White Sox part ways with manager Rick Renteria, pitching coach Don Cooper

In one of the more surprising developments of the early stages of the MLB offseason for the majority of clubs, the Chicago White Sox announced on Monday that they've parted ways with manager Rick Renteria and pitching coach Don Cooper. 

The club offered no additional statement within its release. 

ESPN added that Renteria tallied a 236-309 record across four seasons as White Sox manager. Under Renteria, Chicago finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with a 35-25 mark and made a postseason appearance for the first time since 2008. The White Sox won their wild-card series opener versus the Oakland Athletics before dropping the subsequent two games and suffering elimination. 

"Ultimately, I think the best candidate or the ideal candidate is going to be someone who has experience with a championship organization in recent years; recent October experience with a championship organization," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters on Monday. 

Pitching coach Don Cooper is also no longer with the franchise. Cooper had been with the White Sox since 2002. 

Renteria made headlines in late July when he missed a day of work due to showing symptoms of COVID-19. He met MLB guidelines to return to the club the following day. 

ESPN's Buster Olney quickly reported that former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will likely be candidates for the White Sox opening. Hinch and Cora both have World Series wins on their resumes but lost their gigs before the start of the 2020 season due to their involvement in the much-publicized Astros sign-stealing scandal.