Will Venable agreed to terms on a multiyear contract to serve as the manager of the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Thursday.
Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed for Venable, who spent the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers as an associate manager.
The former outfielder is the choice of senior vice president/general manager Chris Getz to replace Pedro Grifol, fired in August amid Chicago’s historically bad campaign, and interim manager Grady Sizemore.
“Will is widely recognized as one of the premium managerial candidates within the game, and we are very excited to bring him into our organization as our new manager,” Getz said. “He is so well thought of across baseball.
“Will has built a well-earned and well-deserved reputation as a successful player, front office executive, coach and associate manager. A great communicator, Will is going to build strong relationships, set expectations, build a clubhouse where we hold one another accountable, and ultimately, create a winning mindset among our players and a winning environment in our clubhouse.”
Venable, 42, said he is looking forward to the chance to turn around the White Sox.
“This is a great opportunity with a White Sox organization that is putting a lot of good things into place and laying a solid foundation for the future,” Venable said. “It’s exciting to be part of that process to help get back to the type of baseball White Sox fans are used to seeing. We want players who show up to work hard every day, but also smart baseball players who understand the nuances of the game. There is a rich tradition here and a fan base that deserves winning baseball, and I am excited to do whatever I can to help.”
The White Sox finished the 2024 season with a 41-121 mark, breaking the record for single-season losses in baseball’s modern era.
A California native, Venable spent nine seasons (2008-16) in the major leagues, playing for the San Diego Padres, Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a .249 batting average in 967 games.
After his playing career, he also coached for the Chicago Cubs (2018-20) and Boston Red Sox (2021-22) before helping the Rangers win the World Series in 2023.