Hal Steinbrenner does not think Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is insubordinate. He does not think Cashman is trying to get fired. He does not think Cashman is saying anything outrageous publicly.
What does the Yankees owner think about his general manager? In an exclusive, 20-minute conversation yesterday with The Post, Steinbrenner claimed Cashman is doing a superb job, that his opinions are valued and that the Steinbrenner family would like him to stay in the job beyond the expiration date of a contract that concludes after this season.
“[Cashman] and I have a great working relationship,” Steinbrenner said by phone, “There is no problem, right now. I think we have had a bunch of drummed-up drama.”
A sense had been growing throughout the offseason and had intensified in recent days that Cashman was either on the outs with the Steinbrenner family or was making controversial statements in an attempt to distance himself from the Yankees. Steinbrenner insisted, however, his GM has done nothing to harm his standing in the organization nor given any sense that he wants to divorce himself from the Yankees.
In fact, when asked if he imagined wanting to keep Cashman beyond 2011, Steinbrenner said: “Yes, absolutely. I think Brian does a great job. We need to sit and talk, but now is not the time for that.”
In interviews the past two days, Cashman also insisted he is happy in the job and not looking to leave despite growing public perception to the contrary. That perception has percolated all offseason, trigged to a great deal by the Yankees’ failure to land their No. 1 offseason target, Cliff Lee, and uneasy negotiations with Derek Jeter.
Earlier this month, at a press conference to introduce Rafael Soriano, Cashman explained publicly why he recommended against the three-year, $35 million contract the Yankees gave the reliever. And this week, Cashman was reported to have made some provocative statements at a sit down breakfast with fans.
Steinbrenner exonerated Cashman in all areas, except to say ownership was uncomfortable with how “personal” the Jeter negotiations became. However, Steinbrenner said he wrote the feisty rebuke that Cashman read after Jeter’s representative called negotiations “baffling.”
Steinbrenner said: “I will return fire when fired upon. I do have some of the old man [George Steinbrenner] in me.”
As for the Soriano matter, Steinbrenner said he listened to Cashman, but decided to authorize the signing because he felt the club needed an “impact” move this offseason. However, he blessed Cashman’s behavior at the press conference.
“I value his opinion and his advice,” Steinbrenner said. “That does not mean I am always going to go with that advice and all of my VPs know that I might go a different way. There are no hard feelings between Cash and I. There never was. Reasonable men can differ in opinions.
“I keep reading about dissension and discord. We are a well-functioning company. The bosses have a decision to make. Sometimes people don’t agree with those decisions. So I told him, ‘You are always honest with the media, be honest now. Tell them what you have to tell them.’ I was already onto the next decision. I told him, ‘You and I are fine. Answer in any way you want.’ We are not always going to be on the same page. It is my job to think what is best for the family, partners and company.”
Steinbrenner also said he had no issues with any of the statements attributed to Cashman from the breakfast get-together with fans, even the remark that the Red Sox are currently better than the Yankees.
“My understanding was he was asked in an objective way about the different areas of the team and said our hitting was on par with the Red Sox, our bullpen is better and their starting pitching, right now, is a little stronger,” Steinbrenner said.
The Yankees’ starting pitching would get an upgrade with the return of Andy Pettitte. The organization is encouraged that Pettitte has been working out regularly and received his family’s blessing to return. However, Steinbrenner said as of yesterday he remained “unsure” what the left-hander would decide.
“As we stand today, I think we definitely have a championship-caliber club, but we are a bit concerned about starting pitching,” Steinbrenner said. “But you know us, we will not stop until we have the best team we possibly can.”
And Steinbrenner insisted he wants Cashman as the GM for that team.
“Really, there are no problems at all,” Steinbrenner said. “Brian calls me on my cell phone more often than I would even like. He and I talk on a daily basis multiple times. There is not much that he does without consulting me first. This has been a very good relationship.”