The Miami Marlins are reportedly hiring former Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker as their manager. The 43-year-old will replace Don Mattingly, who served as Miami’s manager for seven seasons and left as the franchise’s all-time leader in wins before retiring. Miami eliminates one of the White Sox’s biggest competitors for Joe Espada.
Finalist For The Miami Job
According to MLB writer Craig Mish, Espada was one of three finalists for the job, along with Matt Quatraro and Schumaker. Given Espada’s history with the Marlins, they seemed to be the favorites to land his services.
Espada came up as a coach in the Marlins organization, serving as the hitting coach at Class A Greensboro in 2006 and Class A Jupiter in 2007. He later served as Miami’s third-base coach from 2010-2013 before taking a job with the Yankees as special assistant to general manager Brian Cashman.
The Astros bench coach has been one of the hottest commodities on the managerial market this offseason. The White Sox were reportedly “impressed” by his interview. Last week multiple reports surfaced that the White Sox planned on hiring Espada. The rumors were quickly derailed after NBC Sports Chicago released a story that the White Sox intended to interview Ozzie Guillen for the job.
It is possible that Espada may still be hired, and the White Sox are just waiting until after the World Series to make it official.
Best Candidate On The Market
There is a lot to like about Espada. He joined the Astros during the 2018 offseason to replace Alex Cora as the bench coach. He understands what it takes to build a winning culture. The Astros have been to the ALCS every year he has been the bench coach. The 47-year-old even managed the club for a brief stint while Dusty Baker was away from the team due to COVID-19 protocols. His ability to speak Spanish and connect with Latin American players is also a plus.
Other candidates for the White Sox include Royals coach Pedro Grifol and Braves coach Ron Washington.
