Much like the 2017 managerial search, both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have similar targets with both teams calling Joe Girardi for a second interview. If the Mets do indeed want to hire Girardi as their manager, the team is going to move quickly as David Kaplan of ESPN 1000 reports Girardi is in Philadelphia today to discuss the job with Phillies management.
The Phillies are known to want an experienced manager to lead them in 2020, which has led them to focus on Girardi, Dusty Baker, and Buck Showalter in their search. Of the three, Girardi is the only one who has won a World Series. As a result, it should probably come as no surprise Girardi has emerged as “the clear favorite” for a Phillies team who his all-in on winning the World Series.
Girardi was the 2006 Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins before getting fired for his clashes with ownership. He was hired by the New York Yankees in 2008 to succeed Joe Torre. Girardi would manage the Yankees for 1o years leading them to the 2009 World Series title.
If Girardi does get the Phillies position, the Mets short list would be former Mets player Carlos Beltran, Nationals first base coach Tim Bogar, and ESPN commentator Eduardo Perez. Of the three, Bogar is the only one with prior Major League managerial experience as he was the Texas Rangers interim manager for the final 22 games of the 2014 season.
Of course, assuming Girardi is going to be hired by the Phillies is premature. Girardi has long been connected with the Mets job, and there have been indications Girardi wants that job. One big stumbling block could be money with the Phillies coming off a season where they declared they are going to spend “stupid money” in an attempt to win the third World Series title in their history.
