The Chicago White Sox and manager Rick Renteria have agreed to part ways, the team announced Monday.
Renteria spent the past four seasons as the White Sox’s manager, finishing with a 236-309 record. He guided Chicago to a 35-25 record this past season and the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2008. The White Sox lost 2-1 to the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card round.
In Renteria’s first three seasons, the White Sox were 67-95, 62-100 and 72-89. But they signed several big-name free agents this past offseason and signaled that they were ready to compete. Their additions were Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnacion and Gio Gonzalez.
After a slow start, they led the AL Central for much of the abbreviated season but finished the regular season on a down note. They went 3-12 in their last 15 games and lost home-field advantage for the playoffs.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn, talking to reporters Monday, indicated the team would look for a manager who could take it to the next level.
“Ultimately, I think the best candidate or the ideal candidate is going to be someone who has experience with a championship organization in recent years; recent October experience with a championship organization,” he said.
Hahn said that pitching coach Don Cooper, who had been with the team since 2002, is also out.
The White Sox hired Renteria as a bench coach in 2015 after he was fired as the Chicago Cubs‘ manager. Renteria was named White Sox manager in 2017, replacing Robin Ventura.
Renteria, 58, had one year remaining on his contract.
