Speculation has been abundant since Dale Sveum was fired as the Cubs manager, even though he’s signed until 2014.  Is it time for a bench, hitting, or pitching coach to grab the job he’s dreamed of: managing one of the oldest and most storied franchises in not only baseball, but sports?

One name surfaced on Monday that many people reacted to in a “you’ve got to be kidding me” manner.  That man would be the Yankees skipper, Joe Girardi, who is without a contract as of this moment — the Yankees said they were going to have a contract offer for him at one point today.  Girardi was a serviceable catcher in the major leagues, most notably winning three World Series rings [as a player] and catching David Cone’s perfect game in 1998, all as the catcher for the Yankees.

Yet, no one remembers that it was the Cubs who drafted Girardi in the fifth round of the 1986 draft, since the Cubs hadn’t — and still haven’t — won a World Series.  

Surprisingly, though, it makes quite a bit of sense for Girardi to take whatever offer the Cubs throw at him for two blatantly obvious reasons.

Getting the Hell outta Dodge

Everyone knows that being a player for the New York Yankees means you will undoubtedly be under the microscope 24/7, especially if there’s a decent amount of hype that comes along with you.  As a manager, the level of scrutiny skyrockets to uncharted levels, which is why Joe Girardi’s career as a manager there surprised a few people.  Despite winning the world series managing the Yankees in 2009, the team went on to be swept out of the ALCS in 2012 by the Detroit Tigers — the first time in decades the Yankees had been eliminated from the postseason by way of a sweep.  Upon his arrival, Girardi inherited a new-look Yankees team that spent a little over a quarter-billion dollars in free-agent signings:  A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira.  Big spending paid off, as the Yankees would go on to win their 27th World Series capping off a season of offensive dominance, leading the AL in homers, hits, and runs scored.

Since ’09, it’s been nothing but seasons that initially showed big promise, only to end in utter disappointment.  Despite finishing a single game behind the Rays for the best record in the American League in 2010 (which was 96-66), the Yankees addition of Curtis Granderson gave them more power in the lineup.  That did little agains the Texas Rangers, who sent the Yankees home in the ALCS, winning that series 4-2.  The very next year, Girardi’s Yankees were 97-65, with the best record in the AL, yet still lost 3-2 to the Tigers in the ALDS.  Girardi’s 2012 Yanks again had over 90 wins, but were ignominiously sent home after a 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Tigers in the ALCS.  Finally, 2013, was probably Girardi’s finest year as the Yankees skipper, even though he had to deal with injuries to key players like Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter.  Yes, the Yankees didn’t even make it to the playoffs, finishing the season with an 85-77 record, good enough for third-place in the division.  But those wins were hard-fought and hard-earned, since Girardi could only really rely on the consistent offensive production of Robinson Cano to keep his team in games.

Was it necessary to rehash the past 5 seasons for the Yankees if we’re talking about why Girardi should “get the hell outta dodge”?  

In a word: duh.

Age has caught up to the superstars on the Yankees: CC Sabathia imploded this year, regressing at a much faster rate than most pitchers do or should at his age.  Mark Teixeira couldn’t hit the ball to save his life in the 15 games he wasn’t injured, and at 34 years old to start the 2014 season, his overall production will likely worsen.  Curtis Granderson only played in 61 games, and — even though he hit at/over 40 homers in 2011 and 2012 — showed a significant decrease in power and bat speed, while posting a .229 average.  All three of those players are at the age where regression is going to hit them, hard, and it will impact how successful the Yankees will be in the future.

Which is why Joe Girardi needs to get the hell outta dodge

The Yankees’ habit of spending gargantuan amounts of money on superstar free-agents has put them in a hole that they might not get out of anytime soon.  Once known for having one of the best, if not the best, farm systems in all of baseball, the Yankees have relied on spending way too much money on superstar players that have either been in their prime (which, according to baseball “gurus”, is from ages 27-32) for a few years, or have just entered it.  Now that Sabathia, Teixeira, Granderson, and even A-Rod have all fallen victim to Father Time, the Yankees have no good prospects to turn to if and when those star players aren’t producing or suffer any type of injury that puts them on the DL.

Again, it’s time for Girardi to get the hell outta dodge: the coming seasons will be full of disappointment and, quite possibly, losing records should he decide to stay.  Joe Girardi should leave the Yankees with his head held high, rather than in a state of disgrace.

Cubs’ Future Is a Bright One

Unlike the bleak-looking future for the Yankees due to a lack of prospects, the Cubs’ lineup is chock-full of young talent that Girardi would be able to build a World Series-contending team around.  Starlin Castro, who had a pretty dismal 2013 season, is a decent shortstop with the glove and a (for the most part) solid hitter with a .283 average and already has 692 hits in his career at 23 years of age.  Anthony Rizzo just agreed to a contract extension, and his raw power will be a welcome sight to Girardi once a coach figures out how to develop and control it.  Jeff Samardzija is still considered a young pitcher, and he’s only gotten better since securing a spot in the Cubs’ starting rotation.

Young talent that’s developed in a team’s farm system is how teams become playoff contenders.  The Tampa Bay Rays are the shining example (no bias involved here) of how you can reach the playoffs by utilizing your farm system properly.  Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, David Price, Chris Archer, and Ben Zobrist were all drafted by the Rays and developed/progressed in the team’s minor league system.  They’re now headed to the postseason for the fourth time in six seasons, even with the lowest payroll of any team in the postseason, and the third-lowest payroll in all of baseball.  How? Prospect development.

The Cubs have quite a young team, and their star players haven’t even turned 25 yet, which offers Girardi a chance to build a championship team around young talent that he would personally take part in developing.  Plus, it’d be extremely sentimental: coaching for the team that drafted you, which paved the way for you to win a total of four World Series during your career, and manage the most iconic team in all of sports.  

Why not go back to where it all began?  If the Cubs pull a Don Corleone, then Girardi would be daft to not accept it.  The future in Chicago has the potential to be very bright if the right manager is coaching their players.  The future in New York just screams “cellar dwellers” for a number of years to come.

For Joe Girardi and the Cubs, it’s a perfect fit.