Ex-White Sox interim manager gets surprising new job

Aug 31, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox acting manager Miguel Cairo (41) looks on before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

After managing MLB All-Stars like Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Liam Hendriks last season, Miguel Cairo is moving … significantly downward.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported on Monday that Cairo, who served as interim manager for the Chicago White Sox in 2022, has been hired by the New York Mets to be their minor league infield coordinator.

Cairo played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, including one with the Mets in 2005. He joined the White Sox as a bench coach in 2021 and then became the acting manager when Tony La Russa went on a medical leave of absence last season. La Russa has since retired from managing with Chicago hiring Pedro Grifol to be their permanent skipper.

It is pretty surprising to see Cairo accept a job that is far lower on the baseball totem pole, especially since he went a respectable 18-16 (.529) as interim manager for the White Sox. But he is still young (48 years old) and now returns to a Mets organization that really looks to be in business.