(670 The Score) As candidate names swirl for the White Sox’s vacant lead baseball executive position, one individual who’s worth keeping an eye on is Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, sources said.
Rizzo is presently in negotiations with Nationals ownership regarding a new contract, but the sides haven’t yet reached a deal. If they can’t, that would leave the door open for the White Sox.
Rizzo has led the Nationals’ baseball operations department since 2009 and built the team that won the 2019 World Series. He was an assistant general manager in Washington prior to landing the leading role for the Nationals.
Rizzo has many ties to Chicago and the White Sox. He grew up in the city in a baseball family, as his father, Phil, was a baseball scout for more than 50 years for the Angels, White Sox, Brewers, Diamondbacks and Nationals.
Mike began his professional career as a White Sox scout, working under then-general manager Larry Himes, who drafted Rizzo to the Angels in 1982. Rizzo caught the attention of many in the baseball industry when he scouted and signed future Hall of Fame slugger Frank Thomas, whom the White Sox drafted in the first round in 1989. He later had a successful stint as the Diamondbacks’ scouting director from 2000-’06 before joining the Nationals.
Rizzo and his family have always had a good relationship with White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, going back 40 years. Rizzo’s contract with the Nationals is set to expire Oct. 31.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
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