Yankees' Cashman: Torre 'welcome at any time'

BALTIMORE - If Joe Torre has nothing to do around the middle of next July, might he find himself being invited to Yankees' Old-Timers Day?

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would not answer when asked Friday if or when Torre would be invited to make his first appearance at the new Yankee Stadium now that his summers will be free. But he did say, "He's welcome at any time."

Could that signal a thaw in the Torre-Yankees feud? Torre, who stepped down Friday as Dodgers manager, has been persona non grata in the Bronx since leaving the Yankees following the 2007 season.

Acrimonious final contract negotiations and Torre's tell-all book, "The Yankee Years," have led to hard feelings. Torre, who led the Yankees to four World Series championships, would seem to be a prime candidate to have his number retired and/or some acknowledgment in Monument Park. But that hasn't happened.

Maybe now the healing can begin.

"Joe Torre the manager is already enshrined in history with us," Cashman said. "The marriage with him and the Yankees will go on forever. There's been no divorce . . . There is no issue between Joe Torre and the Yankees."