Cashman: Girardi firing difficult
GM said it was time for new voice
In his first news conference since making a change at manager, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called moving on from Joe Girardi a “very difficult and challenging decision.”
It was time for a “new and fresh voice,” Cashman said. He also cited “connectivity and communication level in the clubhouse” as a reason for making the change.
Girardi denied having any issues with players. “There were none,” Girardi told Mike Francesa on WFAN. “And if there were, I didn’t know about it.”
Girardi’s contract was not renewed at the end of the season despite the fact the Yankees advanced within a win ofreaching the World Series.
The former skipper added there was never a negotiation on a new contract. “I thought I would be back,” Girardi said. “Obviously there’s no guarantees in life, but I thought I’d be back.”
Girardi, who said Cashman told him they “were going to go in a different direction,” averaged 91 wins per season in his decade at the helm, reaching the playoffs six times while capturing the 2009 Fall Classic.
For now Girardi is “moving on” and will “probably do some broadcasting.” But wants to manage again.
But the next time he visits Yankee Stadium, whenever it may be, he says it will feel like he’s coming home. “The longer you stay somewhere, the harder it is to leave,” he said.
While the Yankees fell one victory short of a World Series berth this season, two members of their talented young core, Aaron Judge and Luis Severino, were announced as finalists for the year-end awards, as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Judge is among the top three for the American League MVP, a tight race that also includes the Astros’ Jose Altuve and the Indians’ Jose Ramirez. As for the AL rookie of the year, Judge should win that easily. The team hasn’t had a rookie winner since Derek Jeter in 1996.
Severino placed in the top three for the AL Cy Young along with the Indians’ Corey Kluber and the Red Sox’s Chris Sale.
Perhaps most surprising, to New York fans, however, was Girardi’s absence from the top three in the AL manager of the year voting. The Astros’ A.J. Hinch, the Indians’ Terry Francona and the Twins’ Paul Molitor are the finalists.