Yanks, Jeter smoothing things over

Tuesday night's nearly five-hour meeting between the Yankees and Derek Jeter didn't yield a deal, or even an offer, but it was an opportunity to "reboot" the negotiations that had grown heated, according to a source with knowledge of the get-together.

"No offers were exchanged, just ideas," the person said.

The meeting, which took place in Tampa, included managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, Jeter and his agent, Casey Close.

Close had flown to Tampa, as Newsday first reported, Tuesday morning to meet with Jeter.

The rough edges of the verbal volley from the previous week were addressed and smoothed over, the source said, and a common theme of the last several weeks was reiterated in the meeting - Jeter wants the Yankees and the Yankees want him.

The source didn't specify any of the ideas exchanged but said part of the discussion was how to be "creative" in coming up with a deal that works for both sides.

Presumably, the creativity involves bridging the still wide gap in the money being offered by the Yankees and desired by Jeter.

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The Yankees seem to be open to moving, though not by drastic amounts, monetarily from their original three-year, $45-million offer. Jeter has asked for a four- or-five-year deal for $23 or $24 million per year and one of Close's messages to the shortstop Tuesday might have been that the Yankees won't be offering anything with those numbers.

More significant, no other team will, either.

As one competing executive said of Jeter's negotiations with the Yankees: "It's going to get done."

Neither Cashman nor Close returned phone messages.

Jeter just finished a 10-year, $189-million contract in which he made $21 million last season. He doesn't want to take a pay cut but may not have a choice as his subpar 2010 and lack of other teams' involvement gives him little leverage.

The negotiations are being followed well beyond sports circles.

Outgoing Gov. David Paterson, during his afternoon-long appearance on "Mike'd Up" on WFAN Wednesday afternoon, said the Yankees had something to lose by disparaging Jeter.

"Damaging Jeter is damaging the Yankee brand and that's what I would think they wouldn't want to do right now," he said.

Co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner was not at Tuesday night's meeting but spoke with his brother afterward and was noticeably more reserved than the previous week.

"I feel confident Derek will remain with the Yankees," he told The Associated Press, "and my brother does as well.''

Notes & quotes: A source said to expect dialogue with closer Mariano Rivera to heat up "soon." Negotiations with the 41-year-old closer are expected to be far easier than Jeter's . . . Cashman said after the season a lefthanded reliever was on his wish list and he might as well add a righty to it as well. The team announced yesterday that RHP Alfredo Aceves had surgery, performed by team physician Christopher Ahmad, Nov. 30 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital to repair a fractured left clavicle sustained in a bicycle-riding accident in Mexico. Aceves, who missed most of last season with a bulging disc in his lower back, will need a total of three months for full rehabilitation . . . Brett Gardner will have surgery Tuesday at New York-Presbyterian for right wrist tendinitis and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Gardner suffered a contusion on the wrist June 27 when he was hit by a pitch and it gave him trouble during the season's second half.