Report: Phillies in 'Hot Pursuit' of Former Yankees Manager Joe Girardi

The Philadelphia Phillies have set their sights set on Joe Girardi for the managerial vacancy.

According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Phillies are in "hot pursuit" of the former New York Yankees manager, and "Girardi's camp expects resolution soon."

The Phillies, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs were considered the three options for Girardi, though with the Cubs expected to formally announce David Ross as their manager Thursday, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, the Phillies and Mets appear to be the two remaining suitors.

"I think there will be some clarity with it pretty soon," Girardi said Tuesday during an interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa (h/t SNY) regarding his future job status. 

He added of his prospective jobs: 

"I think they're all good jobs, really good jobs. They all have great markets, they all have passionate fans that want to win, they all have ownership groups that want to win, so yeah I think they're all good jobs. To me, the big thing is the relationship and the comfortability factor of everyone working together."

Despite those comments, the Phillies are considered the favorite to land his services:

Girardi, 55, spent one year with the Florida Marlins as their head honcho in 2006, going 78-84. He then took over in 2008 as manager of the Yankees, where he would remain until 2017, going 910-710 in that span with six trips to the playoffs and a World Series title in 2009 over the very team that is now pursuing him.

The Phillies, meanwhile, are coming off a disappointing 2019 season that saw them underachieve, in large part because of an underperforming pitching staff. That cost Gabe Kapler his job, though the Phillies remain an appealing destination given the talent that remains on the roster—from $330 million man Bryce Harper to J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Nola. 

The hope for Phillies fans this offseason is to nab a more established manager like Girardi and significantly bolster the pitching staff in free agency. It appears the team is getting closer to accomplishing the first item on that wishlist.