The Los Angeles Angels have granted the Chicago White Sox authorization to interview Tony La Russa for their managerial opening, a source told ESPN on Wednesday, confirming a report from USA Today.
La Russa, 76, hasn't served as a major league manager since ending a 16-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, a season that culminated in La Russa's third World Series championship.
He started his managerial career with the White Sox from 1979 to 1986. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf purchased the team three years into that stretch and fired La Russa 64 games into the 1986 season then watched him join the Oakland Athletics later that season to trigger what eventually became a Hall of Fame career. Reinsdorf has long regretted that decision.
After his run with the Cardinals, La Russa took on executive roles with Major League Baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox and the Angels, who hired him as a senior adviser to baseball operations after the 2019 season.
It is unclear whether La Russa has the desire to manage again, but those who were around him this year noted that he was highly invested in his role and still had a distinct passion for the game.
AJ Hinch, whose yearlong suspension as a result of the Houston Astros' cheating scandal ends at the conclusion of the World Series, is also viewed among the favorites to replace Rick Renteria.
If La Russa gets the job, he will inherit a team that appears poised for long-term success.
The White Sox have never made back-to-back playoff appearances. But after ending a string of seven losing seasons, they are in a position to change that.
They have a core of young players on team-friendly deals, starting with shortstop Tim Anderson. Veteran José Abreu put himself in the running for AL MVP by driving in 60 runs. Ace Lucas Giolito pitched his first no-hitter.
Eloy Jiménez hit .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs. Luis Robert, who agreed to a $50 million, six-year contract in January, showed star potential in a roller-coaster rookie year. He got off to a great start and hit a massive homer in the playoff series against Oakland. But he also slumped in September.
