As the New York Yankees officially announce Joe Girardi will not return in 2018, ESNY explores who could fill his shoes in the Bronx.
It’s official: the New York Yankees will not bring Joe Girardi back for the 2018 season — ending his 10-year tenure in the Bronx following a season that saw the franchise come one win away from the American League Pennant.
Girardi led the Yankees to a 910-710 (.562) record under his leadership, good enough for the best record in baseball over that span. He is also the only manager to lead his team to a winning record in each of the last 10 seasons (2008-17) and has led the Yankees to the postseason in six separate seasons, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers (seven) for the most by any team since 2008.
Clearly, it won’t be easy to succeed Joe Girardi. He wasn’t a perfect manager, but there are very few who were able to do a better job than the former Yankees’ skipper. However, general manager Brian Cashman’s quest for just the third manager the team has seen since 1996 is on top of his offseason to-do list.
Cashman’s ideal candidate is pretty apparent. He’ll be looking for a guy on the cheap who relies on analytics and someone who will work directly with the front office. Cashman usually hires internally — more specifically, those who he has worked with in the past — but may have to look outside his Yankees’ family if he’s looking for experience.
Either way, this is easily the Yankees’ biggest priority this winter. There is an astonishing new core in place in the Bronx with more prospects on the way and they’re in need of a strong leader who can lead the Baby Bombers to potential championships. Here are profiles of potential candidates the Yankees could explore:
