Hal Steinbrenner Happy With Derek Jeter Negotiations, Cites 'Mutual Respect'

Filed under: Yankees, MLB Free Agency

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A day after comments from a Yankees official seemed to indicate a pay cut for Derek Jeter and dare him to test the open market, owner Hal Steinbrenner made a case for patience and civility.

After Major League Baseball's owners' meetings broke up Thursday, Steinbrenner at first referred reporters to Wednesday's comments by team president Randy Levine. Then Steinbrenner reluctantly relented to an interview.

"I'm happy with the tenor of things," Steinbrenner said. "I think there's mutual respect on both sides, and there's a lot of history there.

"This is a business negotiation. None of us want to make it personal, because it's not personal. Both sides have a lot of respect for each other. My family's got a lot of respect for Derek, and I believe it's a mutual thing. It's been a good history. We're going to do our best to keep it by the book."

Yet there are undercurrents of animosity.

 

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