MLB Rumors: Joe Girardi Is A Hot Commodity, Could Manage Phillies Or Mets In 2020
Joe Girardi is a hot commodity when it comes to baseball managers. The former New York Yankee opted for a different view of the ballpark this season — looking down from the press box. He signed on as a studio analyst with the MLB Network — and he’s currently working the postseason for FOX — but is now back on the manager market.
Girardi is reportedly shopping around and could find himself back in the dugout for the 2020 season. It’s no surprise that Girardi has a couple of good options in front of him. According to the New York Post, the former MLB catcher could see himself back in New York, meeting his former team only in a Subway Series. Girardi is said to be a front-runner when it comes to managing the Mets. He is slated to have an interview with team officials, perhaps in the coming week.
The Mets have also arranged meetings with Carlos Beltran, Mike Bell, and Twins bench coach Derek Shelton, though it’s unclear whether or not the meeting with Shelton will be face-to-face, according to the Post.
If Girardi doesn’t ink a deal with the Mets, he could find himself in Philadelphia. On Thursday, the team dismissed manager Gabe Kapler, according to ESPN. The move was highly anticipated, and Girardi’s name had already been floating around when it came to finding Kapler’s replacement.
“Buck would make the most sense. If they fired Gabe, I think Buck would be the presumed leader in the clubhouse in terms of who replacing Gabe, if they make that change. Joe Girardi, I think, is a similar type of a manager. But yeah, Buck, Andy MacPhail hired him to be the Orioles manager years ago. He worked with (Phillies GM) Matt (Klentak), he worked with Ned Rice the assistant GM, he has relationships with all of those guys. That would make a lot of sense,” MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki said on the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday, according to NJ.com.
Now that Kapler is officially gone, Girardi may be getting a call.
Girardi’s roster of possibilities seems to grow by the day. He is also a prospective manager for the Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants.
Girardi has quite the resume, of course. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1989—92, 2000—02), the Colorado Rockies (1993—95), the New York Yankees (1996—99), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2003). He retired after the 2003 season. His managing career started in 2005 when he joined the Florida Marlins. He made headlines at the time for implementing the George-Steinbrenner-special: No facial hair. He stayed with the team for a couple of seasons but was fired in 2006 — the same year he won Manager of the Year.
Despite interviewing with a few prospective teams, Girardi wouldn’t manage again until 2008. He inked a deal with his former team, the New York Yankees, taking the helm from Joe Torre — who managed him in the late ’90s. Girardi managed the Yankees from 2008 through 2017, bringing a World Series back to the Bronx in 2009. He was fired after the team lost Game 7 of the 2017 American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros.
“With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back. I’d like to thank the fans for their great support as a player, coach and manager and the lasting memories of their passion and excitement during the playoff games,” Girardi said in a statement released by his agent, Steven Mandell.
