Yankees president Randy Levine is confident there will be no rift between the team and shortstop Derek Jeter after a rocky contract negotiation.
“I’m sure it’s not (going to linger)” Levine said at Yankee Stadium Tuesday morning. “We had a lot of conversations. I feel very comfortable that that’s all behind us and all he’s thinking about is leading the Yankees to their 28th world championship.”
The Yankees and Jeter agreed to a three-year deal over the weekend with a player option for a fourth year. Jeter will meet the media at 2:30 p.m. in Tampa to speak about the deal.
Levine was in The Bronx for a Pinstripe Bowl press conference. He said the Jeter negotiations were typical.
“I don’t think it was contentious,” he said. “Every negotiation is a negotiation. People start and ask for ‘A.’ It’s the old adage, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s that way on both sides. I don’t think it was contentious. It was done in a businesslike way.
“We spent a lot of time with Derek before this was done. He was the usual, high-level, integral person that he is. He comported himself with tremendous professionalism in the spirit of what the captain of the Yankees truly is. I’m just so happy he’s going to be here for three, hopefully four years. I hope he makes all those incentives.”
Now, the Yankees are focused on signing free agent pitcher Cliff Lee. Levine was at the Winter Meetings Monday before returning to New York. He said general manager Brian Cashman is working hard to land Lee.
“Cliff Lee is a great pitcher,” Levine said. “He’s got a lot of choices, lot of opportunities. He’s somebody that would make anybody’s team better. We’d love to have him as a Yankee because our goal is to always get better but that’s a decision he’s going to have to make for himself.”