Hal 'excited,' says he won't sit down with Mo

TAMPA, Fla. -- On Wednesday, it was Hank Steinbrenner weighing in on the season.

On Thursday the far more elusive of the Yankees' co-chairmen -- Hal, who runs the day-to-day operations of the franchise -- had his turn.

"I am excited, I'm excited about the starting pitching,'' Hal Steinbrenner told mlb.com in an interview. "I'm excited about the whole team. Our starting pitching did well last year. For the most part, we stayed healthy, which definitely helps, but I think we've definitely improved the rotation. There's going to be no easy way to win this division , that's for sure.''

The dominant topic in the first week of Yankees spring training has been speculation about Mariano Rivera, who strongly hinted Monday that this season will be his last. Steinbrenner said he does not know what the closer will do but "if he were inclined [to return], we absolutely would be talking to him about coming back."

Manager Joe Girardi said he does not intend to initiate a conversation with the closer about his decision. Steinbrenner said the same.

"I have no plans to sit down with Mariano,'' he said. "I want him focused on this year. I'm focused on this year. I have no plans to have a conversation with him. We have enough things to worry about right now. At some point, I'm sure we'll talk. I don't know when that will be. I think he's focused on the task ahead as well.''

Position players will report this weekend, and Steinbrenner said his expectations for Alex Rodriguez, who battled injuries much of 2011, are for a bounce-back season.

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"What do I expect from A-Rod? The same thing I expect every year," Steinbrenner said. "He's a professional. Nobody works harder at drills, staying in shape and trying to sharpen his skills. You never know how anything is going to play out, but he's going to come ready to play, you can bet on that. I expect a rebound from him, absolutely.''