Legitimate Questions Arise About Joe Girardi's Future with Yankees

Amidst all the hoopla over Mariano Rivera's retirement, an ugly reality is boiling over in the Bronx. 

That reality is an off-season full of change that could alter the face of the franchise for years to come. 

One of the those changes could be at manager. 

The Yankees want Joe Girardi back as manager. However Girardi, who is a free agent after this season, has not verbally nor contractually committed to returning to pinstripes in 2014. He has said all of the right things, like he "wants to be back" but in an interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa, Girardi added that he has to go home and talk to his family about the future.

Rumors are running rampant that Girardi will split with the Yankees, and head back to Illinois, his home, to manage the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were the team that initially drafted Girardi, who hails from Northwestern.

The Cubs managerial opening is not official yet, but the rumors are there.

If Girardi is serious about looking for another opportunity, reviving the Cubs with former Red Sox GM Theo Epstien could become a crude reality for Yankees fans.

But don't count the Yankees out just yet. The Steinbrenner family has expressed their desire to have Girardi return; even President Randy Levine said the club's ability to hang around in the playoff race is attributed mostly to Girardi's managerial skills.

Yet, with the 2014 outlook of the Yankees looking bleak, especially with Derek Jeter likely entering his final season as professional ball-player; with A-Rod likely suspended for the season, and with uncertainty with regards to the futures of Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano -- one wouldn't blame Girardi for leaving now.

I guess it's better to go out while in high regard by the Yankees, than getting fired by them.

This will be one of the biggest stories of the off-season to follow for sure.