Morning Mound Visit: White Sox hire Tony La Russa for manager

It’s a weird choice but Jerry Reinsdorf gets what Jerry Reinsdorf wants.

Tony La Russa hasn’t managed in nine years, and he’s already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. When Bob Nightengale initially reported that the White Sox were interested in hiring the 76-year-old to replace Rick Renteria it was easy to laugh it off as Bob being Bob, but the White Sox were actually serious about this. Instead of hiring AJ Hinch (or examining one of the many other highly-qualified managerial candidates who haven’t been suspended for cheating), the White Sox are bringing back La Russa to lead their talented, young core.

It’s a dubious decision considering La Russa’s views on bat flips or his own sign-stealing scheme, his oversight of steroid-riddled clubhouses, his public support of racist immigration laws, his comments on kneeling during the national anthem. But I’m sure La Russa’s bleeding edge strategies like batting the pitcher eighth or saving the best reliever for the ninth inning will make up for those other deficiencies.

Michael Baumann | The Ringer: I could go on about Tony La Russa, but Michael Baumann already explained why he isn’t a good fit for the White Sox.

Matt Lyons | Let’s Go Tribe: Cleveland placed Brad Hand on outright waivers yesterday instead of declining his $10 million option. The hope is that another team claims him so the club won’t be responsible for paying his $1 million buyout which is weird because shouldn’t the hope be that a good pitcher like Hand helps your team win for a relatively low price?

Kate Preusser | Lookout Landing: The Mariners declined Dee Strange-Gordon’s option on Wednesday and while Strange-Gordon didn’t put up the numbers that Jerry Dipoto wanted, this piece by Kate Preusser perfectly encapsulates the value he brought to Mariners fans.