The New York Yankees got their man back for four years, as the team retained manager Joe Girardi with a contract agreement to keep him in the Bronx for the foreseeable future after many reports said that the Chicago Cubs would go after him hard.
According to ESPN.com, Girardi and the Yankees agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal to remain the Yankees manager and while the team likely went one extra year than they wanted, the end goal was always the same: to keep Girardi. The team felt that keeping their manager was a priority heading into the offseason, as the team likely will be in a period of transition over the next couple years, as Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera retired, while Derek Jeter is coming back from an injury and Robinson Cano may sign elsewhere.
Girardi has been a good fit in New York and he has put up a 564-408 record since being hired and according to ESPN.com, that's the best record in the majors since he was hired. Girardi now will remain with the team past everyone signed apart from A-Rod of course, but by that time he could be gone. The Cubs were expected to go after Girardi hard due to his ties to Chicago, but obviously they will never get the chance.
Girardi will be the Yankees manager for a decade if he stays through the contract and now it allows the Yankees to focus on Cano. The second baseman will be a free agent this offseason and reports have said that he wants a 10-year, $300 million contract. The Yankees have said they will try hard to sign him, but that it will depend on how much he wants to be a Yankee, aka, will he ask for that ridiculous amount of money or not?
