Report reveals manager Pedro Grifol’s job status amid White Sox turmoil
May 8, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol (5) returns to the dugout against the Kansas City Royals after a pitcher change in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Pedro Grifol may actually end up surviving the Red Wedding in Chicago.
The Chicago White Sox shockingly decided to clean house in their front office on Tuesday, announcing the firings of two top decision-makers. The move comes as Chicago completely flounders this season with an abysmal 49-76 record.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reported Tuesday though that the first-year White Sox manager Grifol is safe and, at least for the moment, expected to return in 2024.
Grifol, 53, was hired by the White Sox last winter after nearly a decade as a coach on the Kansas City Royals staff. But his inexperience as a manager has been evident this year as he has taken Chicago from a respectable .500 team (before he arrived) to the Bad News Bears. The White Sox team culture has been said to be very unprofessional and lackadaisical, and Grifol himself is not inspiring much confidence either with his lineup and bullpen decisions.
Of course, Grifol hasn’t really been given much of a roster to work with this year, especially after the White Sox sold heavy at the trade deadline. Maybe that is the reason why Grifol may ultimately survive while other top figures in Chicago did not.
