Cincinnati Reds need to sign Joe Girardi as competition grows

If the Cincinnati Reds really do want to hire Joe Girardi to be their next manager, they better hurry. Other teams are looking to bring Girardi on board.

As the Cincinnati Reds do their due diligence in their search for a new skipper to lead their team, other franchises are doing the same thing. Joe Girardi‘s name has emerged, as expected, for other managerial openings throughout Major League Baseball. If Girardi is their guy, the Reds need to act fast.

The Cincinnati Reds have interviewed 11 candidates for the vacant managerial job, and the thought is that they’ve got one more to go. Joe Girardi has been a candidate for the job since the outset and has to be a favorite to land the gig.

However, with Girardi being one of the biggest names available, it should come as no surprise that other teams are checking in on the former National League Manager of the Year and World Series Champion.

On Friday, the Texas Rangers interviewed Girardi for their managerial opening. Texas is looking to fill the void left by former manager Jeff Bannister, who was the American League Manager of the Year back in 2015 when he led the Rangers to an 88-74 record and AL West title.

The Minnesota Twins, Los Angels Angels, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays also have vacancies and could call upon Girardi to lead their team as well.

Some teams are apparently not high on Girardi because of his so-called inability to connect and communicate with his players. New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman basically said as much via Syracuse.com after Girardi was not retained following the 2017 season.

“The issue and the concerns were ability to fully engage, communicate, connect with the playing personnel. And in saying that there might be a tough hurdle for someone that’s been in that particular position as a manager for 10 years.”

I find it hard to believe that a manager who had 10 consecutive winning season, six postseason appearances, and one World Series Championship had difficulty connecting with his players. Don’t forget, Girardi and the Yankees were one win away from the World Series last season.

Aaron Boone, who replaced Girardi in New York, fell to the Boston Red Sox 3-1 in the American League Division Series and had some questionable decisions made in Games 3 and 4. Did he connect to the players better? Maybe. Did he take them further? No.

Different teams are going to respond to different managers in different ways. But, I refuse to just dismiss a potential manager based solely on the remarks of his former boss who’s looking to move on.

If the report from New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman is true about the Reds searching for a manager to be the “face of the franchise”, then so be it. While they’re at it, they should get the best manager available. Or, they could do both and just hire Joe Girardi.