The Florida Marlins have named Joe Girardi their manager and have signed him to a three-year contract. Girardi, who made his coaching debut as the bench coach and catching instructor for the New York Yankees this past season, becomes the eighth manager in Marlins history. He replaces Jack McKeon, who resigned at the end of the season. The 41-year-old Girardi also interviewed for the managerial position of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He spent parts of 15 seasons as a player in the majors, accumulating a .267 batting average, 36 homers and 402 RBI. Girardi played for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and Yankees. Girardi was a member of three World Series championship squads in New York. McKeon stepped down as manager of the Marlins on the final day of the season, ending three successful years with the team. He accepted a position as special advisor to Jeffrey Loria, the team's owner and CEO. "I am extremely pleased to have Joe in our organization and I look forward to his input as we start focusing on next year," Loria said. "Joe was known as an intelligent player with great leadership skills, and he will bring those traits to his new position. He is the right man to lead our team and I'm proud that he will start what will be a long, successful managerial career here in South Florida." The 74-year-old McKeon managed the Marlins to a record of 241-207 during his three seasons at the helm, winning the 2003 World Series. This season, he became the all-time winningest manager in club history, surpassing Rene Lachemann's mark of 221 wins from 1993-96. Girardi retired as a player after playing 16 games for the Cardinals in 2003. "This is an exciting day for the Marlins organization," said Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest. "After several discussions with him it became clear that not only was Joe ready to manage, but he is the right guy to manage the Florida Marlins. Joe has a tremendous reputation throughout the game and I am eager to start working with him."