Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and two of his main lieutenants met Monday in Tampa with Derek Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, and the parties left continuing to believe that the shortstop eventually will sign an extension that will keep him a Yankee.
In an attempt to re-confirm to each other that they want the team-player marriage to continue, Steinbrenner, Yankees president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman had a far-ranging discussion with Jeter and Close, a person briefed on the meeting told The Post.
Money was not discussed. But just about everything else that is part of the negotiations was, such as the market past and present for iconic players, Jeter’s strengths and weaknesses, and his contributions past, present and future to the organization.
The meeting lasted several hours and was designed not only to put major issues on the table, but to restore goodwill on all sides after a few initial salvos fired by Steinbrenner and Close suggesting negotiations could become strained.
There is no doubt that this is a business negotiation that can be protracted as the sides determine a contract acceptable to all parties. Nevertheless, it is believed that there are good feelings on both sides and that Jeter ultimately will sign a deal that keeps him in pinstripes.
As of yesterday, however, the sides still had not discussed dollars or parameters of a deal.
While the Yankees met with Jeter, talks with Mariano Rivera and his agent Fernando Cuza were described yesterday by a Yankees source as “not active.”
Close and Cashman declined to discuss the meeting with Jeter.
The Yankees understand they will have to pay Jeter more than he could get on the open market. The biggest sticking point could be for how long. Jeter, who made $21 million last year when he batted a career-low .270 and won his fifth Gold Glove, will be 37 in June. If the Yankees are forced to go to four years, how long will they want Jeter to play short?
And they cannot be sure if he can play another position or if he will have nearly enough bat to justify being a DH.
The Yankees are in the midst of nudging Jeter’s pal Jorge Posada to the DH spot because they believe Jesus Montero deserves a chance to be the everyday catcher. Behind Jeter is Eduardo Nunez, a top prospect but hardly a lock to step into Jeter’s cleats.