| Trader Joes |
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| Written by Troy Chuinard | |
| Tuesday, 30 October 2007 | |
The off-season has officially begun. Superstars all around the league have filed for free agency, and now that the World Series has come to a conclusion, it won’t be long before we see blockbuster contracts being tossed out to the hottest free agents.
The New York Yankees have already shocked the baseball world by announcing that they have hired ex-Yankee Joe Girardi as their new manager. Just days after giving Joe Torre an outlandish 1-year contract offer, reports have indicated that Girardi will be receiving a three-year deal worth approximately $7.5 million. "I think any of us would be somewhat surprised to get the job because it's such an honor," quotes Girardi. "I'm extremely excited and thrilled. It will be very interesting to see what type of impact Girardi has with the Yankee organization. In 2006, Girardi managed the Florida Marlins, and after leading the young ball club that had a team payroll barely over the $10 million barrier to 78 wins, Girardi was named the National League Manager of the Year. However, due to his unfriendly relationship with the Marlins’ management, Girardi was fired immediately after the season. During 2007, he went on to become a commentator for MLB on FOX. It is quite obvious that this will be a tough transition for Girardi considering that he is going from managing a team with one of the lowest payrolls in all of baseball to a team with the highest. Many speculated that the managing job would be given to Don Mattingly, who served as the bench coach for the Yankees throughout the 2007 season. Mattingly has announced that he will not be returning as the Yankees bench coach next season, but he wishes Girardi the best of luck with his new ball club. What about Joe Torre? Rumors have circulated that Torre could possibly end up as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new skipper. ESPN sources have stated that the current manager of the team, Grady Little, is expected to get fired sometime in the upcoming weeks. This could leave the door open for Torre, who grew up on the other side of the country in Brooklyn. Reports say that Little was going to get fired either way, and Joe Girardi was actually the Dodgers’ first choice. However, since that scenario has been washed away, the Dodgers are now looking to pursue Torre. Little does have one year left on his current contract with a club option for 2009. However, reports have indicated that the Dodgers are hoping to acquire Torre, who ranks eighth on the all-time wins list with 2,067 victories, as soon as possible. This shake up will no doubt draw the attention of many. Just what does this mean for certain free agents, such as Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, and Mariano Rivera? With Girardi as the new manager, it is hard to say whether or not these players will want to return to the Yankees. As for Alex Rodriguez? After opting out of his contract on Sunday night, the Yankees have stated that they will not be pursuing Rodriguez this off-season. Could Los Angeles serve as a possible destination for the future hall-of-famer? The off-season is sure to bring answers to all of these suspenseful questions.
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