White Sox give Cooper, Baines multi-year deals
The Chicago White Sox haveagreed to terms on multiyear contracts with pitching coach Cooper and first base coach Harold Baines. The White Sox also have named Cooper as interim manager and major league coach Mike Gellinger interim bench coach for the season's final two games.
Cooper replaces former manager Ozzie Guillen, who was released from his contract Monday night, while Gellinger takes over for Joey Cora. Cora and White Sox general manager Ken Williams spoke Tuesday morning and mutually agreed that Cora did not need to attend the final two games of the season.
Decisions on the remainder of the coaching staff will be made once a new manager is hired, according to a statement released Tuesday afternoon by the White Sox.
Cooper, 55, is in his 24th season in the White Sox organization and ninth full campaign as pitching coach. Since his appointment, the Sox have gone 799-720 (.526) with a 4.27 ERA (6,433 ER/13,561.0 IP) and lead the major leagues with 792 quality starts since 2003. His staffs have led the American League in quality starts in 2003 (98), 2008 (93) and 2009 (86) and finished second in 2005 (95).
Baines, 52, played 22 seasons in the major leagues and is in his eighth season on the White Sox coaching staff and sixth as first base coach. He spent the 2004-05 seasons as the bench coach.
#376;Scot Gregor will have more on the White Sox coaching decisions later today. Follow him on Twitter @ScotGregor.