Chicago White Sox Name Tony La Russa Next Manager

Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has said that firing then-manager Tony La Russa in 1986 was his greatest regret, and on Thursday he undid that mistake after 34 years.

The White Sox parted ways with manager Rick Renteria earlier this month, after he led the team to the postseason for the first time since 2008 but floundered in the American League wild card series.

La Russa, 76, last managed the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series. He is taking over in Chicago on a multiyear contract.

“We are extremely excited about the future of this team,” said Rick Hahn, White Sox general manager/senior vice president in a team press release. “As we showed in 2020, this is a young, talented club that we expect to only grow better and better in the coming years. Adding in a Hall of Fame manager who is recognized as being one of the best in the history of the game, we are a step closer to our goal of bringing White Sox fans another championship.”

A Hall of Famer since being elected in 2013, La Russa previously managed the White Sox from 1979-1986, including their AL West title in 1983, which was at the time the team’s first playoff berth since 1959. He went on to manage the Athletics, who won the World Series in 1989 and then the Cardinals, who won in 2006 and 2011. Only Sparky Anderson has also won World Series championships in both leagues.

The White Sox would have been a desirable landing point for any manager looking for a job in 2021. They boast an exciting core of young players who are on an upward trajectory, but the White Sox don’t appear to have spoken to any other candidates.

“While I have had other inquiries about managing since retiring, this opportunity with the White Sox brings together a number of important factors that make this the right time and the right place,” La Russa said in a statement. “The on-field talent is amazing, and the front office, led by Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn, has done everything necessary to create an atmosphere of long-term success. All of those factors aligned to make this a tremendous opportunity, and I am excited to get going as soon as possible by building a coaching staff and getting to work.”

When general manager Rick Hahn announced Renteria’s departure, he spoke to some of the qualifications the team was looking for in its next manager.

“Managerial experience is probably ideal, it’s not essential,” Hahn said. “We’re not going to unduly limit ourselves. Ideally having that October managerial experience would be a plus, but we’re not going to cut ourselves off.”

La Russa obviously fits both qualifications and then some, but there are questions about his ability to connect with the young roster and manage after a nine-year hiatus.

Hahn also said that the White Sox were looking at this as an opportunity to look outside the organization after years of being somewhat insular. The team also moved on from long-time pitching coach Don Cooper, and though La Russa had a lasting partnership with Dave Duncan, the latter has said that he does not have interest in joining La Russa in Chicago.

As for the regret he feels over firing La Russa 34 years ago, Reinsdorf said that his decision this week had nothing to do with that.

“As everyone in baseball is well aware, I have always respected Tony and am proud to have maintained a great friendship with him over the decades in the game,” said Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox chairman. “But his hiring is not based on friendship or on what happened years ago, but on the fact that we have the opportunity to have one of the greatest managers in the game’s history in our dugout at a time when we believe our team is poised for great accomplishments.”

La Russa comes with a .536 winning percentage as a manager, and his 2,728 career wins are third all-time behind Connie Mack and John McGraw. His teams have made 14 total postseason appearances.