October 21, 2019
The Phillies are still in "win now" mode.
At least that's the message from those in the know, as the team has brought championship winning manager Joe Girardi back for a second interview Monday.
Former Yankees manager Joe Girardi is in Philadelphia today for a second meeting with Phillies management. He is the clear favorite for that job as the Phillies are all in to try to win in 2020.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) October 21, 2019
It makes sense — seeing a division rival in the World Series after you stole their best player and spent a quarter of a billion dollars on players probably tends to make a baseball team feel like they need to "win now."
And, with other teams taking their time, the Phillies may have an advantage toward locking up Girardi by simply being more aggressive.
Hear Mets will not be rushed no matter where other searches stand. Philly seems further along, and Girardi has decent chance there — but word is an offer to anyone from another team won’t speed up the Mets’ process. Reportedly Beltran, Perez Bogar also still in Mets mix
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 21, 2019
Veteran leadership and experience appear to be atop the priority list for candidates to replace Gabe Kapler, who took over the Phillies as his first managerial job. Under Kapler, the Phillies were barely a .500 team and fell well short of expectations after a riveting offseason set them sky high.
Two other experienced managers — Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker — have interviewed recently as well, but owner John Middleton, according to another tweet from Heyman, prefers Girardi, the youngest of the three at 55.
In another Yankees connection, Philly looks to be snatching a top scout from the Bronx Bombers to head their mostly inept scouting department, according to NBC Sports' Jim Salisbury.
Phillies’ search for new amateur scouting director is nearing an end. Focus for this important position seems to be narrowing on Brian Barber, national crosschecker from New York Yankees.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) October 19, 2019
If the second interview with Girardi goes well, the first puzzle piece of the Phillies 2019 offseason could fall into place sometime pretty soon.
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
