Obsessive New Manager Watch: If Not Yesterday, Word on Girardi’s Decision Today?

joe girardi manager

As of last night, the New York Yankees hadn’t heard a decision from Joe Girardi on their offer to bring him back. Might they hear today?

  • According to a report from Gordon Wittenmyer, the answer may well be yes. A source tells Wittenmyer that the Cubs expect to learn today whether they’ll be able to talk to Girardi soon (suggesting that Girardi’s Yankees decision is forthcoming). As I discussed last night, if the Yankees decide to hold out permission to interview Girardi until after October 31 (when he becomes a free agent), the Cubs could be in something of a bind as other managerial openings are vetted and filled throughout October.
  • The New York Daily News finally breaks out the T word: tampering. “Given that Girardi is under contract, the Yankees could potentially file a tampering charge against the Cubs if they believe Chicago is trying to send messages to Girardi about their level of interest as he negotiates with the Bombers.”
  • First, a general response: Overt tampering really would be an uncool thing. When a team signs a guy to a contract of a certain length, a portion of what they’re paying for is the right to have an exclusive period of negotiations when that contract is ending. The Yankees paid for Girardi through October, and they have the right, then, to not have their employee’s plans/thoughts/desires polluted by another team. Sincerely, I get that.
  • Now a more specific response: Given how high profile all parties involved are, I expect that the Cubs have been exceedingly cautious in any indirect communications that have occurred. And even though Girardi is a Yankees employee right now, the fact is that his days there are limited, should he want to leave. If that’s the case, then all sides – including the Yankees – should want to know and act as soon as possible. In other words, this just doesn’t feel like a classic “tampering” situation.
  • Meanwhile, Jesse Rogers says the Cubs’ meeting with Manny Acta yesterday lasted 7 hours. That’s a hell of a first interview.
  • Patrick Mooney discusses, among other things, the Latin American angle to the managerial search, given the proliferation of top players in the Cubs’ system (and at the big league level) who come from Latin American countries.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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