Joe Girardi and his binder are returning to the Bronx for three more seasons.
Girardi is on the verge of agreeing to a three-year deal that is reportedly worth $9 million. The manager will get roughly $500,000 in performance bonuses and a bit of a raise over his old deal.
“I love being here. I’ve loved working here,” Girardi said Monday. “It’s a great work environment, a great relationship with the front office and everyone involved the players and coaches.”
Girardi, who is 287-199 in three seasons, will get three more years to use the binder that has become a source of derision for some fans, including one that created a Twitter account with the name “Girardi’s Binder.”
Best moves
A glimpse at Joe Girardi’s best moves this season:
1 Moving Robinson Cano to the fifth spot: Cano was productive in 2009 while batting mostly out of the seventh spot. When Hideki Matsui signed with the Angels, though, the Yankees needed a fifth-place hitter and Cano emerged in a big way with an MVP type season (.319, 29 HRs, 109 RBIs).
2 Rest for A-Rod: Girardi kept Alex Rodriguez out of the starting lineup for three games after he was activated from a calf injury in September. The extra caution helped A-Rod hit a season-high .309 in that month.
3 Hughes to the rotation: Phil Hughes got the nod over three others for the fifth spot and became an 18-game winner.
Worst moves:
1 – Sticking with A.J. – Though A.J. Burnett had a worse season than Javier Vazquez; Girardi stuck with him and gave him a playoff start –then left him in too long.
2 – Leadoff mistake – Moving Derek Jeter to the leadoff spot worked in 2009 but as Jeter began to show some age and slumped, putting Brett Gardner and his .389 on-base percentage might have been a better option.
3 – Odd platoon in left – At first Austin Kearns hit a little but from Aug. 24 on, Kearns did not get an extra-base hit. Still, he received playing time over Gardner against left-handed pitching. Gardner had a .373 on-base percentage against lefties and his sitting might have been among the reasons the Yankees were 0-9 against southpaws down the stretch.
