KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A longtime Kansas City Royals coach is reportedly expected to jump ship to a rival divisional opponent.
Pedro Grifol, the longtime Royals bench coach, is expected to join rival AL Central club Chicago White Sox as the team's manager, according to a report by ESPN's Buster Olney and Marly Rivera.
Pedro Grifol, longtime coach with the Royals, is expected to be the next White Sox manager, an announcement that could come later this week.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 1, 2022
Fuentes nos confirman a mí y a @Buster_ESPN que el gran Pedro Grifol será el próximo manager de los Medias Blancas de Chicago.
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) November 1, 2022
Grifol would replace Hall of Fame and former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who recently stepped down from the position due to health issues.
Grifol has spent the previously decade with the Royals since joining the team in 2013. Grifol has served a variety of roles with the organization, from quality control coach to hitting coach, and in his last three years with the Royals, serving as the team bench coach.
The coach has long been known for his excellent relationship with Salvador Perez, with Perez even calling a Grifol a father figure for him.
Salvador Perez choked up in the presser, talking about what this means for his mother and grandmother. Also thanked God for what Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol has meant to him over the years as a coach and father figure. A pretty touching moment.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) March 21, 2021
This isn't the first time Grifol's name has been around MLB managerial jobs. Over the previous years he was linked to then-vacancies of the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles. Grifol also interviewed for the Miami Marlins job earlier this offseason before falling short to cross-state rival bench coach Skip Schumaker, then with the Cardinals.
Grifol was also a candidate for the Royals job before the club ultimately decided on then-Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quartraro.
Now Grifol could be in the away dugout of Kauffman Stadium.
