Joe Girardi re-signs with Yankees

The Yankees’ situation is, in its own way, far darker. We can’t know what alterations the team will make in the offseason, particularly with Hal Steinbrenner sounding like he’s still committed to reducing payroll, but as things stand now there are far more questions than answers. The club will have at least a dozen free agents this winter, but the players that are under contract are hardly more projectable even though their identities are known. Going position by position:

The problem is that if the Yankees aren’t going to spend on free agents, lack veterans who would bring a return in trade, and don’t have ready prospects, every route towards improvement is foreclosed. Even were that not true, the club would still be quite old and praying for an unlikely number of rebound seasons.

Sources indicate that there is a strong degree of frustration in Yankees by indecision of Girardi, confident that there will be many other candidates

Girardi has had a deal on the table from the Yankees for nearly a week without choosing whether to accept or deny it. Reportedly, New York is offering a three-year contract worth $12-15 million overall. That would make Girardi the second-highest paid manager in the MLB, behind Mike Scioscia.

The Yankees first offered Girardi a reported three year deal worth $4-5 million per year on Oct. 4, nearly a week ago. He has still given no indication about whether he would accept the contract as Girardi remains torn between the team he has spent the last six years managing and his hometown Chicago Cubs.

“My guess is it’s going to be done one way or another relatively shortly,” Steinbrenner said in an appearance on ESPN New York 98.7 FM Tuesday. “Quite frankly, we’re going to be starting our baseball meetings soon and we want the manager, whoever that is, hopefully Joe, to be a part of that.”

The Cubs have not made an offer to Girardi, though they have shown a strong interest in acquiring him. The two sides could not have discussions until Girardi’s contract with the Yankees officially expires at the end of October.

The Yankees could give Chicago permission to talk to him, but New York has given indication they would not do so unless they believed he would not remain with the team.

The Yankees offered Girardi a three-year contract worth between $12-15 million dollars on Friday, which left Girardi the weekend to mull over his decision.

Girardi and the Yankees have both expressed interest in a quick resolution to the situation, so a decision is expected in the coming days.

Girardi has not yet decided whether he will accept the deal, but he is expected to make up his mind soon. The Yankees do not appear poised to allow him to talk to any other teams about vacant managerial positions while he remains under contract with the team through October.

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Girardi, 48, was hired by the Yankees in October 2007 and received a three-year deal worth $7.5 million. At the conclusion of the deal, he signed another three-year deal, this time worth $9 million, that is set to expire at the end of the month.

The Yankees missed the postseason in 2013, compiling 85 wins, the fewest for the team in a full season since 1992. The team missed the playoffs for just the second time in the past 19 seasons.

The Yankees and Girardi have begun negotiating a new contract, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. A gap remains between the two sides, but both camps are looking for a quick resolution.

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