MLB Roundup 10/27: Joe Girardi will not return as Yankees manager

Joe Girardi out in New York

In a bit of a surprise move for the Yankees, manager Joe Girardi will not be coming back to the team in 2018. This makes Girardi the third playoff manager to be fired, and he is out of a job after finishing just one game shy of making the World Series. He has a championship in New York and has succeeded in pinstripes with both old veterans and young upstarts. He seems to be, by every conceivable measure, one of the top managers in the game, so his exit would presumably be good news for the Red Sox. Of course, we aren’t sure with whom they will replace Girardi, so this story is not over yet. Still, seeing this kind of decision coming out of New York is pretty wild, and at the very least makes me feel better about the Red Sox deciding Farrell’s time had run out. As well as Farrell did over the last few years, his overall run in Boston was not as impressive as Girardi’s in New York.

The Giants are the early favorites for Giancarlo Stanton

The World Series is still going on, of course, but the offseason is right around the corner. We already know that Giancarlo Stanton is going to dominate the headlines this winter, as everyone is aware that the slugger will be on the trade block. As one of the biggest stars in the game, everyone is curious where he’ll land. Well, according to Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports, the Giants are the early favorites for Stanton’s services. Their organization’s stability — 2017 notwithstanding — along with their location on the west coast give them an edge. Heyman also mentions the Cardinals and Phillies as major players, as well as the Red Sox, of course. Boston will be tied to Stanton all winter long, though Heyman notes that it’s more speculation than anything at this point. I’m on record of saying that the expected cost in terms of talent will be too much for my blood, so I’m hoping the Red Sox stay on the peripheries rather than right in the thick of the sweepstakes. Still, this is just the first concrete Stanton rumor of what is going to be a winter full of them.