PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — Hal Steinbrenner didn’t speak like an owner expecting to add another big piece to his club in 2015. But he very much sounded like a man expecting to add wins to a franchise facing its worst two-year stretch in a generation.
The Yankees’ managing general partner, attending the Major League Baseball quarterly owners’ meetings on Wednesday, commended his general manager Brian Cashman for the team’s offseason renovation and reiterated his well-known desire to shave his team’s payroll. He voiced optimism for the team’s future, both short-term and long-term, and implied pessimism, while refusing to close the door altogether, on signing stud free-agent starting pitcher Max Scherzer.
“We had numerous goals,” Steinbrenner told four reporters, two from New York. “Two of the goals were to get younger and get better defensively. I think we’ve done that. I think our bullpen’s better. I think it’s one of the best in baseball, quite frankly. My opinion.
“So there have been some improvements. We started out with a payroll that was already high before we did anything. We knew we had a certain amount of dollars to work with, and I think Cash did a great job.”
The Yankees’ 2014 payroll was at about $218 million by MLB’s calculations, as first reported by the Associated Press, and they’re on target for about $210 million in 2015 (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com). Plus, Alex Rodriguez will get a $6 million bonus if he hits six home runs to tie Willie Mays’ career total of 660.
Asked if we should not expect a major bump in the Yankees’ 2015 payroll before the season starts, Steinbrenner responded, “Look, it’s not over ‘til it’s over. We’ve still got a full month to spring training, and we’re always going to continue to improve. I guess that’s about all I’m going to say about that.”
Both Cashman and Yankees president Randy Levine have strongly indicated the team would not be signing Scherzer or free-agent starting pitcher James Shields.
“Our payroll, at the very beginning [of the offseason], even once we lost [David] Robertson, was high,” said Steinbrenner, who declined to discuss Scherzer or any other specific player. “There’s just a certain amount I’m going to go. You all know my opinions about payroll, where you should be and where you really don’t need to be to win championships.
“But we did go out and we signed two of the better free agents, [Andrew] Miller and [Chase] Headley. And we made some good trades. Gave up some young guys, which is never fun. But I think we got some good guys in return. We’ll see.”
His biggest anxiety about the team wouldn’t surprise anyone.
“I think if there’s one concern, it’s our starting rotation – not because of their ability, but because of their health,” Steinbrenner said. “Now, everybody’s going to come healthy. It’s just a question of not having what we had last year, which is not having four guys out by the All-Star break. That’s going to pose a problem to any team.
“Getting Miller, getting [David] Carpenter, getting [Justin] Wilson, having [Dellin] Betances, I think the seventh, eighth and ninth inning, we’re looking pretty good. So it does shorten the game somewhat for these guys, take a little bit of pressure off of them. But we’ll see. You can’t predict injuries. We know that.”
Steinbrenner said he has not spoken at all with Rodriguez, whom the Yankees returned to their roster once the 2014 season ended.
“But he’s going to be there,” Steinbrenner said, referring to spring training. “And if Alex is Alex, he’ll show up in shape. He always does. There certainly are some unknowns for all of us, including him. His age. Two [hip] surgeries. We’ll just have to see. He’ll be there.”
Asked whether he believes A-Rod is on board with the Yankees’ plan to use him primarily at designated hitter, Steinbrenner said he didn’t know.
“It is what it is. We’ll just have to see,” he said. “We just need to concentrate on keeping him healthy, and he needs to concentrate on staying healthy. We’ll go from there. But the situation is the situation.”
Steinbrenner repeatedly praised the team’s player-development system, which enjoyed a 2014 uptick by most accounts. He called young pitcher Luis Severino “our best prospect” and noted the right-hander could help the big-league team this year. He also name-dropped lefty pitcher Ian Clarkin and outfielder Aaron Judge, both of whom ended last season at Single-A Tampa.
“I think it’s going to be a better year,” he said. “I think we’re going to have some young players, which is going to be exciting for the fans. And I think we’re going to have a healthy year. I’m going to hope for that. Because it’s important.”
Finally, with the Yankees significantly expanding Monument Park last year to include Goose Gossage, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill and Joe Torre, The Post asked Steinbrenner if Willie Randolph would soon join that group of honorees.
“I’m not going to get into the specific list, but Willie is important to all of us,” Steinbrenner said. “We know what he meant to the franchise. He’s always been one of my favorite players growing up. So I think you can look for something in the future, yes, absolutely. He’s earned it.”
Nova avoids arbitration with $3.3M deal
The Yankees announced Wednesday they have signed Ivan Nova, who is rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery, to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, avoiding arbitration. The Post’s Joel Sherman reported Nova will make $3.3 million in 2015, the same salary he earned in 2014.
Nova, 28, made just four starts for the Yankees last season, putting up an 8.27 ERA in 20 2/3 innings, before going down with a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow during an April 19 road start against the Rays. He underwent the procedure on April 27, and the Yankees hope he can return sometime in the middle of this coming year.
The contract will become guaranteed with about two weeks remaining in spring training, as per the rules of baseball’s Basic Agreement. If the Yankees decide to cut him prior to then, an unlikely scenario, they would owe him just one-sixth of the agreed salary.