YANKEE NOTES
ST. PETERSBURG – While the possibility of Joe Torre and George Steinbrenner meeting while the Yankees are in the Tampa area and discussing a multi-year extension for the manager was strong, Torre isn’t the only cog in the Yankee machine without a deal for next season.
Yankee GM Brian Cashman, who is with the team until today when he returns to New York to chair an advance scouting meeting about ALDS foe Oakland Saturday, doesn’t have a contract beyond this season.
And none of Torre’s coaches is signed for next year.
“Not yet,” Cashman said when asked if he and Steinbrenner had agreed on a time to talk about the GM’s situation.
Three years for $15 million are numbers floating around Torre’s extension, which in March was considered a formality. But it’s October and no deal has been announced. While it’s hard to believe Steinbrenner and Torre won’t agree on a deal, since it has gotten to this point, anything is possible.
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Jay Witasick and Mark Wohlers were acquired with the postseason in mind. And while each right-handed reliever struggled initially, they are pitching their best as Yankees going into the ALDS that starts Wednesday night against the A’s.
The last run given up by a Yankee relief pitcher was Brandon Knight’s homer to Baltimore’s Tony Batista last Saturday. And Knight won’t be a member of Torre’s post-season bullpen.