[BigD]

NEW YORK -- Joe Torre rejected a $5 million, one-year contract to return as manager of the New York Yankees on Thursday.




Torre, who had held the job since 1995, made an unannounced trip from New York to the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., accompanied by general manager Brian Cashman and chief operating officer Lonn Trost. Yankees president Randy Levine said Torre turned down the offer during the meeting, which lasted about one hour.

"It is now time for the New York Yankees to move forward," Levine said.

Torre made $7.5 million this year, the final season of a $19.2 million, three-year contract. His new deal would have included substantial bonuses for each round of the playoffs the team reached.

"We felt we needed to go to a performance-based mode," Levine said. "We thought it was very fair. It clearly was at the top of the market, but we respect Joe's decision."

Bench coach Don Mattingly is the leading contender to replace Torre. Yankees broadcaster Joe Girardi, the NL Manager of the Year with Florida in 2006, is another top contender.

Cashman said there will be a full search for a replacement.

Just 10 days ago, the Yankees were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.

AP NEWS

[bigboydan]

I can't blame the guy for turning that down. He's old enough to retire and has the money too, plus the fact there really isn't much more he can accomplish in NY that he hasn't already accomplished.

[capitalist pig]

Its going to seem strange not seeing him on the Yankees bench. Best of luck to him in his future.

later

[area51steve]

I don't blame Torre one bit. After all he did for that organization and they want to cut his pay? Torre should go to a ballclub that will appreciate his work.

[Doc JS]

The Yankees didn't want to come off looking bad in this by not offering Torre a way to come back. So, they used a corollary to the old Godfather principle of "making him an offer he can't refuse". The Yankees made him an offer he couldn't accept. One year was a slap in the face and the pay cut was just icing on the cake.

Now, the Yankees can say, "We offered him a contract and he turned it down". The Yankees didn't want Torre back. And now they're free to move on...

[wesc4]

Joe Torre got to the playoffs twelve straight years.... i would love to see Torre manage somewhere down the road for less money than the Yankees offered and beat the Yankees out of the playoffs a few times

[jon13009]

When the Yankees falter and miss the playoffs next year, and the year after, George and the rest of them will be begging Torre to come back. Perhaps Joe will sit back (a year or two) and see how much George will really want him by then.

Does Joe has too much class for that?

I hope so, and it would be good to see Torre in another uniform.

[MJFtheGenius]

The Yankees didn't want to come off looking bad in this by not offering Torre a way to come back. So, they used a corollary to the old Godfather principle of "making him an offer he can't refuse". The Yankees made him an offer he couldn't accept. One year was a slap in the face and the pay cut was just icing on the cake.

Now, the Yankees can say, "We offered him a contract and he turned it down". The Yankees didn't want Torre back. And now they're free to move on...

he's right

[imgv94]

Yankees need to get some ****ing pitching.

[Rollins08]

The Yankees were screwed in this all along. They don't want him back but would get blasted for not making him an offer. They did the same thing with Buck 13 years ago to get rid of him. They offered him a pay cut with incentives. It worked that time also.

[Illusion]

Anybody watching SportsCenters two hour Joe Torre special?

[BatemanPatrickl]

So people think he should not have gotten a pay cut for doing a crappy job?

[Willie Bee]

If a 30% or more paycut with incentives is what the club believes to be a fair offer to Torre, then that should be a fair offer to Levine and Cashman as well.

[BatemanPatrickl]

If a 30% or more paycut with incentives is what the club believes to be a fair offer to Torre, then that should be a fair offer to Levine and Cashman as well.

Torre is directly responsible for the play ON the field every day. If he can't handle a performance based compensation package, he should join Tacomax and get a job at Burger King.

It's his job AFTER the players are brought in to field a winning team that will make the playoffs and win the championships.

Torre is one of the biggest hacks in MLB and the past few years have proved it. I hope he decides to coach for a team with LESS talent so we can see what he is made of.

[Willie Bee]

So you're saying that the general manager just has to go get players--any players--and managers should be able to win with those players no matter what?

[MJFtheGenius]

[QUOTE=BatemanPatrickl;383643] If he can't handle a performance based compensation package, he should join Tacomax and get a job at Burger King.QUOTE]

LOL!!

[jon13009]

Joe would have been a lame duck. For us though, 5 mil is a hell of a lot of money to walk away from.