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HOUSTON -- Joe Girardi is unsure if he will return as the New York Yankees manager in 2014.

"I haven't really made up my mind," Girardi said during his nearly 30-minute state-of-the-season news conference before the Yankees' final game against the Houston Astros.

Girardi, who turns 49 next month, said he'll make his decision after consulting with his wife and three children, who are 14, 11 and 7.

Girardi, who reportedly made $3 million this season, said finances will have "zero" to do with his decision. He also played down the idea that he would want to leave for his hometown Chicago Cubs, if manager Dale Sveum were let go. Girardi said his wife and kids are very happy in Westchester, N.Y. His family ties to Chicago -- with both his parents having passed away -- are not as strong anymore. Plus, he hasn't lived there since 2006.

"So there's not as much there as there used to be," Girardi said.

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Here is the complete statement issued by Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein on the firing of manager Dale Sveum:

"Today, we made the very difficult decision to relieve Dale Sveum of his duties as Cubs manager. Dale has been a committed leader for this team the last two seasons, and I want to thank him for all of his dedication and hard work. I have a lot of admiration for Dale personally, and we all learned a lot from the way he has handled the trying circumstances of the last two years, especially the last two weeks, with strength and dignity. In his own authentic and understated way, Dale always put the team first and never complained about the hand he was dealt. He and his staff helped us excel in game planning and defensive positioning, contributed to the emergence of several players, and helped put us in position to make some important trades.

"I have no doubt that -- much like Terry Francona, whom we hired in Boston after his stint with a losing Phillies club -- Dale will go on to great success with his next team. We had hoped Dale would grow with our organization to see it through the building phase to a period of sustained excellence; instead, I believe Dale, who felt the weight of losing perhaps more than any of us, will grow because of this experience and find excellence elsewhere.

"Today’s decision to pursue a new manager was not made because of wins and losses. Our record is a function of our long-term building plan and the moves we have made -- some good, a few we would like back – to further this strategy. Jed and I take full responsibility for that. Today’s decision was absolutely not made to provide a scapegoat for our shortcomings or to distract from our biggest issue -- a shortage of talent at the major league level. We have been transparent about what we are, and what we are not yet. Today’s decision, which was painful for all of us, was made to move us closer to fulfilling our ultimate long-term vision for the Cubs.

"Soon, our organization will transition from a phase in which we have been primarily acquiring young talent to a phase in which we will promote many of our best prospects and actually field a very young, very talented club at the major league level. The losing has been hard on all of us, but we now have one of the top farm systems in baseball, some of the very best prospects in the game, and a clear path forward. In order for us to win with this group -- and win consistently -- we must have the best possible environment for young players to learn, develop and thrive at the major league level. We must have clear and cohesive communication with our players about the most important parts of the game. And -- even while the organization takes a patient, long view – we must somehow establish and maintain a galvanized, winning culture around the major league club.

"I believe a dynamic new voice -- and the energy, creativity and freshness that comes with this type of change -- provides us with the best opportunity to achieve the major league environment we seek. We will begin our search immediately -- a process which will be completed before the GM meetings in early November and perhaps much sooner. There are no absolute criteria, but we will prioritize managerial or other on-field leadership experience and we will prioritize expertise developing young talent. We have not yet contacted any candidates or asked permission to speak with any candidates, but that process will begin tomorrow morning."

So we ended up with the quite the finish here. Lots of bad baseball down the stretch. Lots. Remember: The top 10 picks are protected if you sign a free agent who is given a qualifying offer. Plus, the worse you finish in the overall standings the more money you get to spend in the draft. Yay, incentivized losing!

1. Astros: 51-111
Just in case they were worried about the Marlins catching them, they lost their final 15 games to ensure the No. 1 pick for the third draft in a row.

2. Marlins: 62-100
Kudos to Henderson Alvarez for his final-day no-hitter. In fact, the Marlins swept the Tigers in that season-ending series and won five of their final six, allowing just seven runs over those six games.

3. White Sox: 63-99
Tried hard to catch the Marlins, going 7-21 in September and losing five of their final six. Went 2-17 against the Indians, although no truth to the rumor that the Indians will share their playoff shares with the White Sox.

4. Cubs: 66-96
Ended up tied with the Twins, but get the higher pick based on 2012 record. And boy did they fight hard to get that fourth pick. Lost six of their final seven and 12 of their final 15.

5. Twins: 66-96
Lost 10 of final 11. Too bad they beat the Tigers in extra innings on Sept. 23 or they would be drafting one slot higher. In Sunday's finale, ensured defeat with three errors. In the sixth inning. Nice job, Twins!

6. Mariners: 71-91
Went 6-14 over their final 20 games to slide from a bubble team securely into a top-10 position. Lost their final eight extra-inning games, proving there's an art to successful tanking. Namely: A bad bullpen helps.

7. Phillies: 73-89
It looked like they would jump out of the bottom 10 but then lost nine of their final 11. No wonder Ryne Sandberg got the job for next year! The final game was huge, as the Phillies came up big with a 12-5 loss to the Braves.

Now, this is where things get really interesting. We had a four-way tie for spots 8 through 11. The tiebreaker is 2012 record. So ...

8. Rockies: 74-88
Those two one-run wins over the Dodgers on Saturday and Sunday didn't help, but the tiebreaker gives them the edge. Not that they'll be pursuing Robinson Cano or anything.

9. Blue Jays: 74-88
How nervous was GM Alex Anthopoulos watching the Jays nearly rally from a 7-0 deficit on Sunday? They did beat the Rays twice on the final weekend but still lost 12 of their final 19.

10. Mets: 74-88
The Mets had the most to lose if they finished out of the top 10, since they presumably could be pursuing some of the big free agents this winter. Luckily the offense came through with three straight 4-2 losses to the Brewers (before winning the season finale 3-2).

11. Brewers: 74-88
Well, this is what a 15-12 record in September will do to you. No Kyle Lohse for the Brewers this offseason!

12. Padres: 76-86
Yes, Padres fans, there were 11 teams worse than yours.

13. Giants: 76-86
The Giants went 10-5 over their final 15 to at least avoid becoming just the second World Series winner (after the 1997 Marlins) to finish in last place the next season. So there's that.

14. Angels: 78-84
A 21-7 stretch in August/September ruined any chance the Angels had of finishing with a top-10 pick. So if they went to throw $250 million at Cano, it will cost them their first-round pick.

ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was addressing the media for the final time in 2013 after a 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Just as fellow core player Anthony Rizzo walked by, Castro was asked when the Cubs would start winning again. After Sunday, it’s officially 105 years since their last championship.

“Me and this guy right there, we’ll be a good team for sure,” Castro said as he nodded Rizzo’s way. “I think in two years, two or three, I think we’ll compete.”

The Cubs front office has been definitive in not putting a timetable on it but the players might be feeling a little antsy after a 66-96 season. That followed a 101-loss year, but the five-game improvement means nothing in the big picture.

“I want to win and I know the guys in here want to win,” pitcher Jeff Samardzija said after suffering loss No. 96 on Sunday. “That’s the bottom line, winning ball games.”

Before any winning can happen the Cubs are going to decide if Sveum and his coaching staff are the right people for the job moving forward. The front office will let him know on Monday if he’s back for the final year of his contract.

“Like I said before, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Sveum said after the game. “We’ll find out in 12 hours or 15 or whatever it is. It’s upon us.”

Sveum’s steady demeanor is one reason he was hired during an expected, tough, rebuilding project. It’s also the reason you won’t hear a bad thing about him from his employees.

“I love Dale,” pitcher Carlos Villanueva said. “I’ve loved him for a long time. ... There’s not one person that can say anything bad about him. He can only be who he is. With what he had he did a good job.”

That’s why he won’t be judged on wins and losses but on more intangible things. Simply put, after two years at the helm, the Cubs will decide if he’s the right man moving forward with a younger core of players coming

“As a player you want consistency,” Samardzija said. “You want to build those relationships and you want that to lean on at certain times when you need that.

“It’s not our call. It’s whatever they want to do and what’s best for the organization.”

Whatever happens, Sveum earned the player’s respect. That’s in front of the media or behind closed doors.

“Everybody has been great,” Rizzo said. “Dale’s been great, the coaches have been great.”

ST. LOUIS -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the season finale on Sunday.

How it happened: The Cardinals scored three times in the first four innings and never looked back in sweeping the Cubs. Jon Jay singled home one run in the third while Daniel Descalso and Shane Robinson had run-scoring hits in the fourth. The Cardinals added one in the eighth on a double by Tony Cruz. Meanwhile, a patched-together pitching performance shut down the Cubs as starter Jake Westbrook pitched one inning followed by Joe Kelly’s 5 1/3. Three other relievers helped finish off the shutout. Jeff Samardzija went six innings for the Cubs, giving up eight hits, no walks and three runs.

What it means: The Cubs scored two runs in the entire series, in the ninth inning of a 6-2, Game 2 loss. There were a couple of positives down the stretch as Anthony Rizzo reached 40 doubles with a first-inning gapper and Starlin Castro was better at the plate in the final weeks than he was all season. Samardzija finished the season with a 4.34 ERA but actually was better in his final few starts, proving he can at least get through a full season as a starter.

Final numbers: The Cubs finished the season with a 66-96 record. Rizzo led them in home runs with 23, RBIs with 80 and walks with 76. Dioner Navarro had the highest batting average (.300) among players with 200 or more at-bats while Castro struck out one more time (128 to 127) than Rizzo to lead the team. On the mound, Travis Wood led with nine wins and the lowest ERA (3.11) among starters. Kevin Gregg had 33 saves.

What’s next: The Cubs will have meetings on Monday at Wrigley Field with manager Dale Sveum and the coaching staff. Some changes are expected, if not with the manager, then at least with his staff.

I did my American League All-Star team yesterday. Here's my National League squad. A few more tougher calls in the NL.

Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals (.319/.359/.477, 12 HR, 80 RBI, 5.8 WAR)
Two questions: Is Molina a legitimate MVP candidate and how will he fare in the voting? Sure, he's a strong candidate, although I have Andrew McCutchen as my clear No. 1 guy. Due to his relatively low runs plus RBIs total (he has 68 runs scored), Molina would certainly be an unconventional MVP candidate. Wins Above Replacement accounts for some of Molina's defense -- such as throwing out runners -- but can't measure some of the intangibles, such as the confidence he gave to the young St. Louis starters. Molina's offense numbers are similar to last year, when he finished fourth in voting, so I wouldn't be surprised if he jumps up to second this season.

First base: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (.302/.401/.553, 36 HR, 124 RBI, 7.1 WAR)
Goldschmidt or Joey Votto? It's not quite as simple as Goldschmidt's 51-RBI advantage as both put up similar numbers otherwise, with Votto having the edge in on-base percentage (.436) and Goldschmidt in power (36 home runs to 24). Both were extremely durable -- Goldschmidt has missed two games, Votto zero -- and solid defenders. The one big difference is an advanced metric called Win Probability Added, a category Goldschmidt led all NL position players in, thanks in part to his .350 average in high-leverage situations and nine home runs in late and close situations (second-most in the majors to Chris Davis). I'm confident Goldschmidt is the right choice here.

Second base: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (.320/.394/.484, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 6.7 WAR)
An easy choice as Carpenter leads the NL in runs, hits and doubles while ranking in the top 10 in numerous other categories. I'm guessing Molina garners more MVP support, but Carpenter is just as worthy to finish in the top five.

Third base: David Wright, Mets (.308/.393/.516, 18 HR, 57 RBI, 5.8 WAR)
Pedro Alvarez leads the NL with 36 home runs and has knocked in 100 but a .233 average and sub-.300 OBP means he created a ton of outs to generate those runs. Ryan Zimmerman waited too long to start hitting. Chris Johnson hit .321 for the Braves. None were above-average defenders. So almost by default I'll go with Wright, who easily has the highest WAR even though he missed 50 games.

Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Braves (.244/.292/.390, 17 HR, 58 RBI, 6.5 WAR)
I've been raving about Simmons all season so I can't change now. Troy Tulowitzki was great once again and relatively healthy (125 games), although he hit 61 points higher at home. Hanley Ramirez was the best on a per at-bat basis but played just 86 games. Ian Desmond flew under the radar year for the Nationals. But Simmons is my guy, even with that sub-.300 OBP. His defense was that good.

Left field: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies (.302/.367/.591, 26 HR, 70 RBI, 5.1 WAR)
Starling Marte had an excellent all-around season (41 steals, great defense) for the Pirates and Matt Holliday was solid for the Cardinals. Gonzalez's season was similar to Wright's -- if he'd remained healthy, he'd be the obvious choice, but he missed 50 games. Unlike Tulo, he actually hit better on the road, so it's not a Coors-inflated season. I'll go with CarGo just barely over Marte.

Center field: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (.317/.404/.508, 21 HR, 84 RBI, 8.2 WAR)
Carlos Gomez would be an MVP candidate if he had better teammates. Shin-Soo Choo gave the Reds exactly what they needed, a leadoff hitter who got on base. But this was McCutchen's season as he often carried a mediocre Pittburgh offense and hit .339/.441/.561 in the second half, helping keep the Pirates in the division title race. He's the likely MVP winner and not a "weak" MVP, as some have speculated. His WAR is higher than the past three NL MVPs, Buster Posey, Ryan Braun and Votto. He may not drive in 100 runs or score 100 (he's at 97), but it was the best all-around season in the league.

Right field: Jayson Werth, Nationals (.318/.398/.532, 25 HR, 82 RBI, 4.8 WAR)
A loaded position, and that's with Jason Heyward and Giancarlo Stanton missing significant time. Jay Bruce, Yasiel Puig, Hunter Pence and Marlon Byrd all have their supporters (and Gerardo Parra leads in WAR). The knock against Werth, like Wright and Gonzalez, is that he missed significant time (129 games). But Bruce has a .329 OBP. Puig didn't get called up until June and Pence's monster September (11 HR, 29 RBI) came after the Giants had long been eliminated and arguably against dubious September pitching.

Starting pitchers: Clayton Kersaw, Dodgers (16-9, 1.83 ERA, 8.0 WAR); Cliff Lee, Phillies (14-8, 2.87 ERA, 7.2 WAR); Jose Fernandez, Marlins (12-6, 2.19 ERA, 6.3 WAR); Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (19-9, 2.94 ERA, 6.2 WAR); Matt Harvey, Mets (9-5, 2.27 ERA, 5.4 WAR)
Oh, Cliff Lee is still good. There were no shortage of top starters in the NL as 18 qualified starters have posted an ERA of 3.25 or under, the most since 17 did it in 1992 and 10 more than last year.

Left-handed setup guy: Luis Avilan, Braves (5-0, 1.55 ERA)
Part of Atlanta's dominant bullpen, Avilan fanned just 38 in 64 innings but allowed a .173 average and just one home run. He gets great movement on his two-seam sinking fastball, resulting in fewer K's but a lot of groundballs. Honorable mention to Pittsburgh's Justin Wilson.

Right-handed setup guy: Mark Melancon, Pirates (3-2, 1.39 ERA)
He had a couple rough outings in September, but was dominant throughout the season, first setting up Jason Grilli and then earning 16 saves when Grilli was injured.

Closer: Craig Kimbrel, Braves (4-3, 50 saves, 1.23 ERA)
He did blow four save chances and wasn't quite as statistically dominant as last season -- and still finished with 1.23 ERA and 50 saves.

ST. LOUIS -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs' 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday:


How it Happened: Cubs starter Edwin Jackson was hit early and often as the Cardinals scored two in the first and four in the third. Matt Holliday hit a two-run home run to start the scoring before Yadier Molina and Pete Kozma produced run-scoring doubles. The final blow -- after an intentional walk to the No. 8 hitter -- was a run-scoring single by pitcher Adam Wainwright. Jackson left the game with lat discomfort on his right side after that hit. Anthony Rizzo hit a ninth-inning home run to ruin the shutout, and Donnie Murphy drove in another run, but the Cubs managed just three hits off Wainright and Cardinals’ relievers in the first eight innings.

What it Means: Jackson ended his season about the same way he began it: by getting hit hard. He gave up eight hits and six runs in just 2.2 innings to a team that celebrated a division title late into the night on Friday. Jackson has three more years left on his contract, so there’s plenty of time to rebound from his poor season, but as of this moment, he’s a candidate for one of the worst free-agent signings in Cubs history. He went 8-18 with a 4.98 ERA in 2013.

Outside the Box: Starlin Castro is quietly finishing the season on a high note. Since returning to the leadoff position after a one-day stint batting eighth in late August, he’s raised his batting average seven points and he’s hitting the ball with more authority. It’s also the time he said he would return to his roots as a hitter and not worry about how many pitches he sees. His finish could be a huge lift for him heading into 2014.

What’s Next: The Cubs season concludes on Sunday when Jeff Samardzija faces Jake Westbrook.

ST. LOUIS – With Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum’s short-term fate to be determined Monday, what does that mean for his coaching staff? Even if Sveum is dismissed, it’s highly doubtful the Cubs would get rid of his entire staff.

Handicapping the coaches from the outside looking in can be a difficult task. They do the bulk of their work behind closed doors, in the form of video and of course communicating with – as well as teaching -- the players. They aren’t subjected to twice-a-day media scrums like the manager, and their success or failure with players can’t always be measured in numbers.

Still, there are some things that become obvious in terms of the value of a coach, especially with the task of developing a young core.

Here’s a look at the status of some on Sveum’s staff:

Chris Bosio, Pitching coach

Considering the Cubs keep trading his pitchers, he might be the hardest to judge. But by all accounts he’s done an admirable job. Travis Wood would be the poster child for a success story. Bosio has gotten him to work all sides of the plate and not be afraid to throw any pitch at any time. Jeff Samardzija still has room to grow but hasn’t embarrassed his pitching coach in any manner. And it would be hard to point to Bosio for the failures on the staff. Former pitcher Shawn Camp's struggles could not have come as a shock, considering his age and mileage on his arm. Carlos Marmol was on the decline before Bosio appeared on the scene. Kyuji Fujikawa got injured before Bosio could have much effect on him. There are enough positives -- and few provable negatives -- to think Bosio could return even if Sveum doesn’t.

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ST. LOUIS -- Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Cubs’ 7-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday:

How it happened: Travis Wood got the first two outs in the opening inning, then promptly gave up three runs on four hits and two walks before his season ended at inning’s end, as expected. Yadier Molina had a two-run double and Jon Jay a run-scoring single as the Cardinals sent nine to the plate in the first. They added one run in the third inning on a David Freese home run off of Brooks Raley. A throwing error by catcher Dioner Navarro plated another run in the fourth, as did a fielder’s choice by Molina. Matt Holliday went deep in the sixth. The Cubs managed very little off starter Lance Lynn, though Starlin Castro went 3-for-3 off him.

What it means: Before the game, manager Dale Sveum said Wood would only throw one inning so he could reach 200 innings pitched. The Cubs figured that was enough stress on his arm after a long season; unfortunately the three runs he gave up raised his ERA to above 3.00 (3.11) for the year. ... The Cardinals clinched the division title with the victory.

Outside the box: Sveum said he wouldn’t scale back on Saturday’s starter, Edwin Jackson, but he would limit Jeff Samardzija’s pitch count on Sunday, as Samardzija already has thrown a career high in innings. ... The Cubs have made some minor moves in their scouting department, among other areas. They aren’t ready to announce the changes but should after the season is complete on Sunday.

What’s next: Game 2 of the series has been moved to 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday from the originally scheduled time of 6:15 p.m. due to inclement weather moving into the St. Louis area. The league wants to make sure all games get played that have playoff implications. Jackson will oppose Joe Kelly.

ST. LOUIS -- The Chicago Cubs’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday has been changed from 6:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. CT due to inclement weather expected in the area that evening.

The league wants to make sure the game gets played on Saturday, as the Cardinals are battling the Atlanta Braves for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

ST. LOUIS -- Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein isn’t surprised by his team’s drop in attendance this season. In fact, he’s impressed with those who have come out to watch a last-place team.

“You can look at it both ways,” Epstein said before Friday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. “We’ve traded 40 percent of our rotation two years in a row now and 2.6 million showed up to watch us play.”

The Cubs saw their paid attendance drop for the fifth straight season, drawing the lowest numbers since 1998. They're assured of a second consecutive last-place finish under Epstein as they rebuild the organization from top to bottom.

“All we can ask of our fans is to trust us we are working as hard as we can to make it happen,” Epstein said. “I would never spend someone’s money for them. But I will say the experience will be more rewarding if they’re around for the whole journey.”

That’s a sentiment Epstein has expressed before, asking fans to jump on board as the Cubs restock the system with talent.

“It’s a huge asset we have as an organization,” he said of Cubs fans. “I don’t doubt and will never doubt the dedication of our fans.”

Epstein likes to talk of the “health” of the organization and believes it’s better now than a year ago and the year before that. While he can’t say for sure when the team will turn the corner, he’s committed to a plan that will include spending money -- once it’s realized from new television deals and the renovation of Wrigley Field.

“That’s coming in the future, but we’re not exactly sure, yet,” Epstein explained. “The general business plan and the general baseball plan for the organization are more or less synced up.

“Do we have it down to an exact year we’re going to achieve a certain amount of wins or when we’re going to have X amount of additional dollars to spend? No. We’ve had to remain flexible because there are a lot of variables involved.”

What that means is developing the prospects, then finding the holes on the field that need to be filled. By that time money should be available to spend on specific free agents.

At least that’s the plan.