Showalter and Girardi: Two Former Managers, One Network

The YES Network had expressed interest in hiring not one, but two former New York Yankee managers during the offseason. Along with bringing on Joe Girardi, the network also discussed the possibility of Aaron Boone’s predecessor as Yankee manager, Buck Showalter. However, Showalter was under contract with the Mets and they had the right to prevent any talks from advancing. While discussions with Showalter were preliminary and did not progress further once his contract status was known, the Mets stated that they would not prevent him from pursuing a job with YES or any other opportunities.

Showalter has previous experience as a TV analyst and will be part of MLB Network’s coverage this season. The addition of Girardi to YES is a unique circumstance given that he was the previous manager before Boone took over. Girardi was fired after the Yankees’ 2017 season where they made it to the ALCS Game 7 but has since been replaced by Boone. With Boone on the hot seat after failing to make the playoffs last year, it is unclear if Showalter would have accepted a job with YES given the potential for second-guessing the current manager. However, Showalter’s role on MLBN will be broader and only involve once-a-month appearances avoiding any such conflicts.