Girardi to be Shutout?
A lot of Chicago Cubs fans had been pulling for former Cubs catcher, Joe Girardi to be hired by the team, but in an offseason with several openings, can he be left without a job?
This seems to be a very real case. Early, it appeared that the New York Mets wanted the former Yankee’s skipper to lead their clubhouse. Then he came to Chicago and after an eight-hour interview, he seemed to of gained momentum with the Cubs. Not only that, it just appeared that Chicago was where Girardi wanted to be as well.
It now seems as if the Mets are looking towards one of their former players and the Cubs are zeroing in on a more recent former Cubs catcher.
The Cubs had wanted to interview former Met, Carlos Beltran for their open managerial position, but he turned them down. He also turned down the San Diego Padres, as it appears he wants to remain in New York.
Carlos Beltran said the Padres and Cubs want to interview him for manager job, but he isn’t going to take the meetings. He only wants the Mets job. “I’m ready,” he said.
— Anthony Rieber (@AnthonyRieber) October 13, 2019
Now, I can see not wanting to manage in San Diego. Well, honestly, who wouldn’t want to live in San Diego, a town with the world’s most perfect weather, next to the ocean, and such a beautiful not far from several other gorgeous locations? But, I can see someone not wanting to be the bridge guy in a rebuild. With the Dodgers still clearly at the top of that division, it could be a very long time before they are dethroned – regardless of how many top 50 prospects they have.
But, why would he not want to manage the Cubs? Or even have the chance to sit and take an interview with Theo Epstein? Now, I’m not trying to suck up, but he is still regarded as one of the smartest executives in the game, and an interview with him would be a great opportunity to at least learn.
The biggest reason I can see him passing is, he knows he wants the Mets job alone and the Mets have communicated something strong towards the former playoff hero.
The Cubs, as much as fans scream and hoot and holler and yell for a veteran hard ass to whip pretty boys like Kris Bryant into shape, seem to have pointed their arrows at another hard-ass, David Ross. Don’t believe a “buddy” can lead his friends? Here’s an excerpt from a story written in 2015, showing just how much Ross is willing to push his “friends” while on the field.
Lester is as familiar with Ross’ shtick as anyone. In May 2014, when they were both still with the Red Sox, Lester entered the eighth inning with 12 strikeouts in a start against Oakland. Then he walked Derrick Norris on four not-even-close pitches. Ross grabbed a new ball from the umpire, flipped off his mask and began barking his way to the mound.
“Are you done?” he chirped at Lester. “Are you quitting? Do we need to get somebody else out here?”Wayne Drehs, ESPN
“He kept yelling at me and yelling at me — and everyone in the park knew he was yelling at me,” Lester said. “But that’s what I needed. I pulled it together and went on to punch out the side for 15 strikeouts.”
I also posted an interesting piece on how Epstein may have shifted Ross’s career toward becoming a manager 11 years ago.
When you read between the lines on a lot of this, if you pay attention to Cubs players, to Cubs media, it just seems that Ross is the guy. While the Cubs do plan on interviewing Houston Astros’ bench coach, Joe Espada (and he might be the best option of all potential hires) Ross just feels like the Cubs choice. And that decision seems to of been made already.
That leaves Girardi out of his top two choices. Could he have sat out last offseason’s openings, waiting on the Cubs job this year, all for nothing?
I, and this is admittedly a stretch, believe that Girardi is only interested in the Philadelphia Phillies opening because he doesn’t believe he is getting the Cubs job. The guy literally sat out a year to try to land the Cubs top spot, why would he then start settling for other posts? I mean, look at this dude’s face! Does this look like a face of someone who thinks he’s going to get the job or someone pissed off he spent eight hours talking to Theo and Jed Hoyer and knows they’re passing on him?
That dude is pissed. Hell, Jed even looks like he’s mad he wasted eight hours talking to Girardi.
Looking forward to the Phillies… Can you see Girardi and Bryce Harper getting along? I love Bryce, but I don’t know if he’s ever really had a manager get in his face at all to motive him. That’s not a fit. I can see (I can’t believe it is 2019 and I am still saying this) Dusty Baker being in the lead for that role. He’s familiar with Harper. He has a calming demeanor and has been very successful. He’s also very familiar with the NL East.
The Phillies are also interested in Buck Showalter (is this 1998?) and Sam Fuld. Personally, if I were the Phils, and knowing how much they rely on analytics, Fuld is their guy. The older guys aren’t going to “get it” as much as Fuld does. Hell, Fuld’s current job with the Phillies is to disseminate analytical data and bring it to the players in a way that they can understand and incorporate into game plans.
It is very likely that Joe Girardi is shutout from any of these openings. While, if baseball is willing to retread guys like Baker and Showalter, then Girardi certainly will have future chances. It just doesn’t appear that he’s a front-runner in any current city right now.
