Joe Girardi's New $16 Million Contract Is An Incredible Steal For The Yankees
Even though he has a World Series title and three division championships, his new deal is a steal for the Yankees.
Girardi will make a base salary of $4 million per season over the next four years with a chance to earn another $4 million in bonuses, according to an AP report. That is a slight raise over his last contract, a 3-year, $9 million deal.
Girardi was in a great position to demand a high salary from the Yankees. The Cubs had shown interest in making the former Cubs catcher and Peoria, Illinois native, their next manager.
Yet, even though general manager Brian Cashman recently said that re-signing Girardi was a priority this off-season, the Yankees will pay him about the same as a decent middle reliever. Then consider that the Yankees paid AJ Burnett $8.5 million this season even though he pitched the entire year for the Pirates.
We can debate the true impact a manager has on a baseball team. But certainly it is more than a middle reliever or a starting pitcher on another team.
Girardi would even seem to be underpaid among managers. Mike Scioscia recently signed a 10-year, $50 million extension with the Angels and he wasn't even a free agent.
For a team with a $229 million payroll in 2013, it is amazing that they can re-sign one of their most important free agents for so little.