3 Replacements For Tony La Russa as White Sox Manager

Tony La Russa's return to Major League Baseball has ended. The 77-year-old will not be back with the Chicago White Sox next season due to health reasons. That means one of baseball's most talented rosters is in need of a new manager.

Here are three options to replace La Russa.

Tony La Russa Replacements

Miguel Cairo

Cairo was named acting manager of the White Sox in late August after La Russa stepped away from the team to deal with health issues. He had been the Chicago's bench coach for two seasons. The White Sox have gone 16-14 since Cairo took over. This seems like the easiest transition the franchise could make. Cairo is a well-respected former big leaguer who is young enough (48) to connect with today's players but also has a ton of experience in management and coaching. He spent time with both the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees before joining Chicago's staff.

This would be an easy, smooth transition while also injecting some life into the team.

Sandy Alomar Jr.

Alomar is a former White Sox catcher who is currently the bench coach for the Cleveland Guardians under Terry Francona. He has been with the franchise since 2010, and seems like the heir-apparent to Francona. But Tito isn't going anywhere anytime soon. A well-respected former All-Star, Alomar is a leading candidate among the next crop of potential MLB managers. The 56-year-old is long overdue to get his shot.

Alomar knows the AL Central well and has learned from one of the best in Francona. This feels like an ideal fit for the White Sox.

Joe Espada

Few available coaches have seen as much success as Joe Espada. The 47-year-old has been the bench coach for the Houston Astros since 2018 during an incredible run which includes two World Series appearances. He was the third base coach for the Marlins from 2010-13 then held the same position with the Yankees from 2015-17. He also already has managerial experience, helming the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican winter league. He's been a candidate for jobs before, but it feels like this is the time for him to finally make the jump up.

Espada is more than ready for his shot as a manager and would be coming from an incredible successful organization. The White Sox will likely have to battle the Marlins for his services, but he'd be worth it.