TAMPA — It’s not you. It’s me.
A day after Valentine’s Day, that was Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner’s message for lame-duck manager Joe Girardi.
Girardi, in the last year of his contract, said he wants to keep managing the team beyond 2017. But Steinbrenner has held firm: He won’t talk extension with the 52-year-old until near or at the end of the season because that’s how he treats everyone.
“We love Joe,” Steinbrenner said. “Joe is one of many people in this organization that have contracts. I treat all of them the same. I don’t deal with it until the contract is close to up or up.”
Girardi has been the Yankees’ manager for 10 years.
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Steinbrenner was asked the criteria he prioritizes when looking for a manager. His answer sounded good for Girardi’s future.
“I think they’ve got to be great at working with both the young players and the veterans, which Joe is,” Steinbrenner said. “I certainly think it’s a cerebral job. Joe’s a very smart guy. There’s a lot of aspects to it, particularly when you’re doing it in New York City. You’ve got to have tough skin, which he does. And he’s done a good job. We’ll have to see what this year does.”
Steinbrenner didn’t rule out discussing a new contract with Girardi near the end of the year. The owner added that whether the retired catcher is brought back won’t rely solely on the performance of the rebuilding Yankees, who say they expect to compete in the American League East despite a flawed roster and the expected dominance of the Red Sox.
“I can say that about any employee who’s contract’s coming up,” Steinbrenner said. “How was your performance the last year, two years, three years? Not so much about last year ?”
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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