Joe Girardi to the Nationals? The question is no longer theoretical.
Joe Girardi
Here is your lifeline  Washington Nationals. We have gone from theory to reality in 24 hours.  Joe Girardi  no longer manages the New York Yankees. There is one potential managerial candidate who represents an obvious upgrade from Dusty Baker  both in the near term and long range.  He  is  Joseph Elliott Girardi .
Go get  him .
If the Nationals â and by âthe Nationalsâ here  we are speaking of the Lerner family  which owns the team â even are going to consider  Girardi   they have to go in with two things wide open: their eyes and their wallet.
Baker  whom they didnât invite back  felt  he  was woefully underpaid at $2 million annually  and the main reason  he  is no longer here anymore is because  his  contract was only for two years. Those two years expired  the Lerners had no further financial commitment  there was some ham-handedness in both public relations and game management in the division series against the Cubs  and so  he âs gone.
[ Girardi  made sense for the Nats even before the Yankees let  him  go]
 Girardi  isnât coming here for any two years and $4 million.  His  last contract with the Yankees  the one that expired following this year  was for twice that â four years and $16 million. Thereâs your starting point. If you want  him   Mr. Lerner  be prepared to value the position of manager more than you have at any point in the past. Take a number youâre comfortable with â and triple it.
Joe Maddon hadnât won a World Series when he agreed to a five-year deal worth a reported $25 million. Could  Girardi  ask for such a sum? Sure.
We donât yet know that  Girardi  will require that or that the Nationals will even inquire about  Girardi âs needs. But logic tells you General Manager Mike Rizzo  who did not return a message Thursday  has to reach out. Follow that logic further  and Rizzo has the toughest sell job of  his  career to  his  own bosses.
If Rizzo calls Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and gets a favorable report on  Girardi  â and given their long run together  why wouldnât  he ? â and the rest of Rizzoâs reporting reveals no red flags  then  he  must present a case to ownership that what they have before them is an opportunity. Forget the money it will cost. Consider it found money.
 Girardi âs side is important in this  too. On Thursday  in the hours after the Yankees announced they would not bring  him  back  a person close to the (now former) manager said the situation was too âfresh â and we couldnât yet analyze whether  Girardi  would want to move on to the Nationals â or anywhere else â immediately.
But we do know a bit more about  Girardi âs state of mind than we did at the end of the American League Championship Series  when  he  said  he  would have to consult with  his  family â  his  wife and three children live in South Florida â before deciding whether  he  could be all-in as a manager again.
On Thursday   Girardi  issued a statement that thanked just about everybody in the Yankee organization. But it opened with this: âWith a heavy heart  I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back.â
Sounds like someone who was ready to reload for another run.  He  just needed to be asked.
One reasonable question  Girardi  would have â and one that  once a manager is in place  could hang over the entire 2018 season â is: Who would I be working for? Not next year but down the line. Rizzoâs contract runs only through 2018. He and his front office built the team that won four division titles in six years and is poised to contend again. If he convinces  Girardi  to come here and convinces the Lerners to pay for him  wouldnât another extension be in line for the general manager?
A final piece: At 53   Girardi  is too young to really be into evaluating  his  âlegacy.â But here is a list of managers who have won World Series titles with two franchises: Sparky Anderson  who did it in Cincinnati and Detroit  and Tony La Russa  who did it in Oakland and St. Louis. Short list. Everyone on it is in the Hall of Fame.
If  Girardi  wins another World Series   he  joins that group. Could  he  do it in Washington? The Nationals have stated thatâs the only goal that matters. A manager who has done it is now available.
Here is your lifeline  Washington Nationals. We have gone from theory to reality in 24 hours.   [TGT] no longer manages the New York Yankees. There is one potential managerial candidate who represents an obvious upgrade from Dusty Baker  both in the near term and long range.   [TGT]   is   [TGT]  .
Go get   [TGT]  .
If the Nationals â and by âthe Nationalsâ here  we are speaking of the Lerner family  which owns the team â even are going to consider   [TGT]  [TGT]  have to go in with two things wide open:  [TGT]  eyes and  [TGT]  wallet.
Baker  whom  [TGT]  didnât invite back  felt  he  was woefully underpaid at $2 million annually  and the main reason  he  is no longer here anymore is because  his  contract was only for two years. Those two years expired  the Lerners had no further financial commitment  there was some ham-handedness in both public relations and game management in the division series against the Cubs  and so  he âs gone.
[  [TGT] made sense for the Nats even before the Yankees let   [TGT]   go]
  [TGT] isnât coming here for any two years and $4 million.   [TGT]   last contract with the Yankees  the one that expired following this year  was for twice that â four years and $16 million. Thereâs your starting point. If you want   [TGT]    Mr. Lerner  be prepared to value the position of manager more than you have at any point in the past. Take a number youâre comfortable with â and triple it.
Joe Maddon hadnât won a World Series when he agreed to a five-year deal worth a reported $25 million. Could   [TGT] ask for such a sum? Sure.
We donât yet know that   [TGT] will require that or that the Nationals will even inquire about   [TGT] . But logic tells you General Manager Mike Rizzo  who did not return a message Thursday  has to reach out. Follow that logic further  and Rizzo has the toughest sell job of  his  career to  his  own bosses.
If Rizzo calls Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and gets a favorable report on   [TGT] â and given their long run together  why wouldnât  he ? â and the rest of Rizzoâs reporting reveals no red flags  then  he  must present a case to ownership that what they have before them is an opportunity. Forget the money it will cost. Consider it found money.
  [TGT]  âs side is important in this  too. On Thursday  in the hours after the Yankees announced they would not bring   [TGT]   back  a person close to the (now former) manager said the situation was too âfresh â and we couldnât yet analyze whether   [TGT] would want to move on to the Nationals â or anywhere else â immediately.
But we do know a bit more about  Girardi âs state of mind than we did at the end of the American League Championship Series  when  he  said  he  would have to consult with  his  family â  his  wife and three children live in South Florida â before deciding whether  he  could be all-in as a manager again.
On Thursday    [TGT] issued a statement that thanked just about everybody in the Yankee organization. But it opened with this: âWith a heavy heart  I come to you because the Yankees have decided not to bring me back.â
Sounds like someone who was ready to reload for another run.  He  just needed to be asked.
One reasonable question   [TGT] would have â and one that  once a manager is in place  could hang over the entire 2018 season â is: Who would I be working for? Not next year but down the line. Rizzoâs contract runs only through 2018.  [TGT]  and  [TGT]  front office built the team that won four division titles in six years and is poised to contend again. If  [TGT]  convinces  Girardi  to come here and convinces the Lerners to pay for  [TGT]   wouldnât another extension be in line for the general manager?
A final piece: At 53    [TGT] is too young to really be into evaluating   [TGT]   âlegacy.â But here is a list of managers who have won World Series titles with two franchises: Sparky Anderson  who did it in Cincinnati and Detroit  and Tony La Russa  who did it in Oakland and St. Louis. Short list. Everyone on it is in the Hall of Fame.
If   [TGT] wins another World Series    [TGT]   joins that group. Could   [TGT]   do it in Washington? The Nationals have stated thatâs the only goal that matters. A manager who has done it is now available.