Many Washington Nationals fans are pleading for the team to pursue Joe Girardi, in hopes of him becoming the next manager, but that just doesn’t fit what ownership likes to do from a business standpoint.
The Lerners are known for being cheap — it’s why they brought in Dusty Baker over Bud Black, which proved to be a mistake. It’s why they went with Matt Williams — a colossal disaster — a few years ago. Perhaps the front office would have known better if they used this comprehensive sports betting guide.
So it just seems unlikely that they’d overpay someone like Girardi, who could certainly end up choosing retirement over baseball, and would command the big bucks to stay in the big leagues. That’s probably why there are no reports of the team even reaching out to him for an interview yet.
Right now, Mets hitting coach Kevin Long and Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez are the favorites to win the job, but former Red Sox manager John Farrell is shooting up the interest board. The team brought him in for an interview on Friday.
#Nationals interviewed John Farrell today, sources tell The Athletic. Dave Martinez front-runner for job, per sources and @jorgecastillo.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 27, 2017
Farrell is certainly an upgrade over the other two, as he has the experience. He’s also good at managing personalities, something the Nats really covet, which is why they brought in Baker in the first place.
Girardi is known for being “tight,” and maybe the Nats young players don’t want that. But the team has a 1-2 year window to win, and Girardi might be the guy to get them to play at their optimum level in the playoffs — something they’ve never done.
Right now, though, Farrell seems like the most likeliest candidate to win the job, that also comes along with the highest chance of success. The other two guys have next to no experience, and could be Matt Williams 2.0.
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