This should’ve been Chicago White Sox manager just won the World Series

The Major League Baseball season has drawn to a conclusion as the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night.

For Chicago White Sox fans, it was another case of what could have been. The Rangers hired former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy as their manager last off-season and Bochy went on to win his fourth World Series title of his career as the Rangers won their first World Series title.

Last off-season, there was a belief that the White Sox would target Bochy for their managerial opening after it was decided that Tony La Russa would not be returning to the team for a third season. While there was some criticism of the idea of the White Sox hiring another manager who was out of baseball, Bochy, with his time with the San Francisco Giants, had shown an ability to manage with a modern style.

The manager that the Chicago White Sox should have hired last off-season just won the World Series with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

Instead of Bochy, the White Sox hired former Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to be their manager. Grifol was a first-year manager with the White Sox last season and there should be some concerns about the direction of the team moving forward with him being the leading voice in the clubhouse. The issue is that Grifol may have an in with new White Sox general manager, Chris Getz, considering the time that both spent with the Royals’ organization.

There also is some irony in that former White Sox pitching prospect Dane Dunning won a World Series title before the White Sox. The White Sox traded Dunning to the Rangers after the 2020 season for veteran pitcher Lance Lynn. The trade for Lynn was meant to serve as the opening of the White Sox contention window but was a window that was only open for one season and resulted in zero post-season series victories.