They got their guy.

Weeks after a drawn out and dysfunctional process that led to the firing of manager Gabe Kapler, the Philadelphia Phillies found a more concise route to his replacement.

And Joe Girardi is the winner of a three-horse race, which included veteran skippers Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.

BREAKING: A source says the #Phillies have hired Joe Girardi as manager. An announcement could come today.

BREAKING: A source says the #Phillies have hired Joe Girardi as manager. An announcement could come today. — Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) October 24, 2019

Here’s what Girardi to the Phillies means moving forward.

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak will be challenged: Girardi hasn’t always been the best communicator, including with his former boss with the New York Yankees, Brian Cashman. There’s no reason Klentak and Girardi can’t and won’t get along, but it will likely be a way different and more challenging relationship than what was shared with Kapler. Girardi is intense, and everyone around him will feel that.

Girardi will be reinvigorated by the National League game: Girardi, the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with the then-Florida Marlins, is an ex-catcher with a high baseball IQ. Something tells me a move back to National League baseball will be fun for a manager that spent a decade in the American League and without all of the strategy the game can feature.

Analytics aren’t leaving the Phillies dugout: When Girardi first got to New York, his nickname was “Binder Joe.” Let’s not pretend the Phillies truly went “old school” here. Girardi will use data to predetermine bullpen matchups and pitching decisions. We’ll soon see how close he’ll get to Kapler in terms of lineup decisions and using win probability and run expectancy to guide lineup and in-game decisions.

Phillies win is Mets loss: The Mets are the big losers here. Girardi would have been the perfect manager to lead an 86-win team to the next level. Plus, the Mets could have stuck it to the Yankees by winning with Girardi.

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Big expectations will be present in 2020: Despite angst at the end of a .500 season and a front office clearly not on the same page, the Phillies have high-end talent, money to spend and a World Series champion manager in the dugout. Get ready for a winter and spring of expectations and hype once again in Philadelphia.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.