As the trade deadline inches closer, most White Sox fans are looking to get some news on the trade front, but this morning an interesting tidbit about their managerial search in 2025 dropped instead. Not long ago, there were reports that the White Sox were looking into Terry Francona, but it seems they are keeping their options open.
According to Bob Nightengale, A.J. Pierzynski is now a serious candidate to be the manager of the White Sox in 2025.
This is a bit surprising, as AJ doesn’t have any professional managerial experience, as after his retirement he has gone into the broadcasting booth full time. But, nothing should be surprising with the White Sox at this point, as they never have been accused of making good decisions.
At this point, anybody is better than current manager Pedro Grifol, as they are on pace to be one of, if not the worst major league baseball team of all-time.
I’m not sure how AJ would do as a manager, but he could potentially bring some much needed fire to a club that desperately needs it. His commentary on his podcast and in the booth is extremely insightful, but there is no indication that would translate into the clubhouse managing a team.
I’m sure that there is some interest on AJ’s side, as it is likely that his name wouldn’t be floated without him showing interest, but I’m sure that a part of him enjoys what he is doing now in the booth rather than try and take the reins of one of the worst teams in MLB history.
While the bar would be low and he would likely have a long leash due to the lack of talent on the White Sox, AJ could opt for less criticism on a day-to-day basis by staying in the booth rather than becoming a manager.
While it is unclear how likely this move will be, it is clear that the White Sox are moving off Pedro Grifol at the end of the year. But, with Jerry running the team, I would not put it past him to bring back an old player with no managerial experience from the 2005 team to manage.
