NEW YORK - Not even a World Series title would have saved Joe Girardi's job as manager of the New York Yankees.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner on Wednesday said the decision to end Girardi's tenure after a decade had long been discussed before it was announced on Oct 26, five days after the season-ending loss to Houston in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.

A 28th title wouldn't have caused Steinbrenner to change his mind.

"It maybe would have been a more difficult decision to make, but I still believe I would have made it because I felt that's what was best for the organization going forward," said Steinbrenner.

Steinbrenner said he had spoken regularly with general manager Brian Cashman about the manager's job throughout Girardi's four-year contract.

"This is not something that came from two or three weeks." Steinbrenner said. "It came from two, three, four years and everything we observed over that time period."

Cashman last week attributed the decision to Girardi's "inability to fully engage, communicate, connect with the playing personnel".

Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and Luis Severino have led a roster overhaul, and Steinbrenner thinks infielders Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, along with pitcher Chance Adams, could be with their team at the start of next season.

"You've got to consider the fact that you have a young team and that maybe a different type of leadership perhaps is needed for a younger team than it is for a veteran team," he said.

Bench coach Rob Thomson and former Cleveland and Seattle manager Eric Wedge have already been interviewed, and Aaron Boone and Hensley Meulens could follow in the coming days.

Steinbrenner expects the initial field to be less than 10, and finalists will move on to a second round of interviews in Tampa that include Steinbrenner and his siblings.

"It's important for the next manager to have an understanding on analytics, because it's such a big part of the game, and if they don't, at least a willingness to learn," Steinbrenner said.

He said he is wary of, but not opposed to, candidates with no previous managing or coaching experience.

Former Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has not asked to be considered for the manager's job.

Now that A-Rod's $275 million, 10-year contract has expired, Steinbrenner would like to reach a new deal with him to instruct with prospects.

Associated Press

(China Daily 11/17/2017 page23)