Phillies should inquire on fired Yankees manager Joe Girardi

An archnemesis of the Phillies could soon be a candidate for their manager position

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been fired by the team, prompting the obvious question among Phillies fans: should he get an interview?

Girardi led the Yankees to the American League Championship series but crumbled after leading the series 3-2 against the Houston Astros. His firing, first reported by ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan, is relatively late considering the Mets, Red Sox, and Tigers have already filled their respective manager positions.

On Wednesday Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Philadelphia had “zeroed in” on Triple-A manager Dusty Wathan to be their next manager. More recent reports from MLB.com insider Todd Zolecki have also connected Wathan as a finalist along with Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler.

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However, Girardi’s firing could throw a wrench into Philadelphia’s manager plans, and it could have been something general manager Matt Klentak was awaiting all along. It would explain the prolonged search despite being among the first teams to fire their manager. However, at the age of 53 Girardi would buck the trend of Klentak searching for a younger voice, evident with Wathan and Kapler being in their early-40’s.

Girardi’s track record as a player and manager is without question impressive. He led the Yankees from a last-place team to World Series champions in 2009, preventing the Phillies from completing back to back championships.

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In 10 seasons with the Yankees and one with the Marlins Girardi has won 988 games with five seasons of at least 90 wins.