Girardi Re-ups For 4 More Years

Many an incumbent president has had supporters shouting "four more years" during their campaign for a second term. Though no one was shouting it, Joe Girardi, performance willing, will be back for four more years as manager of the New York Yankees.

The Yankees just announced that Girardi has signed a new four year contract that will keep him the Yankees manager through 2017. If Girardi completes the entire contract, the Yankees will have had only two managers from 1996-2017.  An unheard fete during the George Steinbrenner portion of the Steinbrenner era.

Girardi was reportedly torn between returning to the Yankees or going after the vacant Chicago Cubs job in his native state of Illinois.  Principal owner Hal Steinbrenner appeared on the Michael Kay Show on Tuesday and said he felt a decision would be made soon regarding Girardi.

Looking at the history of the Cubs, particularly their lack of success, Girardi knows he has a better chance of winning another World Series with the Yankees than the Cubs have of even making the playoffs

The monetary terms of the deal were not released, but it is believed that Girardi got a healthy raise from the $3MM he made in 2013. Rumor has it that it is $16MM over the four years.

Next up on the docket, Robinson Cano.


Official press release from the Yankees:

The New York Yankees announced today they have re-signed Manager Joe Girardi to a four-year contract, extending through the 2017 season. The 48-year-old Girardi has guided the team to the postseason in four of his six seasons at the helm, winning the franchise’s 27th World Championship in 2009. Under Girardi, the Yankees have gone a Major League-best 564-408 (.580) since 2008. 

Over his first six years as manager of the Yankees (2008-13), the club has led the Majors in home runs (1,236), while ranking second in runs scored (4,884) and seventh in hits (8,836) and batting average (.265). The Yankees have also committed the fewest errors (484) in the Majors over the span, with a Major League-high .986 team fielding percentage. 

In 2013, Girardi guided the Yankees to an 85-77 finish, tied with Baltimore for the third-best record in the American League East. He recorded his 500th win as Yankees manager on May 10 at Kansas City in his 844th game as skipper of the club, becoming the fifth-fastest manager in club history to reach the milestone behind Casey Stengel (790 games), Joe McCarthy (796 games), Joe Torre (833 games) and Miller Huggins (833 games). The club made just 69 errors in 2013, the third-lowest total in the Majors and tying the franchise record for fewest in a season (also 2010). Their .988 fielding percentage set a new franchise record, fractionally better than their .988 mark in 2010.