Sources say the New York Yankees have agreed to a deal to make East Peoria native Joe Girardi the team's new manager.

The Associated Press is reporting Girardi agreed to a three-year contract worth an average salary of at least 2 million dollars annually, according to a baseball official speaking on condition of anonymity because the team has yet to announce the deal.

The Spalding and Northwestern graduate was named the 2006 National League Manager of the Year with Florida, but was fired after his first year due to personality conflicts with the owner. He will Joe Torre, who managed the Yankees for the past 12 years.

Girardi is no stranger to the pinstipres. He was a catcher for them on three World Series winning teams and served as their bench coach and was a TV announcer for the club this year.

He beat out current bench coach Don Mattingly and first base coach Tony Pena for the job.

Peoria City Councilman Bob Manning played baseball with Girardi at Spalding and said, "Over a long period of time, I got to see him, played with him. No one works harder than Joe. He's certainly a guy where there's no difference between practice and the game situation. He goes 100-percent all the time and as a player and teammate you truly respect that."