No. 4: Chicago White Sox
To say 2022 has been a disaster for the Chicago White Sox would be an understatement. The club was expected to runaway with the AL Central this season after finishing 93-69 in 2021, but have instead limped to a 78-79 record and missed the playoffs entirely.
Manager Tony La Russa is as good as gone after the season. Since becoming the team’s manager, La Russa has had frequent issues with his players, publicly calling them out and destroying any potential chemistry the team could have. How fitting would it be for his former player to turn things around?
Schumaker could provide the White Sox with what La Russa could not, a manager who knows how to hold his players accountable but do so in a way that maintains the respect of the clubhouse.
Any manager who takes over the team in 2023 will have a low bar to pass in comparison to the dumpster fire La Russa has been for the club, but the team also has major blow up written all over them. If Chicago struggles out of the gates next season, they may find themselves entering a rebuild.