DETROIT, MI (WTVB) – A.J. Hinch is close to being at the helm of a Major League Baseball club again. ESPN reports the Detroit Tigers and Hinch are finalizing a deal to make him the club’s next manager.
Hinch was out of a job this past season after the Houston Astros let him go following their sign-stealing scandal. He and former Red Sox manager Alex Cora both served suspensions in 2020.
Detroit is looking to replace Ron Gardenhire, who retired in September. Detroit was not able to speak with Hinch until the end of the World Series. The Tigers have interviewed more than a dozen candidates.
Tony La Russa is returning to the White Sox to be their new manager. The three-time World Series champion began his 33-year managerial career with the Sox in 1979. He posted a 522-and-510 record with Chicago before being fired in 1986. The 76-year-old went on to manage the Athletics and most recently the Cardinals from 1996-2011.
He helped guide St. Louis to a pair of World Series rings in a six-year span and has been named Manager of the Year four times in his career.
La Russa ranks third all-time with 2,728 managerial wins.
