White Sox hire Tony La Russa as new manager

Following weeks of speculation and rumors, the Chicago White Sox made it official - they will be hiring Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa as their new skipper for the 2021 season. 

La Russa, 76, previously managed the White Sox from 1979-1986. In that time, the Sox made one playoff appearance, winning the AL West in 1983. La Russa also won Manager of the Year that season.

While his initial tenure with Chicago wasn't very successful, La Russa turned in one of the best managerial careers after leaving the White Sox. He went on to manager theOakland Athletics from 1986-1995, winning four division titles, three American League pennants and a World Series championship in that span. 

After his years with Oakland, La Russa became the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996, winning two more World Series championships and seven division titles. 

Since retiring from managing after the 2011 season, La Russa has held multiple different positions, including one involving Major League Baseball's on-field discipline matters. He most recently served as a senior adviser for baseball operations with the Los Angeles Angels. 

While La Russa obviously has one of the best managerial resumes of all-time, I don't think he's the right man for the job. For one thing, he's 76 years old. The game has changed a lot, especially in the last decade, and even though he's still been around as an executive, I'm not sure he's the right fit for today's game. 

I also don't think the White Sox even needed to make a manager change this offseason. Rick Renteria took them to their first postseason appearance since 2008, and the team rewarded him by firing him. Now the White Sox did play bad down the stretch this season, and it cost them in terms of playoff seeding, but I still don't think you should dismiss the manager who has finally brought your team back to relevance. 

We'll have to wait and see how La Russa fares in his first season with the White Sox, but at least this move gets the Hot Stove season started with a bang.