MLB

Hal needs answer from Girardi ‘fairly quickly’

TAMPA — Hal Steinbrenner loved the job Joe Girardi did through so many injuries this season and extended a contract offer he feels represents just how badly the Yankees want to retain the manager, but the managing general partner accentuated a decision is needed relatively quickly because of all the work the team has in front of it this offseason.

“I told Joe that my family thinks he did a great job this year considering the adversity, which was considerable, and that we want him back,” Steinbrenner said during an hour-long interview with The Post on Tuesday. “We understand there are other factors out there to consider and other numbers to consider, something fair to both sides. We are talking to him. I think both sides agree — I don’t want to speak for Joe — but that something has to get done or not done fairly quickly because there is a lot of work to be done.”

Ideally, the Yankees want an answer before they hold organizational meetings in Tampa that are scheduled for next week. Brian Cashman is in the midst of meeting with the team’s baseball operating staff this week to present a plan for how to move forward to Steinbrenner next week.

The Yankees are believed to have offered Girardi, 48, a three-year contract in the $12 million-$15 million range — possibly right in the middle at $13.5 million with bonuses for winning the division and championships. Girardi, the Yankees manager since 2008, is finishing a three-year, $9 million deal.

Many executives in the game believe the Cubs’ desire to outmaneuver the Yankees and land Girardi is real. And it is believed Chicago would be willing to outbid the Yankees for Girardi’s services.

“You never know what an individual is willing to do [for Girardi],” Steinbrenner said, sitting in a conference room on the fourth floor of Steinbrenner Field. “My job is to offer a fair contract that shows how much we appreciate him and how much we want him back. I am not going to go around worried about what someone else might be offering. Time will tell. There is a lot of great things about being manager of the New York Yankees and a lot of tough things about it.

“I think he has had a great six years here and hope he comes back.”

Because Girardi’s contract runs through Oct. 31, other teams can’t contact him about jobs without the Yankees’ permission — which they have refused to give. However, there are back channels through which clubs can make clear their intentions, though it is technically tampering.

When asked if he believed his manager was being tampered with, Steinbrenner said, “No idea. I have to go under the assumption ‘no.’ All I can only honestly do is make an offer that I believe is fair and indicative of how I feel.”