Will Yankees Whiff on Santana?

This was supposed to be the year when, with age and health forcing George Steinbrenner's retreat, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was finally going to have free rein to run the ballclub without ownership meddling. Instead, the 77-year-old Boss turned those reins over to his son Hank. And Hank appears to be a meddlesome chip off the old block, with less smarts than his old man. Heck, he may even have less class.

In his rush to be the new face and, even more so, the new mouth of the team, Hank has hardly shut up since taking the helm in October. He trashed Joe Torre as an ingrate just as the former Yankee skipper was leaving town. He warned Alex Rodriguez that he would not be welcome back if he opted for free agency—then embraced the prodigal son with a record contract. And he has made so many pronouncements about trade possibilities involving Minnesota pitching ace Johan Santana that Twins management reportedly considered tampering charges. His latest was headlined in the New York Post Wednesday—"Hank Yanks Their Offer"—and it is a measure of the impact of his short tenure that when he says "a deadline is a deadline," nobody believes him.

Hank never appeared destined to step into the Boss's role. The son-in-law had been the heir apparent. But after a drunk-driving arrest and a marital breakup, he was out and Hank and his brother Hal, who is keeping a low profile while handling the new stadium project, were in. Hank is the latest of that class of sports team owners, usually described in the press as "Thanks, Dad." And given his penchant for bluster and his apparent taste for seeing himself in the press, he would have to be considered an excellent candidate for class clown. However, that post is already being filled just down the street by Cablevision scion Jimmy Dolan, who has transformed the New York Knicks into the NBA's laughingstock.

Now, it is possible that this is just the heady early days of transition and that no matter how many times Hank says "I," in his heart he really means "we." And it is also possible that Cashman, never one to pursue the limelight, is totally in accord with all the team's decisions, perhaps even calling the shots. Somebody deserves credit for passing over Yankee legend Don Mattingly as manager to hire Joe Girardi, who will bring more edge to the job and usher a little more urgency into the Yankee clubhouse. But since then the Yankees have stood pat, spending more than $400 million to bring back four veterans who didn't quite get the job done last year. While the blame for the Yankees' disappointing season hardly lies with A-Rod, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, there were questions about each decision, except the resigning of Pettitte.

Despite A-Rod's two MVP awards in his four years in New York, he has not delivered a championship there or anywhere else he has played. The gone today/here tomorrow act was a reminder of the emotional baggage he carries with him. And his new $310 million contract, with its bonus structure for passing Barry Bonds as baseball's all-time home run king, suggests his lack of clarity about the paramount goal. It's hard to say anything bad about Posada, who had his best year ever and has improved defensively with age, or Rivera, a beloved Yankee and the greatest reliever in the game's history. Still, a four-year contract for a catcher who will turn 37 this season flies in the face of baseball conventional wisdom. And Rivera, at 38, is finally showing the wear and tear of all those seasons and postseasons. Three years and $45 million—with Joba Chamberlain seemingly ready for the closer's job—is sweet sentimentality, but hardly shrewd budgeting.

Still, the strangest move or nonmove is the Yankees' apparent reluctance to pony up their top prospects for Santana, arguably the best pitcher in the game. Santana is the rarest commodity in baseball—a true #1A starter who, at just 28 years of age, is in his prime. That is something the Yankees have lacked for a long time, some would say since Ron Guidry peaked more than a quarter-century ago. They've had former #1As, like David Cone, Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson, who joined the Yankees past their prime and won loads of games, but without dominating as they once had. They've had gamers like Pettitte, David Wells and "El Duque" who came up big at critical times but weren't Hall of Fame-caliber. They've had some solid #1Bs or #2As like Jimmy Key, Mike Mussina and now Chien-Ming Wang. And they've had guys hyped as potential #1As, like Jose Contreras, Javier Vasquez and Carl Pavano, who turned out to be busts.