Torre’s Fate Still Undecided
Despite finishing two days of meetings in the Tampa offices, the New York Yankees brash have yet to decide whether to extend a new contract offer to manager Joe Torre. Rumors have been running wild on the internet saying both that Torre will return and that he won’t, but according to the Yankees, no decision has been made.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman had an interesting idea, that I think would work for both parties. Offer Torre a two-year, $8 million contract, with a $1 million bonus for making the playoffs and $1 million more for each round they win. Despite the decrease in salary, Torre will still be the highest paid manager in baseball and he will also have the opportunity to make more than he did last year if the Yankees win the World Series.
Sherman also suggests making Larry Bowa the bench coach to help counter Torre’s relatively relaxed demeanor. The best years of the Torre era were when he sat next to the fiery Don Zimmer, who was always good for an extra spark on the bench. Current bench coach Don Mattingly is as even-keeled as Torre is, which may be less beneficial than fans think. Sherman thinks that Mattingly should be given the managerial post for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes Barre, which would give Mattingly some managerial experience before he takes over for Torre.
I think both ideas are great and would be very pleased if those events turned out to be true.
To hell with Torre, put Joel Sherman in the dugout.