The last time the Detroit Tigers hired a manager, their decision overlapped with the White Sox's interests. They hired Ron Gardenhire, whose reputation among White Sox fans hadn't diminished as much as it should have following four 90-loss seasons to close out his days with Minnesota.
Sure enough, Gardenhire ran his 90-loss season streak to six, and probably would've made it a seventh had the pandemic not interfered, and/or if Gardenhire were healthy enough to last all the way. Unlike his time in Minnesota, Detroit's problems were independent of Gardenhire's efforts. He just didn't make much of a detectable impact either way.
This round of hiring should be a lot different. After all, a lot of people presumed that the White Sox cleared Rick Renteria out of the way to hire A.J. Hinch. Before the White Sox zagged by luring Tony La Russa out of retirement, Steve Stone laid track for Hinch's arrival.
Ricky Renteria is a good man. I wish him well. The Sox need an experienced manager who is ready and capable of winning a World Series. Understanding pitching is essential. A guy that blends analytics with baseball savvy is the key. A former catcher. Sounds about right. But who?
— Steve Stone (@stevestone) October 12, 2020
"(The White Sox) know that time is of the essence. They don't want to see someone they like go somewhere else, like, oh, in the division." -Steve Stone
— Bernstein & Harris Show (@BernsyHarris) October 12, 2020
After the White Sox finalized La Russa, Stone's predicting now resembles imploring. Alas, the White Sox did not fire Renteria in order to prevent the Tigers from hiring Hinch, and the Tigers are ready to rub the rivals' noses in it.
Hinch’s hiring is possible in part because the White Sox, a power rising well ahead of the Tigers in the American League’s Central division, hired 76-year-old Tony La Russa on Thursday, a moved that shocked much of the baseball world. Hinch, per reports, did not interview for the White Sox job, one thought to be more favorable than that of the Tigers, who are likely a few more years away from true contention.
“The White Sox did us a big favor,” one Tigers official told The Athletic on Thursday.
The Tigers toned down the smugness after Hinch became official, because the back half of his apology tour starts now. We'll see just how long the Astros stink sticks to him, and whether any of Detroit's ascendancy gets tagged with his baggage. The baseball world has a tendency to forgive or forget. While I had some concern that Hinch's arrival might complicate what had been a pretty straightforward success story with the White Sox, my bigger issue was wondering whether Hinch was actually a good manager, given that he spectacularly flopped the biggest leadership test he faced.
The hope is that the White Sox didn't coax another Robin Ventura into action while enabling a divisional rival to hire another Terry Francona. La Russa at least knows his way around a clubhouse, but it's hard to separate La Russa's track record from the White Sox's issues with making things way harder than they have to be.
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As for Tony La Russa, the White Sox and baseball worlds have had a little time to gather themselves after mostly pillorying Jerry Reinsdorf for stomping on Rick Hahn and the Selig Rule to atone for a four-decade-old mistake. There's now a little bit of time to regain perspective, and while sentiment still sides on the Jeff Passan side of the spectrum...
Maybe George Floyd changed things for La Russa. Maybe it was something else. Or maybe it's fair to wonder whether someone who just got hired for a job that needs him to be a politician and a public-relations specialist was just saying what he had to say and not necessarily being sincere. What a shame that would be.
... James Fegan spent the aftermath contacting the African-American players La Russa name-dropped during his media conference. A skeptic could have taken that as the I-have-Black-friends defense, but Fegan found some substance from guys like Bruce Maxwell and Reggie Sanders.
“Tony has softened his approach,” Sanders said. “I think he’s softened his approach to development, to making sure that every voice is being heard, making sure that he listens and making sure that everybody is on the same page. So I think we will see a side of Tony that is — his pedigree is just, all of what he’s done, in baseball, that speaks for itself. But now we’re talking about the man, we are talking about his character, his integrity, and his resolve. And so all those things that we’re talking about now, he has developed, he’s grown and he’s willing, he’s ready to tackle this all.”
There's still plenty of need for La Russa to show his work while leading a clubhouse. He used the "sincerity" crutch like a pogo stick during his media conference, and it wasn't long ago that he admonished Fernando Tatis Jr. for hitting a grand slam on a 3-0 count with a large lead. Fegan's reporting at least shows that La Russa isn't overselling his strides by an outrageous margin.
I mentioned this on the podcast, but it seems like the first month or two will determine the way this relationship could play out. Winning early could foster mutual respect between the unconvinced, allowing the on-field talent and coaching talent to come to the fore the rest of the way. Losing early is only going to fortify and accelerate the very legit reasons to think this whole thing was a mistake from conception.
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For the time being, the White Sox have to endure a little more awkwardness of their own making. On Monday night, it was the announcement that Renteria is one of three finalists for American League Manager of the Year. Although unemployed, he'll be vying for the honor with Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash and Toronto's Charlie Montoyo.
The White Sox probably had to issue a formal acknowledgment of it, but there's no good way to do it. Here's their attempt:
Congratulations to Rick Renteria on being named a finalist for A.L. Manager of the Year. https://t.co/dJWrFEg16f
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) November 2, 2020
You'll probably see them hype up the candidacies of José Abreu (MVP) and Luis Robert (Rookie of the Year), but I think a Renteria triumph would be the most fun to watch unfold. Cash seems like he should be the guy, as the Rays had a firm grip on the AL East the whole season.
Next up for awards season, the Gold Glove winners will be announced tonight, when absolutely nothing else is going on. The White Sox have a chance to take home four awards among a field of five players, none of whom is eligible for the presidency.
(Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire)
