Hal Steinbrenner: 'I apologize' for Yankees missing playoffs

The Yankees missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in two decades, but Hal Steinbrenner isn't blaming Brian Cashman. Instead, Steinbrenner said Wednesday that he was sorry for his team's failure and confirmed Tuesday's report in Newsday that he is now discussing a contract extension for his general manager.

"I apologize," Steinbrenner said during a 20-minute interview on "The Michael Kay Show." "We did not do the job this year. We know what you expect of us and we expect the same thing of ourselves. We're going to get right back to work."

Apparently, that work will start with locking up Cashman, as Steinbrenner made it sound as if he will be back for his 18th season as Yankees GM.

"Yeah, Brian and I are talking," Steinbrenner said. "We look at the overall responsibilities of a general manager and especially being one in New York. Brian, I believe is a good one. I always have believed that. He does a good job."

"Overall, everything Cashman does -- dealing with [the media], dealing with the coaches and the manager, he is a good GM. So, yes, we have been talking about that but there is no deal done."

Steinbrenner credited Cashman with the handful of midseason trades that kept the Yankees afloat -- Chase Headley, Brandon McCarthy and Martin Prado -- but didn't fault him for the nearly $500-million worth of winter deals that didn't perform up to expectations. Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann were at the top of that list while Masahiro Tanaka ultimately succumbed to an elbow tear that probably was related to his staggering innings totals in Japan.

"I would hold myself responsible before anybody else," Steinbrenner said. "That's the way it is. I approved every one of these signings. But I think they were good signings. And I think they'll turn out to be good signings."

But just because Cashman looks safe, that doesn't mean there won't be changes, and Steinbrenner hinted that the coaching staff could be targeted. The Yankees' most glaring deficiency this season, despite the costly upgrades to the lineup, was the offensive production. It's debatable how much of that should be put on hitting coach Kevin Long, but Steinbrenner suggested the entire coaching staff still will be under review in the coming weeks.

When asked if something needed to change, Steinbrenner skated around the issue. He admitted that he is a "little less rash" than his dad and didn't want to make any "knee-jerk reactions" in evaluating the team.

"I don't have an answer to that because I don't make rash decisions and I want to talk to all my people," Steinbrenner said. "But rest assured, we're going to get to the bottom of it. And If I do deem that somebody is liable, or I do deem that somebody is responsible, that things could have been better, I will act."

Steinbrenner also intends to have Alex Rodriguez in Tampa for spring training and sees no reason why he couldn't be a factor in the middle of the lineup again. "When he's healthy, he's an asset, and we need those kind of assets," Steinbrenner said. "We need the hitting. And what he's going to be able to do playing third base remains to be seen. But if he's healthy, he's going to be an asset to the team and I would never not want that."

And if A-Rod isn't contributing, would it make sense to eat the $61 million on the contract to ditch the distraction?

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," Steinbrenner said. "I don't want to get into any hypotheticals."

When asked about Joe Girardi's team meeting before Derek Jeter's final game at the Stadium -- during which he reportedly criticized some players for not being in shape -- Steinbrenner backed his manager about the importance of them showing up ready to play. As for why he was a no-show at Jeter's Bronx farewell, he wouldn't go into detail.

"The 'Thank You' day was the [Sept. 7 game] and that was my family, the organization, saying thank you to Jeter, which is what I told him," Steinbrenner said. "The last day, in my opinion, was for the players and him. I was in Tampa. I'm not going to get into why I couldn't be there, but I couldn't . . . It's perfectly understandable for people to be upset about that."