(670 The Score) Rick Renteria sat about 50 feet from Joe Maddon that day in February 2017 inside a Phoenix hotel ballroom, one man reflecting on how the other abruptly replaced him in the Cubs dugout, sharing coping mechanisms likely to come in handy now.
“Holding bitterness serves no purpose,’’ Renteria told me during that spring training gathering in Arizona. “You need to move on. I think that if you're not sure of who you are, you might have a harder time letting things go. But if you're confident and you know you're doing what you are supposed to do, I can be comfortable with whatever may happen, good or bad.''
We can agree that Renteria is better at managing his life than a major league bullpen – perspective the man called “Ricky” once again needs.
For the second time in the last six years, a Chicago baseball team fired Renteria as its manager in order to take the next step, this time the upstart White Sox. It’s not the kind of history Renteria envisioned making in town. The only difference is this time Renteria departs the White Sox after four years and a playoff berth while the Cubs discarded him after one 73-win season.
“This is not how we wanted this to end,’’ White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Monday morning. “We wanted it to end with Ricky leading us to championships. That was the intent from the start. Over time, through very candid and quite frankly personal conversations about where this organization is, what our time horizon is, what we need to do to win in October and get to that final, ultimate goal, it became evident that it was time to make a change.’’
In other words, a team owned by Jerry Reinsdorf decided to move on from a coach coming off a postseason appearance to seek a replacement more capable of reaching the next level.
Somewhere, former Bulls coach Doug Collins cringes recalling flashbacks of 1989.
In firing Renteria, the White Sox revealed themselves a bottom-line, cutthroat organization, which is their prerogative so long as nobody pretends that culture and integrity matter. They clearly do not. That notion died when Hahn hit send on the press release Monday. Only winning matters.
That could be construed as a compliment. That isn’t necessarily wrong either, but it is the reality the White Sox fully embraced Monday. Their actions require no apology or further explanation with words. In saying goodbye to Renteria, the Sox essentially said hello again to life as a major-market team. Now Reinsdorf must stay consistent with that direction and, in the midst of a pandemic, spend like a major-market team by signing a front-line free-agent starting pitcher the White Sox need to make their next manager look smarter. Put another way, the Sox just forfeited any excuse to be outbid for Trevor Bauer.
Some consider Renteria being sacrificed in the name of winning as progress on the South Side. Some consider it sad. It frankly can be both, though anyone celebrating Renteria’s firing probably never knew him that well. In the sparsely populated middle ground, it’s possible to find empathy for Renteria and excitement for a young Sox team on the rise.
Renteria created an environment conducive to player development, an atmosphere full of positivity that encouraged big personalities such as Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez to be themselves. One national report suggested Renteria became too lax in holding players accountable, something a good-guy leadership style can invite. Building relationships and establishing a positive mindset was a vital part of the White Sox manager’s job when Renteria took it in 2017 but, yes, winning a year ahead of schedule changed the role and increased the stakes.
In a twist of cruel irony, perhaps Renteria managing the Sox back to the postseason for the first time since 2008 accelerated his exit. It seems hard to fathom the Sox making this bold of a move coming off a 25-35 season and missing the playoffs. It wasn’t a huge shock given where expectations will be next spring after going 35-25.
Nonetheless, now that the Sox look like perennial contenders, every lineup decision, such as Luis Robert hitting seventh, suddenly becomes more significant. Every pitching move will receive more scrutiny and, as television analyst Steve Stone told 670 The Score on Monday, Renteria “had very little, if any, feel for pitching at all.’’
If Stone says so, believe it. Game 3 of the the White Sox's series against the Athletics in the American League wild-card round exploited Renteria’s biggest weakness. Renteria pulled starter Dane Dunning after 15 pitches. Then Renteria wore a path from the dugout to the mound, using eight more pitchers. His faith in Carlos Rodon – in a late-season, high-leverage situation against the Indians and again against the A’s – was baffling at best. His overuse of reliever Jimmy Cordero was inexplicable.
So the Sox will start fresh with their approach to pitching, sending longtime pitching coach Don Cooper out the clubhouse door with Renteria. Cooper served the organization well and will be harder to replace than his critics suggest. Hahn stated that he will seek a manager with “experience in a championship organization in recent years.’’
How recent is recent? Tony La Russa, 76, last managed the Cardinals to a World Series title 2011, but an eye-opening USA Today report said the White Sox would reach out to one of Reinsdorf’s close friends to gauge his interest.
More likely, Hahn’s description identified former Astros manager AJ Hinch and former Red Sox manager Alex Cora as prime candidates – two individuals with careers indelibly stained by Houston's sign-stealing scandal. Sox fans, bang the garbage can once if you prefer Hinch and twice if you want Cora.
Both Hinch and Cora deserve second chances after serving their suspensions and represent the kind of manager Hahn described, leaders who have won the World Series trophy that the White Sox seek. The cheating stigma would follow either Hinch or Cora to 35th and Shields – along with the easy punchlines – but quick results would redefine their reputation.
Just win, baby.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.