The Marlins remain in hot pursuit of Yankees' bench coach Joe Girardi. While Girardi appears to be very interested in the Marlins' managerial opening, what is seemingly a perfect match is far from a done deal.
In what could be a sign of things to come, the Marlins find themselves in competition with (of all teams) the Devil Rays for Girardi's services.
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About 75 minutes after meeting with the Rays, Mandell was in another meeting, possibly with the Marlins. If so, it would have been the third face-to-face meeting between the Marlins and the Girardi camp.
Keep in mind that these aren't the Devil Rays that you're used to seeing. Joe Girardi could be the new face for what the new Rays (or whatever they end up calling them next year) become. There's a new ownership group in Tampa/St. Pete and they're intent on fielding a competitive club and appealing to the populace. In my mind at least, that makes them a serious contender for Girardi's services. And if Girardi's stock is as high as it seems to be, he may be happy to trade it for the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of what could be something big with the Rays.
I'm still not sure what all the fuss is for over Girardi. But it's apparently not just the Marlins who have bought in. We'll see how it all turns out.