MLB

MATTINGLY MAY NOT WANT JOB

Don Mattingly may not be interested in becoming the Yankees’ manager if Joe Torre is fired.

The Yankees’ bench coach and favorite to take over if Torre is axed told a member of the Steinbrenner family he is not ready to take over the top spot on the bench and would not feel right replacing the highly successful Torre, according to the Newark Star Ledger.

“It’s pretty much a no-win situation for someone coming in here, to be able to live up to expectations and live up to what (Torre did),” Mattingly said in a recent interview. “So as far as someone coming in and taking over this job, it’s not necessarily a great situation.”

The source, who claimed to speak to Mattingly directly, asked not to be named, as he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the Steinbrenner family.

Mattingly’s announcement could make it more likely that Torre returns for a 13th season as the Bombers’ skipper.

He has four World Series championships and has not missed the playoffs in pinstipes, but has failed to win a postseason series in the last three years and has not won a World Series since 2000.