Joe Girardi has reportedly been offered the Yankees' managerial job and is expected to accept the position.
ESPN Radio first reported that the Yankees officially presented the opportunity to Girardi, the 2006 National League Manager of the Year, on Monday morning. General manager Brian Cashman informed candidates Don Mattingly and Tony Pena that they will not be hired.
"The Yankees have expressed interest in Joe becoming manager," Girardi's agent, Steve Mandel, said in a telephone interview with The New York Times on Monday. "We've decided to have discussions with them and we're moving forward. No timetable has been set, but it's a process we're letting take place."
Girardi, 43, was a member of the Yankees' 1996, '98 and '99 World Series clubs in a 15-year playing career with four organizations. He served as former Yankees manager Joe Torre's bench coach in 2005 before guiding the Marlins to a 78-victory season in '06, keeping the club in Wild Card contention into the final week of the campaign.
"I think every managing job is different, because of players and all the parts," Girardi said on Oct. 22 after his interview. "Everyone changes. It's different people and different situations with different expectations.
"I think every job that you take is different, and I believe that every year is different, because the people are going to change. The idea is still to win a World Series and to win ballgames."
Girardi spent the 2007 season as a broadcaster for the Yankees' YES Network and also worked for FOX. He is expected to fly to New York from Denver, where he was assigned to broadcast coverage of the World Series.
The decision likely ends Mattingly's four-season run as a member of the Yankees' coaching staff. One of the most popular players of his era, Mattingly served for three seasons as a hitting coach and spent 2007 as Torre's bench coach, saying that he had an eye on managing the organization for which he played from 1982-95.
Pena, 50, was the American League Manager of the Year in 2003 with the Royals, guiding Kansas City to an 83-victory season. He managed the Royals from 2002 into 2005, and said on a conference call last week that he would be amenable to returning to the Yankees if either Girardi or Mattingly received the job.
