MLB Rumors: Royals' Pedro Grifol Expected to Be Hired as White Sox Manager

The Chicago White Sox have reportedly found their new manager.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the White Sox are expected to announce later this week they will hire Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol as their skipper.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported earlier in the day that Grifol and New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza were among the finalists for Chicago's managerial job.

Tony La Russa announced on Oct. 3 that he was stepping down as manager of the White Sox because of health concerns.

Prior to the announcement, La Russa hadn't managed a game since Aug. 28. The team announced three days later that he underwent a medical evaluation and would return home to Arizona for further evaluation with his personal doctors.

On Sept. 11, La Russa confirmed to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press he had a pacemaker inserted for his heart.

Bench coach Miguel Cairo, who joined La Russa's staff prior to the 2021 season, served as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign.

This was La Russa's second stint as manager of the White Sox. He previously led the team from 1979 to 1986. The 78-year-old was hired in October 2020 to replace Rick Renteria. It was his first managerial job since retiring after leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the 2011 World Series title.

The White Sox went 93-69 and won the American League Central for the first time since 2008 in La Russa's first season. A combination of injuries and disappointing performances saw the team miss the playoffs with an 81-81 record this year.

Grifol has been working as a coach with the Royals since 2013. He was drafted as a player by the Minnesota Twins in 1991 and spent nine seasons in the minors with the Twins and New York Mets before retiring after the 1999 campaign.

After retiring as a player, Grifol worked in scouting and player development with the Seattle Mariners. The 52-year-old served as a manager for the High Desert Mavericks, Seattle's Class A affiliate, in 2012.