NEW YORK – The New York Yankees picked experience over popularity, offering the manager’s job to Joe Girardi at the risk of watching Don Mattingly walk away from the franchise.

Beloved as team captain, Donnie Baseball was the early favorite to replace Joe Torre and openly coveted the spot. After finding out Monday he didn’t get it, Mattingly told the Yankees he had no interest in returning next year as bench coach or in any other coaching position.

“Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn’t the organization’s choice to fill the managerial vacancy,” Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schulte, said in an e-mail. “Instead, he was informed the organization offered the position to Joe Girardi.”

Girardi was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with Florida, plus he has a pinstriped pedigree. The hard-nosed catcher played on three Yankees teams that won the World Series, served as their bench coach and was a TV announcer this year.

“Joe Girardi is a good man,” Torre said Monday on “Late Show with David Letterman.” “He’s got a feel for this organization.”

Still, spurning Mattingly – who always receives one of the loudest ovations on Old-Timers’ Day – was sure to be compared to another famous Yankee snub: Babe Ruth was never offered the manager’s job he so desperately wanted.

Mattingly was the Yankees hitting coach for three years before moving next to Torre this season. Schulte said Mattingly congratulated Girardi and wished him well.

A baseball official confirmed the Yankees are negotiating with Girardi’s agent, Steve Mandell.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal hasn’t been formalized, said general manager Brian Cashman made the recommendation and it was accepted by the Yankees.

Messages left for Cashman were not immediately returned.

“The Yankees contacted us,” Mandell said. “They have an interest in Joe becoming their manager. We’ve had some discussions. It’s a process and we’ll go through the process.”

He declined to say when there might be an announcement.

Girardi gets the unenviable task of following Torre, who led the Yankees to four World Series titles in his first five years – but none since – and was one of the most celebrated sports figures in the city.

AP freelancer Mark Didtler in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report