Joe Girardi phones Alex Rodriguez to ensure strong relationship – MLB News Update
New York Yankees’ Manager Joe Girardi has already started to take care of his off-season to-do list. Yankees were hammered by the Tigers in the best of seven American League Championship Series.
Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez, in particular, failed to live up to expectations throughout the season. According to a leading sports website, Girardi spoke to Rodriguez on Friday for more than an hour. The source further claimed that the third baseman
and the skipper had a “great conversation”.
Rodriguez seemed to be very receptive to what Girardi had to say to him. Yankees’ third baseman was benched in three out of eight postseason games.
A-Rod, who was used as a pinch hitter in three other games in the playoffs, spoke to Girardi about his desire to turn things around in the next season.
Girardi did not make any apologies to Rodriguez but he did refer his importance to the Yankees moving forward. Rodriguez, who had a no trade clause on his contract, is still eligible for $114-million for five years.
Despite the fact he gave poor results in the past season, the Yankees will not be able to trade him this winter. It seems General Manager Brian Cashman, Girardi and Rodriguez will all be together again in the upcoming season.
“I’m always worried about whatever move I make, how it affects the club, how it affects a player,” Girardi said last week. “I think it’s something that, sure, I possibly might have to deal with more than I expected, but I possibly might may not have to deal
with it at all. As we move forward, I’ll get a temperature on it, keep track of it and see how it’s going.”
“He’s been very good to me over the years so he has a lot of equity with me,” said A-Rod of Girardi.
In a press conference on Wednesday last week, Girardi had talked about his intentions to reach out to Rodriguez. He wanted to make sure his relationship with the star hitter is not permanently damaged. Even after Rodriguez was benched in Game 3 of ALCS against
the Detroit Tigers, he insisted that he had no problems with the Manager.
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