Yankees fans have nothing to worry about this winter if you listen to team president Randy Levine.
Levine virtually guaranteed the return of icons and impending free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera next season at a speaking engagement in Manhattan last night.
“We don’t negotiate in public,” Levine said as part of a “TimesTalks” program. “But I would find it highly, highly unlikely if both of them were not back with the Yankees.”
The expiring contracts of Jeter and Rivera has hung over the franchise all year. Jeter turned 36 over the weekend and Rivera will be 41 next season. Both of them are still performing at a high level, but their age and price tag could make negotiations sticky.
Levine made it clear that what the duo has accomplished in the last 15 years will be weighed heavily.
“Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are the Yankees,” Levine said.
Jeter is batting .286 this season, with eight home runs and 39 RBIs. Rivera has compiled 17 saves, while striking out 29 and maintaining a 0.92 ERA.
Jeter and Rivera, who both made their first Yankees appearances in 1995, have won five World Series titles in their tenure in The Bronx.
General manager Brian Cashman also appeared on the panel, but did not show his hand as much as Levine. He did speak about the difficulty of finding a successor for Rivera when that day comes.
“It’s going to be hell replacing him,” Cashman said. “He has been the most meaningful Yankee during this stretch.”
Cashman was revealing on his fractured relationship with former manager Joe Torre.
The GM said he has not spoken with Torre since Torre’s book came out. He praised the Dodgers manager professionally but said: “On a personal level, there’s not much to speak to right now.”
Levine said Torre is welcome back at Yankee Stadium and said: “There is no animosity here.”