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Thursday morning, the Yankeessomewhat surprisingly parted ways with manager Joe Girardi, who took the team to within one game of the World Series this year. For weeks there had been rumblings Girardi would step away to spend time with his family, so the divorce is not a total shock. It is, however, a surprise the Yankees made the decision to move on, not Girardi.

"I want to thank Joe for his 10 years of hard work and service to this organization," said general manager Brian Cashman in a statement. "Everything this organization does is done with careful and thorough consideration, and we've decided to pursue alternatives for the managerial position."

When the Yankees do begin to look for a new manager -- that process is almost certainly already underway, of course -- they figure to look for all the traits that define the modern manager. Young-ish, familiar with analytics, upbeat and able to keep the team loose. Those sorts of things. Girardi accepted analytics but never dove in headfirst, plus he was very intense and high-strung.

Mark Teixeira, who played under Girardi from 2009-16, also believes the Yankees need a better communicator in the dugout. He spoke to Dan Martin and Kevin Kernan of the New York Post about Girardi being let go.

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"We all know why Joe Girardi is not coming back," Teixeira told The Post on Thursday at Minute Maid Park. "We all know it's because of the communication and the intensity was a little bit too much. [General manager Brian Cashman] did an amazing job rebuilding this roster. He just wanted a different voice.'' ... "Everyone loves Joe, everyone respects Joe, he is a good manager, he is a good man," said Teixeira, who now works for ESPN. "But with baseball the way it is played today and the need for a manager to be a better communicator and communicate with the front office the reasoning for doing things and to be a little bit more relaxed — especially in a place like New York, where the pressure is everywhere. He just wasn't the best man for the job anymore." ... "The communication and the highs and lows of the season weren't Joe's best assets and he will probably tell you that. He manages every game like it's Game 7."

It is possible for the following two statements to be true: Girardi is a very good MLB manager, and Girardi is not the right manager for the 2018 Yankees (and beyond). The communication was an issue, as Teixeira said, and I don't think the Yankees wanted the ultra-intense Girardi running the show as the team gets younger.

For what it's worth, several Yankees thanked Girardi on Twitter and said they appreciated their time together.

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If nothing else, Cashman is very thorough and there's no doubt a lot of time and effort went into the decision to move on from Girardi. The Yankees have a great young core and bringing in new leadership is not something to take lightly. The save level of consideration that was put into parting ways with Girardi will be put into finding his replacement. The Yankees don't want a stopgap. They want someone who will be around for the long haul.