After being fired by the Yankees, here are the teams Joe Girardi could manage next
The Cardinals? The Marlins? Or somewhere else entirely?
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3 min read
Nearly a week has passed since the New York Yankees announced Joe Girardi would not return as manager. Since then, Girardi has expressed how surprised and disappointed he was by the move, and we've examined a number of potential candidates to replace him in New York.
What we haven't done -- in part because all the non-Yankees managerial vacancies have been filled -- is examine just where Girardi might manage next. Let's do that now, looking at the most likely landing spots. (Note: the teams are presented in alphabetical order.)
Atlanta Braves
Brian Snitker is better known in Atlanta than he is nationally, since he's filled a variety of roles for the Braves over decades of employment. Still, he's probably the sport's most anonymous skipper. Rumor has it that Snitker was on his way out before ex-general manager John Coppolella's resignation. That means the remaining administration likes Snitker more than Coppolella did, but it doesn't mean he's going to stick around for the long haul.
The Braves are trying to exit a lengthy rebuild, and hiring a respected face like GIrardi sometime in 2018 would give them a boost in the dugout, the clubhouse, and the community. Girardi isn't a miracle worker, he isn't going to turn things around overnight. But keep in mind he began his managerial career with the 2006 Miami Marlins -- an overachieving group of youngsters. Teams in similar situations -- like, say, the Cincinnati Reds -- could theoretically be in play, too.
Los Angeles Angels
At first glance, the Angels seem like a no. There is a confluence of factors at play here, however, that make Girardi more likely than it appears at first blush.
For starters, there's the ex-Yankees connection with general manager Billy Eppler, who might be sweeter on Girardi than his former coworkers. There's also the matter of current skipper Mike Scioscia and his expiring contract -- the decade-long behemoth he signed in 2009 that has shielded him during a stretch in which the Angels have made one postseason appearance in eight years. Scioscia has been at the helm since 2000, and it would be reasonable if both sides decided they wanted to start fresh elsewhere.
Of course, it's also possible that "starting fresh elsewhere" would mean moving Scioscia into a front office role, where he'd push for one of his charges to replace him as manager.
Miami Marlins
You knew this was coming.
The questions are 1) if Derek Jeter would fire one former teammate and coach, in Don Mattingly, to install a different former teammate and manager; 2) if Girardi would want to return to Miami, especially amidst another fire sale; and 3) if the Marlins would be willing to spend what Girardi would want to do the deed (Girardi was making $4 million a year in New York) while also paying Mattingly for the duration of what remains on his contract (he's signed through 2019). Jeter's newness to the position makes this a total wild card, if not totally unlikely.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco is almost certainly not going to force out Bruce Bochy, who has delivered three World Series rings and will likely be enshrined in Cooperstown one day as a Giant. That established, Bochy has had health issues in recent years. He's also seen his coaching staff rebuilt and rearranged in each of the past two winters. Ron Wotus and Hensley Meulens could indeed still be Bochy's ultimate successor -- it just doesn't seem like a given anymore.
Girardi probably won't be on the market if and when the Giants decide to make a move -- but if he is, he'd be an ideal replacement.
St. Louis Cardinals
The other super obvious fit.
Incumbent manager Mike Matheny is one of the most oft-critiqued skippers in the game, and has had his coaching staff shaken up in recent years. Alas, Matheny's contract runs through 2020 and he seems to be a favorite of ownership. Realistically, should the Cardinals falter in '18, a third consecutive missed postseason still may not be enough within itself to coerce a change.
Yet if there is hope for Cardinals fans who desire a fresh face in the dugout, it might be that management could pitch ownership on Girardi as the perfect manager. After all, he played for the Cards during his final big-league season, and comes across as the same brand of high-class, family-orientated man that Matheny does -- just with better managerial abilities. Whether or not that would be enough is anyone's guess -- and hey, the Cardinals might win enough in 2019 that this entire conversation is rendered moot.
Then again, winning isn't always enough. Girardi knows that firsthand.
