Cashman: Girardi Firing Was About "Connectivity" And "Communication"
Cashman says Yankees' decision to not retain Girardi was due to his inability to connect with players.
OMNISPORT
After a huge managerial change for the New York Yankees, both general manager Brian Cashman and former boss Joe Girardi opened up about the decision to part ways after over a decade together.
The Yankees moved on from manager Girardi following their defeat to eventual MLB World Series winners the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series last month.
Girardi, who had just completed a four-year contract worth $16million, took over the Yankees in 2008 and delivered a 27th World Series to the New York franchise the following year.
Cashman spoke with reporters for nearly an hour on Monday and said the biggest reason behind the franchise's decision was Girardi's inability to connect or communicate with his players.
"I could recommend plug-and-play and move forward, or, as we try to be in an ever-evolving, progressive franchise, was it time for a new voice and a fresh voice? I made the recommendation based on over a number of years now, some experiences that I was able to validate — whether it was directly or indirectly — about the connectivity and the communication level of the players in the clubhouse," Cashman said, via the New York Daily News.
While Cashman was speaking to reporters, Girardi coincidentally appeared on WFAN at the same time and was not aware of his former general manager's comments.
When Girardi was asked about his relationship with his players, he disagreed with Cashman, implying there were no issues in that area.
"There are some times that you have to make decisions about who plays, and I think guys get disappointed, but from a standpoint of having a relationship issue, there were none," Girardi said. "And if there was, I really didn't know about it."
Girardi, who led the Yankees to a World Series title in 2009 and six playoff appearances, thought he would be back in New York but understood they wanted to go in a different direction.
"It happens. It has happened to people who have a lot more wins than me. I think Brian wants something different and he's going to go out there and try to find that," Girardi said.
"Brian took a chance on me. There were guys who wanted someone else. He took a chance on me, so I'll be forever grateful."
As for how the Yankees are handling their managerial search, one key factor the team plan to do is make each candidate available to the media before deciding on a hire since interacting with reporters on a daily basis is a big part of the job title.
Cashman said there is no timetable for a replacement to be named, but he recognises the Yankees are "on the clock."
"There's no perfect person that checks every box. I don't care if they're Hall of Famers," Cashman said. "They're going to check certain boxes and not others. That's why we're all in this together. I'm looking forward to engaging a healthy candidate list rather soon."