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If Tony La Russa is the next manager of the White Sox, Rick Hahn should resign immediately.

Read up on Tony LaRussas history on these topics and explain to me how incident after incident doesn't add up to anything in your eyes. It isn't once. It isn't twice. It's a history. For some that history doesn't seem like a bad thing, and actually buy into his way of thinking, and how easily it has been mobilized to set a faction of the USA against the black population of this country. It's the same playbook that has been utilized for centuries now, but people keep lapping it up. Code words, stereotypes, fear of large groups of black people, etc. Gets you pointing the finger at them instead of hearing their anger and fears. Yeah, when it comes to an issue like this, I am not going to pretend to respect people who utilize racism to further themselves politically, and those who lap it up at their boots. TLR has a history here. And it extensively put him on the other side of the black athletes. It isn't even just the anthem either. If don't want to see it, you never will. Let's face it, when MLK wrote his letter about the white moderate, the letter was meant for the 60s, but it is timeless.

I'm not sure if it was shared already but this was Jeff Passan on La Russa from 2016: https://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-hypocrisy-of-tony-la-russa-and-the-understandable-fears-of-black-baseball-players-045857175.html I'd love to know Tim Anderson's thoughts on Tony becoming the next manager.

I read where Washington might not pickup the option on Adam Eatons contract. Would Eaton be a good fit here with the White Sox?

The best trade wa when he accidentally acquired Luis Alejandro Basabe instead of Luis Alexander.

A 1 year deal for Joc makes sense for all parties.

I really like this idea of offering contracts with (multiple?) opt outs. Gives the players guaranteed cash and incentive to possibly play for a bigger payday when the economy improves. And if he plays his way out of our budget and opts out, it's bought us time if someone like Colas is signed and has time to develop. Love this play for Springer. Sign me up.

I just don't understand the point. From what I know, AJ Hinch is the manager Hahn wants. So this scenario would be like a Joe Espada or something? Why would La Russa manage for one year? It's a dumb idea. Not really. Rick Hahn could work anywhere. Why would he work in a place where he wasn't able to make the decision? If Tony La Russa is the next manager of the White Sox, it's 100% a Jerry Reinsdorf. If that's the case, Jerry's old ass should just run the team day to day as well. Barf. La Russa also likes to tell black players how they should feel and where they should sit before games. Bringing this dinosaur in to manage this particular team is idiotic. It could ultimately be fine because managers are overrated in general but this is one of the most White Sox things ever. Take a step forward and two steps back.

Jaws I honestly don't give a fuck what you think

Soxtalk routinely acts like mets and giants are sellers despite all evidence to contrary.

Heres a bit of advice, when you look for evil everywhere, thats all youll find. flat out sad that you believe his stance on the issue is based on racism, and not patriotism. Further a rejection of the BLM message or propaganda that blacks are being hunted or disproportionately victimized does not mean someone is racist. Its very clear based on your history of posts on this and other topics that you automatically assume the worst about someone when they have different opinions than you. Thats what i find sad.

I don't hate Jackie Bradley Jr. he's still elite defensively (tied Robert for highest OOA among outfielders last season) and could fit as the strong side of a platoon with Engel. The problem is someone might pay him based on his 2020 offense which was a clear outlier. If the price was right he'd be a nice fit as a defense first approach to the position.

live with mazara/engel. spend on pitching.

Wow,.... That would be the dumbest thing ever..

Absolutely with Vaughn and Springer added to that lineup. That's scary for sure top lineups! The pitching concerns me though. But the Sox are good at developing bullpen pieces. And if Crochet stays in the bullpen that's some uncomfortable abs for the opponent facing him. Giolito, Stroman, Keuchel, Dunning, Cease, and Kopech later.

Thrilled.

Recall that last email about the GMs job.

We should set up reeducation camps till everyone thinks the same

Imagine not recognizing the growth the White Sox have had over the last year instead of trying to substitute bitterness from something that isn't applicable to what is being talked about here. It is Executive of the year.

His Statcast numbers were not very impressive either. He could be a defense-oriented fallback option, but I’d aim a little higher to start.

No. As someone who follows the Dodgers religiously, Roberts is the absolute wrong guy to bring in. He's awful and I was pissed they gave him an extension when they did. He cost them the World Series against the Red Sox by sitting his best bats in favor of analytics. The man would've sat Trout if he hit righties at a .290 clip as opposed to a .291 clip against lefties. He's awful. He doesn't deserve to manage. Bench coach at best. And that's stretching it.

It’s been 5 days. Get a grip.

I see no indication that any of this is true. The likelihood is multiple of their targets cannot be interviewed currently.

I think the part that bothers me about this so-called "search" is that they're not actually ya know, doing a "search." Just as in the recent past, it feels like they're just skipping over the "search" part, and the "interview" part, and just want to go directly to the "naming a guy manager" part. I think back to Ventura: Was there actually an attempt to query the guy, so as to see what he was all about, or see if he was interested, or if he actually had any ideas? DId they consider any other candidates? [I honestly don't remember if they did.] Or with Renteria: Was there any attempt to query him, or did they just offer him the job? Were they any other candidates? And, I don't actually see them announcing any candidates, beyond the moronic leak of TLR. Do they plan to actually have a process and interview candidates, or will they do their usual stupid process of just "naming a guy?" See, a thoughtful interviewing process can help you nail down the right candidate, to identify potential coaches outside the org, to gain insight into how OTHER orgs operate, and to gain insight into how other orgs view the White Sox's operations. IMO, it isn't enough that a candidate worked for a successful organization. He could have been just lucky, or a cheat, or have been carried across the finish line by superior talent. You have to find the fit, the mix of abilities, the proper philosophies, and the right acumen to get the job done. And I can't think of another way to do this, OTHER than a detailed, comparative process that involves more than one candidate. Especially when there isn't ONE prospective candidate that is head and shoulders above the rest; I think that all of the names have both virtues and flaws on their resumes. The last time I recall the SOX actually doing a proper "search, then interviewS, then hire" process was all the way back when it was supposed to be Cito Gaston in late 2003. Just by interviewing more than one guy, they ended up hiring the correct person for the job. So, I could actually be somewhat more OK with TLR or cheater Hinch, IF they sought out more than one candidate, interviewed them, and then selected the right guy. But, ya know, that actually takes thought and effort, and who knows if JR/KW/RH will bother?

I wonder if the big name guys will have to take lesser long-term deals than usual but with opt-outs after year 1. I really have no idea what kind of contract someone like Springer would get normally, but it should be less than usual I’d imagine.

I'm a dope and completely missed the thread title. I edited to add this above. Doesn't paint the same confidence. It scares me committing to to what Springer would want given his age, but the guy can mash. A lefty would be preferred, but those are far and few between.

Welcome to Soxtalk!

Serious question, do you actually watch the games?

Wow I didn’t know Tony Larussa’s mother is still alive. You must be so proud

I don't think looking at it from a WAR standpoint is the way to go. For example, putting Rodon in against the Indians with the bases loaded. The timing of it is what is so egregious. Put Bummer in there, and he probably gets that third out and has enough juice to pitch the 8th inning, like he did. How much would that blown opportunity be reflected in WAR? Very little I'd imagine. It did however cost the White Sox the game, one they should have won. It may be only -0.05 WAR, but that is a loss completely on Renteria.

Ok, so the only thing we know for certain is that it won't be Hasler.

It's so hard. On one hand you have a survey of baseball executives and Hahns peers who do this job for a living, understanding his job in intimate detail. On the other hand this guy on the internet thinks we should hold 2013 against Hahn.

I don't think you can expect him to get a star in this economy. If he gets a 2 war RF, a decent reliever to replace colome (maybe colome himself) and a good 3rd starter I would be fine with that.

What you guys thinking here. I’ve been pushing the Joc angle for a while now, but found this tweet from Stone to be amusing. Is Springer an actual possibility? Steve normally shoots anything too crazy down right away. ?

7 or 8 years of managerial experience including a World Series win in 2013. That Boston team went from last to first in 2013 and of course, he won manager of the year. An overall winning record and tough as nail reputation. Good enough to be hired by Dave Dombrowski who gets good managers IMO. Most importantly not a hint of scandal.

I get your frustration with our past hiring processes as I hated them too. But so far, Hahn has said all the right things and has implied there will be candidates from some of the playoff teams. I fully expect a couple more guys to be interviewed in addition to TLR & Hinch.

Sad that you believe someone having a negative opinion on kneeling during the anthem is based on racism. Just plain sad...and ignorant.

I'd rather have some other pitcher than Stroman.

Assuming Yoan returns to his 2019 self, Robert has a more even sophomore season, Vaughn gives you a quality rookie year, and others maintain similar 2020 numbers you already have a pretty fantastic offense. RF is still a black hole but one you can hide easier than question marks in your rotation and pen. Option A would be a home run, but I think Option B gives you a bit more balance across the board with a bit more certainty.

That was kind of what I was getting at. Assume we have $45M to work with this offseason to address the last three spots on the pitching staff plus RF, DH, & backup catcher. One option is going big after Springer & Stroman (let’s go with $42M combined) and then go with cheap internal options at the other four spots (Lopez, Burdi or Johnson, Vaughn, Collins). Alternatively, you could spread Springer’s salary (say $25M) over multiple positions and possibly add Quintana ($10M), Pederson ($8M), and a B tier reliever ($7M) in addition to Stroman. What would you rather have? To me, if we plan on letting Crotchet pitch out of the bullpen for a year I think I’d go with option A and hope for the best with our young arms. It’s risky no doubt, but you’re probably talking about the best offense in baseball at that point.

Springer, Stroman, and Quintana on a prove-it deal are my hopes for the off-season. Pair those moves with a 7th inning reliever and bump the other guys up an inning. Hire Hinch. Jirschele as bench. Zaleski as pitching coach. Get rid of Boston in light of his history. I'd be very happy with this off-season.

Zaleski makes sense. I would like that. Curt Hasler ( fixed the name spelling ) is basically Don Cooper. They have similar beliefs and is not a move in a different direction.

No kidding. TLR probably gave a blunt response to a dumb question from Passan one time, and he’s all butthurt over it. One’s a legend of the game. The other lives on twitter with “Elmo impersonator” in his bio. Good grief.

So blacks do not play baseball because of people like TLR? Lol next

Crazy idea, the manager picks his pitching coach.

You also see no indication that they have deviated whatsoever from the majority of the past 20 or so years, in terms of managerial/coaching searches. RH/KW/JR could have stated that they will look at several candidates, but they didn't. Instead, the only step they are noted to take hereto fore is to leak the name TLR to Nightingale, and to ask LAAAAA for permission to talk to him. That said, I think it would be front office malpractice [again] to not include candidates that can be interviewed NOW, as well as those who are unavailable until later. What if the guy you THOUGHT was the right candidate isn't available until later, and when you DO interview him, he comes off as an imbecile, or fvkcwad, or a Darryl Boston-style scumbag? Meanwhile OTHER, smarter orgs could hire your alternatives before you can circle back. They could EASILY interview [off the top of my head]: TLR, Alomar, Washington, and Bochy NOW. THEN, if they really had a hardon to hire a cheat, they can interview Hinch and Cora later; they could also interview coaches that are currently in the playoffs as well at a later period. But the overarching question is: "Why aren't they talking to candidates, and why are they not talking to multiple candidates, NOW?" This honestly feels like the same old story we've seen over and over again, and I feel like we've seen this stupid movie over and over again with respect to managerial hires. Its honestly lazy and stupid, and has lead to inferior outcomes and inferior choices in their hires more often than not.

I would like to believe that the team would prefer stability in the manager role in their contention window rather than more turnover and 3 different voices in 3 seasons? Doesn't seem like an optimal situation to put the players in.

It's not Dave Roberts' fault that Clayton Kershaw is a garbage fire in the playoffs.

If Stone is revealing actual team information it is because the team wants it out there. The quickest way out of the White Sox family is leaking information that is meant to be secret.

yeah Tony LaRussa isn't what this team needs, let's move forwards not backwards