Running a successful Major League Baseball organization is hard, but it becomes even more difficult when other teams start poaching some of the top talent.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a winning machine for over a decade, and that means everyone wants to copy what the Dodgers are doing. Scouts, coaches, players, everyone is on the table to be pilfered by greedy teams hoping to steal some of L.A.'s magic.
With the Dodgers on the verge of securing their 11th division title in 12 years, the L.A. coaching staff is enticing to teams in search of new leadership. Enter the Chicago White Sox, who can set a new record for losses in an MLB season with one more defeat, their 121st.
A rudderless organization like the White Sox needs a great manager, and it appears Chicago thinks the Dodgers may have the right person on their current payroll.
According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, sources believe the Dodgers' Clayton McCullough is the current front-runner to take over the White Sox job from interim manager Grady Sizemore.
"One of the names that has emerged as a leading candidate for the White Sox’s managerial opening is Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, sources told 670 The Score," Levine said.
Levine also quoted an anonymous coach from another AL organization who seemed to think McCullough was a lock to get the White Sox job if he wanted it.
“'I was told not to get my hopes up for the job,' an American League coach said about the White Sox’s opening. 'They love McCullough and think with his background and pedigree, he is the perfect manager to help develop and grow with the young group they are building there.'”
McCullough, 44, is a baseball lifer, a minor-league catcher turned coach for the last two decades. He started in the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2006 and then became a Dodger in 2015. He has been the first base coach since 2021.
It's going to take a Herculean effort to whip this White Sox team into shape, but having a candidate to get excited about is a good first step. We'll soon see if the interest is mutual, or if McCullough prefers to wait for a job with a team closer to playoff contention.
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