Chicago White Sox Rumors: Would Joe Girardi be a smart hire in the near future?

The Chicago White Sox are struggling even more than expected. Could a shakeup in the dugout be coming?

Prior to the start of the 2018 season, most Chicago White Sox fans expected the team to have a difficult year. Manager Rick Renteria had a talented, but very young group of players who would need time to develop. However, after one quarter of the season, the results have been disappointing even with managed expectations. It has been bad enough for some to wonder whether the White Sox could already have their eyes on Joe Girardi.

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To anyone watching, the White Sox seem to be getting worse over time. Their play has been extremely sloppy recently. They currently rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of team defense. Their 30 errors are alarming, even for a young team. Considering this team broke Spring Training playing much better, this type of play is discouraging.

With that as the backdrop, a recent report by FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman raises an interesting thought. He indicated that the White Sox seem to be committed to Renteria for now, but could have their eyes on Girardi in the future.

Now to be clear, Heyman is not suggesting that a change is imminent. All he is saying is that if the White Sox decided to make a move and fire Renteria, Girardi could be an option.

However, another important note he makes in the story is that Girardi is waiting for another managerial opportunity. Therefore, if the White Sox do have visions of hiring Girardi, time may be of the essence.

The former Chicago Cub and Illinois native would be an intriguing option to replace Renteria. He would bring instant credibility that would command respect within the clubhouse.  His name was associated with a number of openings prior to the 2018 season. He will certainly be a hot commodity for teams looking to make a change in the future.

He has won a World Series as both a player and manager and has managed in the frying pan that is the Bronx. Despite winning a World Series in 2009 and guiding the team to within one win of the 2017 World Series, the New York Yankees chose not to bring him back this year. Why would they do this?

Well, Girardi does have some warts. Yankees fans can recount for days the frustrations they endured at the hands of “Joey Binders.” Girardi affectionately earned that nickname by being beholden to analytics. He’d often manage to the “numbers” despite what was occurring on the field.  He also made some questionable moves with his bullpen impacting his relievers’ effectiveness late in the year.

Some even speculated that one of the reasons for this move was the way Girardi interacted with some of his younger players, particularly Gary Sanchez. The quote below from Yankees’ General Manager Brian Cashman should raise some concerns for White Sox fans.

The Chicago White Sox have one of the youngest teams in baseball. Part of being a manager is understanding how to deal with a variety of personalities. Girardi would bring the type of discipline that would correct the sloppiness, but at what expense? From that standpoint, Renteria could be the right manager to guide this team, at least for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the team decides to make a move when the team has matured and is ready to contend. However, that certainly is not the case yet.

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Bottom Line

While Joe Girardi brings the cache and name recognition of a big-time manager, the White Sox should be cautious. They must be careful how they navigate a young club in a game full of highs and lows. Perhaps Joe Girardi could be the right guy for the job in time, but that time is not now.