for the Hurricanes this past season and had 40 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1 interception.
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