The New York Mets risk losing out on Joe Girardi as the Philadelphia Phillies’ managerial search winds down.
On Wednesday, Joe Girardi officially stepped down from his job as the manager of USA’s Olympic baseball team. That led to widespread speculation about Girardi closing in on a major league manager job.
Well, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Girardi is a finalist for the Phillies manager job.
Girardi joins Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker as the final three in the hunt for the Philly gig. This news is huge for the Mets who were long considered the favorite to land Joe Girardi.
If Girardi does indeed become the next manager of the Phillies, that will have two effects on the Mets.
The first is that they’ll have Girardi in the division. He’s a tactical genius and his in-game decision making is some of the best in all of baseball. Having to deal with that 18 times a year would be quite a challenge for the Mets.
Additionally, the Mets will likely hire a first-time manager to replace Callaway if they lose Girardi to the Phillies. The veteran manager is the only candidate the Mets have interviewed that has any past MLB managerial experience.
It would be a bold step to see the Mets replace Callaway with another first-time manager. The contrast of the Phillies hiring the experienced Girardi and the Mets hiring another first-timer would be fascinating to watch play out next season. Both teams are in win-now mode and are hoping to make a playoff run next year. ‘
If the Mets want Girardi, they’re going to have make their move soon.
