Yesterday Jon Heyman tweeted out that Joe Girardi pulled himself out of contention for the Cincinnati Red’s managerial position with speculation that he is waiting for a job to open up in Chicago next year.
Girardi surprised reds by pulling out Friday. He had a chance to win job at that point but they never got to point of talking money with him. He also pulled out of rangers derby. Industry speculation: he’s waiting a year on Chicago
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 21, 2018
Obviously the big question mark here is which Chicago team Heyman was referring to. Both Joe Maddon and Rick Renteria have just one year remaining on their respective contracts. Cubs fans have slowly but surely started asking for Maddon to be canned, especially after their early playoff exit in a season where they won 95 games. On the other side of town, White Sox fans have had Girardi’s name circled ever since their rebuild began. But at the end of the day, Girardi managing the White Sox just isn’t as good of a fit as people think it would be.
Girardi Would Want To Win Right Away
Common consensus around baseball is that the White Sox and Cubs will both be championship contenders for years to come. However, the Cubs already have a World Series title to their name in the last three years. Their roster is clearly more proven at this point and are a World Series threat every year until proven otherwise. The White Sox will have a very young and talented core, but might not take that next step to truly contending for championships for a couple years. Girardi would admittedly be getting to the South Side right around the time the rebuild is wrapping up, but the Cubs job at this point in time is more enticing overall.
He Doesn’t Connect With Young Players
This is the key reason right here. The main reason Girardi was cast out of New York was because he never was able to gel with the younger players on the roster. The White Sox will be one of the youngest teams in baseball if they aren’t already. Would he really want to put himself in the same situation that ultimately lead to his unemployment?
Would the White Sox Even Want Girardi?
Joe Girardi managing the White Sox really is a fascinating scenario. As stated earlier, Girardi never got along with the younger players towards the end of his time in New York. On the other hand, like Rick Renteria, he is fluent in Spanish and a good portion of the White Sox roster is/will be Latino. Then there’s the obvious fact that he knows what it takes to win championships. Even after all of this though, I still think the White Sox would be wise to hold off on an offer to Girardi. If they move on from Renteria, they should go after a younger energetic guy who can connect with the players and build strong relationships. Obviously a lot can change in a year, but for now I’m out on Girardi as the next White Sox manager.
