January 4, 2008 Payroll Is at Heart of Santana Debate By TYLER KEPNER http://tinyurl.com/38epzp Perhaps the most significant story in a busy Yankees off-season has been the emergence of Hank Steinbrenner at the top of the team’s hierarchy. Steinbrenner, the senior vice president, has been outspoken on potential player moves, but he cannot and has not acted unilaterally. Hank’s brother, Hal Steinbrenner, is just as powerful as a successor to their father, the principal owner George Steinbrenner, who is essentially retired. Hal Steinbrenner’s primary responsibility is to oversee the Yankees’ finances, and he is reluctant to add another huge contract. According to several people who have spoken to the brothers recently, that is the crux of the debate in the organization over whether to trade for Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins. Both Steinbrenners want the team to keep winning. Hal Steinbrenner would try to do it with the existing payroll of roughly $200 million. Hank is more inclined to add Santana, largely to keep him away from the rival Boston Red Sox. Hank Steinbrenner did not return a telephone message Thursday, and Hal rarely grants interviews. But the result of the internal debate is that nothing has changed since the Yankees pulled their offer at the winter meetings in Nashville a month ago. There is no standing offer, but from earlier trade talks, the Yankees know they would have to deal starter Phil Hughes, center fielder Melky Cabrera, the minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez and another prospect for Santana. If the teams agreed on players, the Yankees would have to negotiate a contract extension with Santana, who would probably ask for seven years and $140 million. For the Yankees, the $140 million figure would be compounded by an additional $56 million they would owe in luxury taxes, because they are still charged an extra 40 cents for every dollar they spend. Investing almost $200 million in Santana for seven years — and the prospects — is clearly too steep a price for General Manager Brian Cashman. Cashman wrested autonomy over baseball decisions from George Steinbrenner when he signed a three-year contract extension in October 2005. But Steinbrenner had already begun moving to the background, and his sons did not take an active role until last season. So far, Hank Steinbrenner has listened to Cashman, endorsing his strategy of investing in amateur talent and developing and keeping homegrown pitching. But the tempting factor for the Yankees is their seemingly bottomless resources. They have a thriving cable network, a new stadium on the way, and the highest attendance in baseball. They can afford to pay Santana what he wants, and if he were a free agent, they almost surely would make the highest bid. A year away from free agency, though, Santana can come to the Yankees only through trade. With the Red Sox and perhaps the Mets also involved, trading Hughes would be mandatory for the Yankees, and that would cut at the heart of Cashman’s plan. Hughes offered the Yankees two delicious glimpses into his future last season: his first major league victory, on May 1, when he fired six and a third no-hit innings until leaving with a strained hamstring; and his showing in September, when he went 3-0 with a 2.73 earned run average before earning a victory in relief in the playoffs. Some Yankees officials believe Hughes could eventually be as good as Santana at a fraction of the cost. But Santana, despite an ordinary second half, is a two-time Cy Young award winner who would make the Yankees much more imposing to the champion Red Sox. Trading Cabrera would also weaken the Yankees on defense, because Johnny Damon would return to center field and Hideki Matsui to left. The Yankees could sign Mike Cameron — a player Alex Rodriguez has been privately endorsing — to play center, but Cameron will miss the first 25 games after twice testing positive for a banned stimulant. --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 140.109.23.105