Former Cubs managers could join crosstown rival White Sox after Pedro Grifol firing

The nightmare isn't over on the South Side, but Pedro Grifol's role in the ongoing White Sox disaster is. GM Chris Getz fired his manager along with three coaches on Thursday morning, naming former big league outfielder Grady Sizemore as the interim manager for the season's final two months.

Chicago enters Thursday a woeful 28-89, 40 1/2 games out in the division and 36 1/2 out in the AL wild card race. The Sox finally snapped a historic 20-game losing streak this week and will take on the Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field this weekend.

“As we all recognize, our team’s performance this season has been disappointing on many levels,” general manager Chris Getz said in a team statement. “Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team.”

Getz made it clear that Sizemore is only a short-term option and the organization expects making an external hire in the offseason. With a painful on-field product and off-the-field drama over a potential relocation in the future, it's a job that comes with plenty of headache - not to mention working for, perhaps, one of the worst owners in sports in Jerry Reinsdorf.

But it's still a coveted gig. There are only 30 big league managerial jobs in the world so, despite the baggage it comes with, we could see well-known names connected to it this winter. It just so happens a couple of former Cubs managers, David Ross and Joe Maddon, both remain interested in managing again and could find themselves on Getz' short list.

David Ross seems likelier to get a managerial job than Joe Maddon

The Cubs abruptly fired Ross last fall, just weeks after he received the stamp of approval from both the front office and ownership, which allowed Jed Hoyer to go make Craig Counsell the highest-paid manager in baseball history with a five-year, $40 million contract. Ross was by no means a perfect manager, but he's well respected enough in the game that it shouldn't take long for him to find a new managerial job or, at the very least, a spot on a coaching staff.

A more controversial hire would be Maddon who has essentially blacklisted by MLB teams after a series of outspoken comments regarding the power balance between front offices and managers in recent years. The fact that he's come to have sort of a black sheep reputation only makes him a more logical candidate given Reinsdorf's history in this area.

The worst-case scenario would be bringing back Tony La Russa (again). I'd like to think the Sox learned their lesson but Getz has done nothing to earn that trust since taking over and, well, if not for Reinsdorf's 1990s Chicago Bulls winning six titles in a decade, he'd be even less well-regarded than he is which is really saying something.