White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams misses the action of being a general manager, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, and the longtime leader in the front office is considered a candidate for jobs in Toronto and Seattle.
In a story Thursday about the movement of general managers around Major League Baseball, Nightengale made it sound like Williams’ departure was a sure thing:
[Mariners GM] Jack Zduriencik, who has had seven years on the job but with no playoff berths, likely will follow [Phillies GM Ruben] Amaro out the door, with Chicago White Sox president Kenny Williams coming in, unless Williams instead goes to the Toronto Blue Jays as club president.
Nightengale expanded on those comments during an interview with 670 The Score on Thursday morning, telling “The Spiegel & Goff Show” that Williams misses the life of a GM.
“In Toronto you go as a president, and Seattle you go as a general manager and maybe have some president duties as well,” Nightengale said. “If these clubs reach out and ask for permission, I think Kenny Williams will be all ears and get back in the hot seat where he was for so long.”
Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf denied the Blue Jays permission to speak to Williams about a job late last year.
This year, though, Nightengale expects Williams to get the green light to pursue other opportunities.
“They’ll definitely grant permission,” he told the radio hosts.
