Offseason has arrived early for some teams

The first game of the World Series is scheduled for Oct. 27. But in some cities, the offseason is already well underway.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf fired executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn on Tuesday. First-year manager

Pedro Grifol is safe for now, but that could change once new leadership is in place.

That Hahn was fired came as no surprise. But Williams had been with the organization since 1992 when he was a scout and became a confidante of Reinsdorf.

The lack of success finally caught up with Williams. The White Sox have not won a playoff series since their World Series run in 2005 and had only six seasons over .500 since.

The White Sox are an attractive job if Reinsdorf commits to adding more analytics staffers and technology to the operation. But the 87-year-old owner might need convincing to go that route.

Assistant GM Chris Getz, who has been in the front office for nearly seven years, could land the job. He is running the team for now.

Tony La Russa will have some say in the decision, we’re told.

Chicago’s change of direction came a few days after the Nationals signed manager Dave Martinez to a two-year contract extension through 2025.

Washington also is working on an extension for president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo.

As the season enters its final weeks, here are some other teams that could make changes:

Angels: Los Angeles made a series of trades to bolster the roster but started August 5-16 and plunged out of contention.

The moves were mandated by owner

Arte Moreno, who believed a playoff berth could aid in retaining Shohei Ohtani. Others in the organization had advocated trading Ohtani to rebuild the farm system but were rebuffed.

Now Ohtani has a torn elbow ligament, Mike Trout is back on the injured list, and everything is a mess.

Where that will leave manager Phil Nevin and general manager Perry Minasian is uncertain. Nevin is in the final year of his deal and Minasian is the team’s fifth general manager since 2007.

The Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014 or had a winning season since 2015. The problem lies with Moreno, who intended to sell the team then pulled it off the market in January.

Cardinals: That St. Louis could have its first losing season since 2007 is a given at this point. A last-place finish, which last happened in 1990, isn’t off the board.

President of baseball operations John Mozeliak canned manager Mike Matheny during the ’18 season then unexpectedly fired Mike Shildt after a 90-win season in 2021.

Firing Oliver Marmol after two seasons seems unlikely as Mozeliak would be turning the spotlight on himself.

Diamondbacks: It’s been a wild ride for president of baseball operations Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo.

Arizona was 52-39 at the All-Star break then lost 20 of 25 to fall out of a playoff spot. Now a surge has them back in the mix.

The Diamondbacks have a bright future and Hazen and Lovullo should be around to lead it.

Guardians: Terry Francona did not announce his retirement on Tuesday but dropped several unmistakable hints that he is headed in that direction.

“Old,” he said when asked how he was feeling. “Old and kind of beat up.”

Francona, 64, has dealt with health issues for several seasons and acknowledged having spoken at length with team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff about his future. Francona also has sought advice from Jim Leyland, Joe Torre, and others about life after managing.

Sandy Alomar Jr. is an in-house option. But the Guardians might want a younger manager such as Rangers associate manager Will Venable to work closely with the analytics staff.

Mets: Steve Cohen wants to hire a president of baseball operations over general manager Billy Eppler. Whoever that is — David Stearns seems to be the leading candidate — will direct what comes next.

If 2024 will be a reset year, will 67year-old Buck Showalter want to hang around? He came in to direct a World Series run and that has been postponed.

Padres: An expensive disaster usually brings change. But owner Peter Seidler has expressed only support for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

Preller has been GM since August of 2014 and the Padres have been to the NLCS once. But his job security seems unshakeable. Manager Bob Melvin is not responsible for what was a bad mix of players. But the Padres may need a heavier hand.

Red Sox: There is not a scintilla of evidence the Sox would replace Chaim Bloom or Alex Cora even if they miss the playoffs for the third time in four years.

But Sox ownership can be capricious. Dave Dombrowski was fired in the middle of a game in 2019, after all. A September collapse could conceivably lead to changes in the front office.

Cora’s frustration has been evident on several occasions this season. If the plan is to kick the can down the road for another season and not invest in the rotation, perhaps he would want off the ship for a job with more immediate upside.

Rockies: Colorado has gotten progressively worse in recent years. But Coors Field draws good crowds, owner

Dick Monfort complains about other teams spending money, and nothing changes.

Bud Black hasn’t come close to a winning season since 2018 but that’s more on the front office and that’s a closed shop of Monfort loyalists.

Yankees: “It’s been a disaster of a season,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “We’re embarrassed by it.”

That about sums it up. The Yankees are a wreck and manager Aaron Boone likely will pay the price, which may come as a relief at this point.

Cashman, 56, agreed to a four-year extension before the season and is surely safe. He’s practically part of the Steinbrenner family at this stage.

But this would be the organization’s 14th consecutive season without appearing in the World Series and potentially the first losing season since 1992.

GLOVE STORY Red Sox need to remake defense

However this season ends, the Red Sox need to commit to a full-scale remodeling of their defense, both in terms of personnel and coaching.

A full season at shortstop from Trevor Story will help, as would having defensively gifted 22-year-old prospect

Ceddanne Rafaela in center field in 2024. But more than that is needed.

Rafael Devers has prepared for previous seasons working with a personal infield instructor in the Tampa area. He regressed badly this season and should work with the team on finding a new offseason approach and better instruction.

That should start with Devers getting in better condition in terms of lateral movement and quickness around the bag. He will be 27 in October and next season starts a contract worth $31.35 million a season. He can’t be a DH.

Masataka Yoshida is a poor outfielder, slow to the ball and with a weak arm. His best fit may be as a DH with maybe a third of his games in the outfield.

It explains why other teams thought $90 million was too much for Yoshida.

Triston Casas ranks among the worst first basemen in the league. That may have more to do with experience than ability as he often gets caught inbetween on plays.

Casas has a strong and accurate arm and shows good footwork around the bag. But he needs work on his fielding and reading plays as they develop. He’s also much too young to get regular use as a DH.

It also would help if the Sox had a regular second baseman instead of the tryout camp they’ve been running the past four seasons. The closest thing they’ve had to a regular was Story in 2022.

The organization also needs to revamp how it’s teaching fundamentals to better instruct players on covering bases, hitting the cutoff man, keeping the double play in order, and other basics of the game.

Consider the play on Tuesday night in Houston when Mauricio Dubon scored from second on a sacrifice bunt because nobody covered the plate when

Connor Wong broke to field the ball.

That’s the kind of mistake a major league team might make a few times a season. With the Sox it’s once a week. That could point to changes on the coaching staff.

Over the years, Brian Butterfield, Perry Hill, and Ron Washington are among the coaches valued for being able to teach defense. The Sox need to identify their own guru and get to work after the season.

The issues must be addressed well before spring training.

A few other observations on the Red Sox:

● Alex Verdugo was ejected by plate umpire Pat Hoberg while on the bench Tuesday with the Sox trailing, 2-1, in Houston.

Add this to the list of “things that can’t happen” involving Verdugo. Yet the right fielder played it off as being amusing.

“Just chirping. I can yell and mess around to any umpire however I feel,” Verdugo said.

No, not really. Not with your team fighting to stay in contention. You need to stay in the lineup.

Verdugo has above-average talent, bringing value at the plate and in right field. But his side issues are ones the Sox will have to grapple with as he approaches free agency.

● Chris Sale is 16-16 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 50 starts and 268„ innings the past five seasons.

As everyone relitigated the Mookie Betts trade with the Dodgers in town, it’s worth noting that the second-biggest mistake in recent years was giving Sale a five-year, $145 million extension after the 2018 season.

As somebody who wrote at the time that the Sox were doing the right thing after alienating Jon Lester in 2014, Sale is proof that good intentions easily can go awry when it comes to pitching.

Sale has a year left on his deal. The Sox have little choice but to pencil him into the rotation and hope they can get 20 starts.

● Sorry to remind you, but we’re all getting old. Kaz Uehara, Koji’s son, has committed to play baseball at Division 1 Wofford College in South Carolina. He’s an outfielder at IMG Academy in Florida going into his senior season.

ETC. Kids are all right

The Angels took 21-year-old first baseman Nolan Schanuel with the 11th pick of the draft on June 9 and promoted him to the majors on Aug. 18 after only 21 minor league games.

It was the quickest rise to the majors by a drafted position player since 1978 when 18-year-old catcher Brian Milner joined the Blue Jays 17 days after being drafted.

Milner was 4 for 9 with a triple and two RBIs in two games before returning to the minors. He never returned as his career was stalled by injuries.

Schanuel was 7 of 19 in his first six games with seven walks and only two strikeouts. The out-of-contention Angels appear to be giving him what amounts to a tryout for next season.

Schanuel had hard-to-believe production at Florida Atlantic this season, slashing .447/.615/.868 over 59 games.

The Padres are being even more aggressive with 17-year-old catcher Ethan Salas, who made the leap from High A to Double A after only nine games. That he was 7 of 35 (.200) and struck out 10 times apparently didn’t matter. The Padres wanted Salas to be with a team competing for a postseason spot and to play with some of their other notable prospects.

Salas was signed in January to a record $5.6 million bonus. He was born in Florida but grew up in Venezuela and qualified as an international player.

The first two picks of the draft, righthander Paul Skenes (Pirates) and outfielder Dylan Crews (Nationals), are already in Double A.

Kyle Teel, the first-round pick of the Red Sox, had a 1.061 OPS through nine games at High A Greenville. With the minor league regular season going through Sept. 17, perhaps the Sox could give the catcher a taste of the next level.

Extra bases

That Shohei Ohtani has a torn elbow ligament and could be facing a second Tommy John surgery does not necessarily limit his value in free agency.

Nathan Eovaldi is proof a pitcher can flourish after a second TJ surgery. But beyond that, Ohtani still offers immense value as a hitter and box office draw. A deal worth $500 million could prove worthwhile even if Ohtani misses time as a pitcher. If there was a player a team would take a chance on, it’s him

. . . Red Sox relief pitchers told the Globe’s Alex Speier earlier this month that they preferred to jog to the mound at Nationals Park instead of riding the only bullpen cart in use in the majors.

Brennan Bernardino said he would consider it after taking a pass in the first game of the series. Alas, he was not called on again the next two days. The intrepid Washington Post reported that only Daniel Bard (Rockies), Trevor May (Athletics), and Glenn Otto (Rangers) have taken a ride this season . . . The 2005 Padres won the NL West with an 82-80 record. That’s the fewest wins for a division champion. The Twins, who are on pace to win 84 games, could well match that or even win the dreadful AL Central with 80 or 81 wins . . . Rays shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave by the league as it investigates allegations of his relationships with underage girls. Being on administrative leave was a prelude for long suspensions for, among others, Trevor Bauer, Domingo German, and Marcell Ozuna. Franco also could face career-ending legal issues . . . The shamefully stingy Blue Jays and Angels have continued with the pandemic-era policy of not sending radio broadcasters on the road and instead having them call games off television feeds.

The Angels won’t even allow their announcers to drive back and forth for road games against the Dodgers and Padres . . . Former Red Sox players Jed Lowrie and Shane Victorino are among the 12 retired big leaguers selected for the Commissioner’s Ambassador Program to promote the game at different events. CC Sabathia is behind the idea and tapped Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins to help administrate it. Fred McGriff and Ichiro Suzuki are among those who signed up . . . Happy birthday to Mike Maddux, who is 62. His 15year career in the majors with nine teams from 1986-2000 included a stint with the Red Sox from 1995-96. Maddux was 7-3 with a 3.97 ERA over 59 games, 11 of them starts, with the Red Sox, and made his only two career playoff appearances in the ’95 Division Series against Cleveland. Maddux retired during the 2000 season and became Houston’s Double A pitching coach. He has since been pitching coach of the Brewers, Rangers, Nationals, Cardinals, and now the Rangers again. In all, Maddux has been in professional baseball since 1982. Not bad for a guy with 2,807 fewer strikeouts than his Hall of Fame younger brother Greg.