Steinbrenner happy with 'tenor' of Jeter talks

ORLANDO, Fla. - Asked to characterize the Yankees' negotiations with Derek Jeter, Hal Steinbrenner said, "I'm happy with the tenor of things" as he departed the owners' meetings Thursday.

Of course, tension has existed between the Yankees and Jeter since last winter, when Jeter asked for a contract extension and was turned down. According to a person close to the situation, the Yankees likely will advance discussions with Jeter in the coming days, introducing the parameters of a package for three years and roughly $15 million per season. The New York Post first reported those figures.

A friend of Jeter said the shortstop wants more money and more years, as often occurs in these negotiations. The Yankees appear more likely to bend on the dollars than on the years.

Both sides anticipated that this deal would take some time to get done because of the wide gulf on perceived value; hence Steinbrenner's recent comments that the talks could get "messy."

But the Yankees' managing general partner said he'll attempt to keep the lines of communication open and keep the discourse as positive as possible under the circumstances.

"This is a business negotiation," he said. "None of us want to make it personal, because it's not personal. Both sides have a lot of respect for each other.

"My family has got a lot of respect for Derek, and I believe it's a mutual thing. It's been a good history. We're going to do our best to keep it by the book."

Steinbrenner said he has no firm timeline in his head to complete the Yankees' business. In addition to trying to re-sign Jeter, the Yankees want to bring back Mariano Rivera, are waiting for Andy Pettitte to decide whether he wants to keep pitching and want to sign free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee.

"Would I like to be relaxing Christmas Eve? Yes, I would like to be relaxing Christmas Eve," Steinbrenner said. "It'll take as long as it takes. The important thing is we don't make it personal, because we have a lot of respect for each other, and we keep talking. That's the deal. We've got to keep talking. And we will."

The challenge for the Yankees comes in explaining to Jeter that he will get overpaid, but not as dramatically as Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez did after the 2007 season. That occurred at a time when Hal and Hank Steinbrenner were just replacing their father, and they approach the job now with more confidence.

Furthermore, A-Rod had just won the 2007 American League Most Valuable Player award, and Posada put up a strong 2007.

Jeter, on the other hand, will start 2011 trying to rebound from the worst season of his career. Questions remain about Jeter's future spot in the Yankees' lineup and his future position, and the captain has displayed little open-mindedness in these areas.

Yanks trade Miranda. The Yankees acquired minor-league righthander Scott Allen from Arizona Thursday in exchange for first baseman Juan Miranda, talked up last offseason as being the team's possible DH before the signing of Nick Johnson. Allen, 19, went 4-4 with a 4.73 ERA in 16 starts with Class A South Bend last season, striking out 79 batters in 78 innings and walking 22. Miranda, 27, signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in December 2006, was 14-for-64 (.219) with three homers and 10 RBIs in 33 games with the Yankees.