Girardi talks with Phils; Mets up next
Joe Girardi’s Philadelphia tour is complete and his next stop will be a second meeting with the Mets.
The former Yankees manager is expected to meet with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen either Tuesday or Wednesday for a second interview, according to an industry source, as the team moves closer to filling its managerial opening.
Girardi was scheduled to receive a second interview with Phillies officials on Monday. Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker are the other reported finalists for that opening, which could be filled by Thursday — the scheduled travel day in the World Series. Teams are encouraged by MLB not to announce significant transactions on game days during the World Series.
Carlos Beltran, Eduardo Perez and Tim Bogar are the other known candidates for the Mets vacancy scheduled to receive second interviews. It’s expected the Mets will speak again to Bogar, the Nationals first base coach, on Thursday, before the World Series shifts to Washington.
Though Girardi interviewed for the Cubs opening, there haven’t been indications he’s a serious candidate for the job. David Ross and Joe Espada are two names that have been heavily linked to the Cubs. Espada, the Astros bench coach, was also a hot managerial candidate last October. To this point there haven’t been any indications he’s spoken to the Mets.
Luis Rojas, Mike Bell, Derek Shelton and Skip Schumaker are the other known candidates to have received an initial sitdown interview with Van Wagenen and his staff. It remains unclear if any member of that group will receive a callback.
A person connected with the club Monday suggested Girardi’s strong personality could be a deterrent to him landing the job.
“I don’t think they need a guy to come in to be a general,” the person said. “There are teams that might need that, to set the culture, and set things in order, but I don’t think so with the Mets. Those guys are workers, they are focused, they are willing to work, they play to win, so I don’t think you need that mentality or makeup of a manager.
“But you do need a guy that understands it’s not easy to manage in New York, No. 1, and the National League is probably the tougher of the two leagues to manage in because there are so many moves that could happen throughout the course of a ballgame. Whoever [is hired] will need a good coaching staff that will complement that person.”
The Mets are among the seven teams still searching for a manager. The Angels, who hired Joe Maddon last week, are the only team that has filled a vacancy.