Fantasy/Betting Take: Phillies Fire Joe Girardi
The Phillies Friday morning announced they had relieved Joe Girardi of his duties. Bench coach Rob Thomson will temporarily take over as manager.
Girardi leaves Philly with a 132-141 record overall in just over two seasons.
Girardi’s tenure with the New York Yankees lasted 10 years and included one World Series championship in 2009, before he was let go in 2017.
The Phillies, predicted by many to be a contender in the NL East before the season started, have a 22-29 record and are 12 games back from the NL East-leading New York Mets. The Mets are currently +333 to win the NL pennant, while the Phillies are +1700.
If this move lights a fire under the Phillies’ players, now would be the time to grab those plus odds.
The Phillies have not been to the postseason since 2011.
Philadelphia’s bullpen has struggled this season, and offensive players have gotten off to slow starts. With an enormous payroll that handed out $742.5 million for just 32 “contract years” (Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber), Girardi was expected to have more success with his $224 million per year team salary.
There’s no question Philly has the talent, but it remains to be seen whether Thomson can point the Phillies in a new direction.
For now, fantasy managers should expect a bump with the energy change, and should confidently start their studs in a hitter-friendly home ballpark.
With Girardi being the first manager let go this season, social media weighed in on who should be next. With a 23-26 record for the White Sox who were once considered heavy division favorites, it looks like Tony La Russa is next up on the hot seat.
The White Sox were -222 to win their division and +400 to win the World Series before the season began. As of Friday, the Sox are +100 to win their division, and +1700 to become World Series champs.
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