Yankees Part Ways With Joe Girardi As Manager After 10 Years
The New York Yankees have decided to part ways with manager Joe Girardi for the 2018 season, the team announced. Girardi just finished the final year of his four-year deal worth $16 million with an appearance in the American League Championship Series.
"With a heavy heart, I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back," Girardi said in a statement. "I’d like to thank the Steinbrenner family for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I would like to thank Brian Cashman and his staff for hiring me and always trying to improve the team. I would like to thank my Coaches and support staff for their dedication to always trying to make the players better and get the most out of them. I would like to thank the training staff and the strength Coaches for their tireless efforts of trying to keep the players on the field and healthy. I would like to thank the clubhouse personnel for making the clubhouse our home away form home. I would like to thank the players for the relationships that we have fostered over the last 10 years but most important, how hard they played every day. I would like to thank Damon Oppenheimer and his staff for their hard work in trying to find us the best players available in the draft. I would like to thank the minor league staff for developing these young players. I would like to thanks Ben Tuliebitz for making our travel easy and always taking care of our families. I want to thank the media for always being fair with me and helping grow this wonderful game. Finally, I’d like to thanks the Fans for their great support as a Player, Coach and Manager and the lasting memories of their passion and excitement during the Playoff Games, especially the final six games which will remain in my heart forever."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman issued the following statement:
"I want to thank Joe for his 10 years of hard work and service to this organization. Everything this organization does is done with careful and thorough consideration, and we've decided to pursue alternatives for the managerial position. As Hal Steinbrenner and I mentioned to Joe directly this week, he has been a tremendous Yankees on the field and away from it, as a player, coach and manager. He has a tireless work ethic, and puts his heart into every game he managed over the last decade. He should take great pride in our accomplishments during his tenure, and I wish Joe and his family nothing but success and happiness in the future."
In his 10 years as manager, Girardi won one World Series and made the playoffs six times. Girardi finishes his 10 years with the Yankees with a 910–710 record. He has the sixth-most wins in Yankees history. In his 10 years as manager, he posted a .562 winning percentage, which is the best in that time. The Yankees never posted a record below. 500. The Yankees finished the regular season with a 91–71 record.
After the Yankees lost to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Girardi expressed his excitement for the Yankees future with a core of young players. He said that he wanted to spend time with his family before making a decision on his future. On Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athleticreported that some Yankee officials believed that Girardi was "spent" and "ready to move on."
“I’ve always said, the first thing that I do is I always talk to my family first," Girardi said early in the postseason. "They come first. Because I think when you have a job, your family has to buy in, too. It’s not just what you want out of life. It’s everyone buying in. So I’ll sit down, talk to my wife and kids and see where they’re at and what they’re thinking. And then we’ll see what the Yankees are thinking."
The Yankees could look for Girardi's replacement internally. Bench coach Rob Thompson could be an option. First base coach Tony Pena has managerial experience in the majors.
