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Terry Francona Might Be Too Expensive for White Sox, Typically Thrifty With Manager’s Salary

Terry Francona would seem to be a logical choice to be the Chicago White Sox' next manager for a number of reasons.

A) He's available, and the White Sox have a vacancy.

B) He's a laid-back players coach, in contrast to outgoing (in more ways than one) manager Ozzie Guillen. Teams often like to replace one type of manager with his polar opposite.

C) Francona has history in the organization, having managed the Double-A Birmingham Barons when Michael Jordan made his brief attempt at professional baseball.

D) He won two World Series in a four-year span. The White Sox have won one in the past 93 years.

One thing that could stand in the way of Francona heading the Windy City, however, might be the most important factor of them all.

Hint: It's printed with green ink.

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is not especially generous with the salaries he hands out to his managers, and Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times believes that could be an obstacle to bringing Francona to the South Side.

"What raises the red flag would be Francona's price tag," Cowley writes. "Reinsdorf managers the last 15 years or so have been first-year guys, which means they come on the cheap. Francona was a $4-million a year skipper, due $4.25 million next season if the Red Sox brought him back, and then $4.5 million in 2013.

Guillen made $2 million last season, according to Cowley, and left to manage the Marlins.