WILL JOE GIRARDI LURE YANKEES TO PHILADELPHIA?

While waiting for the SEPTA Regional Rail at Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia recently, I looked up at the video billboard and my eyes locked a blazingly large picture of Joe Girardi, accepting his post as the Philadelphia Phillies new manager.  The headline under his picture said, "Bring it home, Joe."  It made me nauseous.  But what makes me even more sick to my stomach is the possibility that Girardi could be the catalyst that causes some key Yankee fixtures to take the next train to Philadelphia this winter. 

Source: USA Today

The Philadelphia Voice had this nugget on Saturday.  "According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the Phillies are interested in a pair of Yankees free agents, righty reliever Dellin Betances and catcher Austin Romine. Previously, it was reported that the Phillies were also interested in shortstop Didi Gregorius, as the team now has some inside info on these players after hiring former Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace Gabe Kapler earlier this fall."  

Wow, Philly, wow.  Could this mass Exodus really happen?  Despite his multiple injuries, the Phillies may be willing to take a chance on the 6-foot-8 right-handed reliever.  And as far as Romine fitting in?  He would likely play back up to one the Phillies biggest signings last season, J.T. Realmuto. Why would Romine jump ship in the Bronx to head to South Philly?  Two reasons: money and Girardi.

Source: NY Post

"The one saving grace for the Phillies, however, could be Girardi, as Romine, like Betances, has spent his entire MLB career with the Yankees dating back to 2011, meaning he played parts of six seasons under the new Phillies manager. Perhaps there's a relationship there that could save the Phillies a little money or convince Romine to take a lesser deal to play under a familiar face," reported the Voice.

With the Winter Meetings set to take place Dec. 8-12, in San Diego, California, there could be a lot of movement, some to the Yankees's delight and others to their demise.  Honestly, losing Betances would not be a big loss, but Romine is a different story.  As we wrote last week, Romine has been invaluable over his tenure as a Yankee, more recently with Gary Sanchez's injury-prone body.  Losing him to the Phillies or any other team would be a deficit for the 2020 Yankees.  Let's hope Girardi doesn't have too much influence over his former players looking for an opportunity to play for their former skipper.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof