Hal confident offseason goals will be met
Hal Steinbrenner said that the Yankees won't negotiate with Brian Cashman during the regular season. Credit: AP, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - The baseball winter still sits "in our initial phases," Hal Steinbrenner said Tuesday at the general managers' and owners' meetings, and the Yankees already have inquired into various options to improve their club.
Yet the most essential goals remain bringing back Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and signing Cliff Lee, and Steinbrenner, the Yankees' managing general partner, professed faith that those goals would be attained.
"We've sat down with Mo's agents already," Steinbrenner said. "We've sat down with Derek's agent and Derek. It was a good meeting. We'll just continue to talk to them."
Immediately after the World Series, Steinbrenner told ESPN 1050 Radio's Michael Kay that the Jeter talks could be "messy." Asked whether the meeting with Jeter and Casey Close alleviated such concerns, Steinbrenner responded, "Let's hope so. I have no idea. We're really in the initial phase.
" . . . The circumstances are a bit out of the ordinary. We know what we're dealing with here. We're dealing with two great Yankees. But nonetheless, the process is the same."
General manager Brian Cashman affirmed, "We've had more than one conversation" with Close. The Yankees still believe it will take some time to close the gap between their desires and Jeter's for a contract, with the most likely compromise calling for a three-year deal at a high annual average value.
Lee, meanwhile, entertained Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, president Nolan Ryan and general partner Chuck Greenberg at his Arkansas home on Monday. "We wanted him to know we were interested and we feel like they are interested in us as well,'' Ryan told ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth. "We said that we wanted to meet again at some point, but didn't decide when. It would definitely be before the winter meetings."
Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, is not at the meetings.
In other Yankees news:
The team has expressed interest in free-agent lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano, who excelled as a Met the past five seasons. Cashman said that he expects Damaso Marte, who underwent left shoulder surgery, to miss all of the 2011 season, and that he would like to add a lefthander to work alongside Boone Logan.
"It's certainly an area where I would like to have two lefthanders in the bullpen," Cashman said.
The Yankees asked the Diamondbacks about the availability of rightfielder Justin Upton, a person confirmed, after reports emerged that Arizona could trade Upton. But the Yankees, content with their outfield, don't have serious interest there.
Gil Patterson is the leading candidate to be named the Yankees' pitching coach, although others still will interview.
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