TAMPA — Derek Jeter views his job description pretty simply — and right now, it does not involve playing center field.
The Yankee captain’s focus is on his current position, not where he might be two or three years from now.
“My job is to do what my job is, and that’s to play shortstop,” Jeter said yesterday after a morning workout at the Yankees’ minor league facility. “My job isn’t to try to tell the future. I wish I could, but I can’t. I’m not a fortuneteller. I don’t have a crystal ball at my house.”
Jeter is aware of the firestorm that general manager Brian Cashman created last month when he spoke hypothetically about Jeter moving to center field someday. But Jeter said a position change is not on his radar.
“I don’t even think about it,” Jeter said.
The 36-year-old signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Yankees this winter that includes a player option for a fourth year. The contract came after some public messiness between Jeter and the organization.
At the press conference to announce the signing, Jeter voiced his unhappiness with how public the negotiations became.
Nearly two months later, Jeter said those feelings have passed.
“It’s over with, done with,” Jeter said. “You can’t change the past.”
Jeter has been working out for weeks at the Yankees complex, preparing for the 2011 season. Yesterday, he was on the field taking batting practice before 10 a.m. He then played catch before taking grounders at shortstop.
The Yankees do not begin full squad workouts until Feb. 20, and Jeter was one of the few major leaguers working out, surrounded by minor league players.
Jeter is coming off a rough 2010, when he hit .270 — 44 points below his career average. Having a poor season when his contract was up amplified the concerns from media and fans that Jeter may be on the decline. But Jeter said he’s not worried about last year.
“I’ve always been pretty good in my career in terms of forgetting about previous seasons, whether it’s a good season or a bad season,” Jeter said. “You have to forget about it. You have to move on.”
Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long came here last month and spent several days working with Jeter on his swing. Jeter said they just picked up on changes they made toward the end of last season, when he was swinging the bat better.
The Yankees’ Core Four lost a member last week when Andy Pettitte retired. Jeter and Pettitte played together for most of the last 20 years, starting in the minor leagues. Jeter said he is happy for Pettitte, but acknowledged it will be strange not to have him around.
As for the void in the pitching staff Pettitte leaves, Jeter said he is not worried.
“Somebody’s going to have to step up,” Jeter said. “That’s basically how it goes. I wouldn’t use the word worry.”
Jeter saw what the AL East rival Red Sox did this winter, adding Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, and knows Boston will be tough again.
“They added some good players,” he said. “I would assume that everyone over there is excited. It’s our job to try to beat them.”
brian.costello@nypost.com