KID ROW HANK STICKS WITH YOUTH INSTEAD OF BREAKING BANK FOR SANTANA By GEORGE KING AND JOEL SHERMAN December 6, 2007 -- NASHVILLE - Hank Steinbrenner admits he wanted Johan Santana and said the door to a deal is never nailed shut. Nevertheless, Steinbrenner predicted with Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy, the Yankees have the foundation of a nuclear staff. "I would have liked to have Santana," Steinbrenner said yesterday, 48 hours after the Yankees informed the Twins they were pulling out of discussions for the two-time Cy Young award winner who will be 29 in March. "There were a lot of factors to consider but we got three good kids, and we have a lot of good pitching talent in the minors as well. We are going to be a pitching power." Steinbrenner followed the advice of GM Brian Cashman and refused to part with Kennedy early in the process, and Jeffrey Marquez on Sunday. Hughes and Melky Cabrera were the headliners, and Steinbrenner understood it was going to cost the Yankees close to $150 million across seven years to sign Santana. Though he didn't slam the door entirely on a Santana deal, he didn't give the Yankees much of a chance to revisit the deal. "I don't rule anything out," Steinbrenner said. "But I have a feeling he is going to be traded in the next couple of days." Steinbrenner didn't say which team would get Santana. The return of Andy Pettitte made the Yankees more comfortable about walking away from Santana. But one big reason - believe it or not - is how uncomfortable it would have made them with their payroll. "I know people don't believe it, but we really can't go to $230 or $240 million," a Yankees official said. "We really do have a budget." As compensation to waive his no-trade provi sion, Santana is ex pecting a con tract extension that will pay him in ex cess of $20 million an nually. To retain Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, the Yanks committed more than $400 million, including about $90 million for 2008 for those five players. Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, Kyle Farnsworth and Kei Igawa represent around another $100 million for 2008. So that is half a roster for about $190 million. Remember the Yanks pay the highest rate of both luxury tax and revenue sharing on top of that. Because Steinbrenner listened to Cashman, he was asked if there had been discussions about extending Cashman's contract which runs through 2008. Cashman is working on the final year of a three-year, $5.4 million deal and will be paid $1.8 million next season. "We have had no discussions on that," Steinbrenner said. Steinbrenner said he wouldn't address the issue. "I am not going to comment on that," he said. "That's internal business." In the immediate aftermath of losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season, this time to the Indians, the Yankees decided they needed a legitimate No. 1 starter in order to get past the opening series. Yet, presented with the chance to do that with Santana, the Yankees walked away. Chien-Ming Wang has won 38 games the past two years, but two subpar performances against the Indians in the ALDS keep him from joining Boston's Josh Beckett as a legitimate No. 1 starter. With Pettitte back and having Hughes and Chamberlain for an entire season, Steinbrenner said he believes the Yankees will have multiple aces. "Eventually we will see," Steinbrenner said. "We will have a couple of them, more than one so everyone can ask, 'Who is the No. 1.' " [email protected] --

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