(670 The Score) At long last, the White Sox appear to have their new manager.
The White Sox are expected to hire Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to be their new manager, Buster Olney of ESPN reported Tuesday morning. The hiring is expected to be announced later in the week.
Grifol, 52, had worked for the Royals for the past decade. He was their bench coach for the past three seasons after previously working as the hitting coach and catching coach. Prior to his time with the Royals, Grifol also worked in the Mariners organization for more than a decade.
Grifol had also interviewed for the Marlins’ managerial vacancy before Miami hired Skip Schumacher.
A Miami native, Grifol had a nine-year playing career as a catcher in the minor leagues, advancing as high as Triple-A.
Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was another finalist for the White Sox's managerial opening, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported.
Grifol will replace veteran manager Tony La Russa, who announced in early October that he was stepping aside due to health issues. That news came after the White Sox concluded a disappointing 81-81 season in which they missed the playoffs after opening the campaign with championship aspirations.
White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz is expected to return to his role with the team, but a number of other coaches are expected to be let go, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported.
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