Girardi plans to extend stay in NY
Starting his 10th season as New York Yankees manager, Joe Girardi wants to lead the team beyond 2017 and watch the Baby Bombers mature.
Girardi is entering the final season of a four-year, $16 million contract. The Yankees won the 2009 World Series in his second season but have missed the postseason in three of the past four years, have not won a postseason game since the 2012 AL Division Series and pivoted toward youth last summer.
“I don’t envision myself doing anything different,” Girardi said as pitchers and catchers reported for spring training. “This is what I know, this is what I’ve done for a long time.”
Girardi doesn’t anticipate discussions about an extension with owner Hal Steinbrenner before the end of the season.
“It doesn’t really impact me,” Girardi said. “I’m going to go do my job the same way, the way that I believe is, for me, the right way. They have not extended managers as long as I can remember during the course of the season. So I’ll just go do my job, and whatever happens, happens.”
Girardi said Masahiro Tanaka will start on Opening Day.
Also, Luis Severino, bidding for a rotation spot, worked on his mechanics with Red Sox Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez during the offseason in the Dominican Republic.
Tillman streak done
Chris Tillman won’t extend his streak of Opening Day starts for Baltimore to four. As spring training opened, manager Buck Showalter said Tillman had a platelet-rich plasma injection on his right shoulder and will not be ready for the opener. . . .
Tampa Bay finalized a one-year, $2 million contract with pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, who will miss the 2017 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed last summer while he was with the Yankees. The deal includes a club option for 2018.
The Texas Rangers acquired knuckleballer Eddie Gamboa from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. . . .
Kansas City Royals pitcher Brian Flynn (ribs, vertebrae) is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks after falling through a barn roof.
Arbitration splits
A trio of starters — the Rays’ Jake Odorizzi, Collin McHugh of the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman — won their salary arbitration cases, and another three rotation arms — the St. Louis Cardinals’ Michael Wacha, Chase Anderson of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Taijuan Walker — all lost. ...
New Diamondbacks bench coach and former longtime Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has prostate cancer and will undergo surgery the second week in April. . . .
Scott Feldman won’t compete in the World Baseball Classic for Israel, choosing instead to get ready to fill a spot in the Cincinnati Reds rotation. . . .
The Miami Marlins ended a prohibition on facial hair after one season.