121-loss White Sox turn to Venable, sources say

The Chicago White Sox are hiring Texas Rangers coach Will Venable to be their next manager, sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN.

Venable, 42, played nine years in the big leagues before transitioning to an off-the-field role as a special assistant with the Chicago Cubs in 2017, and then as a base coach for them from 2018-20. He was Boston‘s bench coach in 2021 before being hired by Texas, where he has served as associate manager next to Bruce Bochy for the past two seasons.

The majority of Venable’s playing career was spent in San Diego before he was traded to the Rangers in 2015. He played for the Dodgers in 2016 before retiring.

Venable hit .249 with 81 career home runs in 967 games, playing exclusively in the outfield.

Venable replaces interim manager Grady Sizemore, who was also a candidate for the permanent job. The White Sox fired former manager Pedro Grifol in August as the team broke a modern day record for losses with 121 this past season.

The White Sox have been on a steady decline since winning the division in 2021. A 101-loss season in 2022 cost former general manager Rick Hahn and team president Kenny Williams their jobs, as longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf hired former White Sox player Chris Getz to head the team’s baseball department.

In the past year, Getz turned over the front office and has now hired his first manager, a respected longtime player and coach.

Venable becomes the 42nd manager in franchise history. He was chosen from a long list of candidates that included Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Padres special assistant A.J. Ellis, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCollough and Sizemore, who was popular with players during his short interim stint.

MLB.com first reported Venable’s expected hiring. An announcement is expected before the GM meetings which begin next Tuesday.