And so goes Joe

Due to the fact that the Yankees offered him an insulting contract, Joe Torre is now a free man. It may not exactly be the “seven-year itch” that caused the separation of this great relationship- unless you consider management’s unhappiness of seven years without a championship, that is. But the fact remains, the relationship between Joe Torre and the New York Yankees had gone sour, and as I noted a couple of weeks back, it is actually to Joe’s benefit to walk away from the Yankees and seeker pastures elsewhere. If for no other reason to show that the Yankees needed him- not the other way around- and that as a Hall of Fame manager, he can make a winner out of a moribund franchise.

I wouldn’t expect Torre to land himself another managing job immediately. Instead, I’m sure he’s going to spend a year in the broadcast booth a la Lou Pinella and Dusty Baker before taking the reins of a major league club. Considering how things stand a year from now- and also the fact that the Kansas City Royals have announced the hiring of Trey Hillman as their new manager- but I think it would be a fitting conclusion to his Hall of Fame career if he were to become the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and lead them to the playoffs for the first time since the days of Andy Van Slyke and Tim Wakefield.

As Dan Wetzel points out, the contract the Yankees offered was intended to be rejected, thus making it appear that Joe Torre was walking away from the job that had practically made him a household name. But, seriously. A one-year contract? With incentives depending how far into the post-season the team gets? Who cares if it would’ve kept Torre as the highest-paid manager in the game, you simply do not treat the manager who has guided your team to the post-season for twelve consecutive seasons like that. Bobby Cox doesn’t get treated in that manner- and the Braves have taken a two-year recess from the playoffs! Joe Torre was right to walk away from this offer. In his relationship with the Yankees, there is only so much abuse he could suffer at the hands of management.

So now there is a vacancy in the Yankee’s dugout for the first time in over a decade. And the rumor mill will go into overdrive in the intense media market of New York, as everyone will wait with baited breath to see who can fit into Torre’s awfully large shoes. Will it be fan-favorite and bench coach Don Mattingly, who as a first-time manager would be perfect to oversee an era of transition, as veterans give away roster space to up-and-coming young players? Or will it be fan-favorite and current YES broadcaster Joe Girardi, who had recent success with a young Florida Marlins team just one year ago? However, Girardi’s focus on discipline while handling the youngsters on the Marlins was considered ‘austere’ and eventually cost him his job, even if it did win him the Manager of the Year award in his first year as a big-league manager. Are the Yankees prepared to take such a gamble on Girardi with their crop of young and developing players?

Of course, there’s always the dark horse candidate in Tony LaRussa who may not feel many connections with the St. Louis Cardinals now that his long-time professional companion, former A’s and Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty has been ousted of St. Louis. And there’s always Stump Merrill, for old time’s sake.

And how will Joe Torre leaving the Yankees affect the status of the team’s relationship with various players? Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are facing free-agency, and both have played under Torre’s management for the bulk of their playing careers. Another free agent-to-be, Andy Pettitte, is also a hold-over from the glory days of Torre’s late 90s run with the Yankees- and he’s all ready left New York once. They may not be willing to re-up in New York if it means playing for another manager other than Torre.

The resolution of Alex Rodriguez’s will-he-or-won’t-he extend status regarding to his contract option, I think, matters little on Torre’s presence in the dugout. A-Rod wasn’t in pinstripes while the Yankees collected their handful of World Series titles. More than anything, A-Rod’s decision to return to the Yankees or not depends entirely on the finances involved. So despite the silly rumors of him signing with and becoming a minority owner of the Cubs, there’s a good chance that A-Rod could remain a Yankee, as New York might be the only team that could afford him.

And it remains to be seen how Torre’s absence will affect the heart-and-soul of the franchise, Derek Jeter, the team’s captain who throughout his career referred to his now ex-manager as “Mr. Torre”. Jeter may still be signed through 2010 on a contract that seemed destined to keep him in Yankee pinstripes for his entire career, but what if his relationship sours under the next Yankee manager? Would Jeter be willing to serve as the veteran guidance to help oversee a youth movement that would help turn the Yankees into another championship-caliber squad? Or with the only manager he’s ever played under walking away from the Yankees, would Jeter be willing to walk away from the club if the situation’s not to his liking? While it’s true that Jeter’s contract has a no-trade clause, would he be willing to waive it and perhaps seek to fill the Tigers’ opening at shortstop when Detroit moves Carlos Guillen to first base? Like Torre, Jeter has nothing else to prove- except, perhaps, leading his hometown Tigers team to a World Championship in front of friends and family….

So the announcement of Torre’s decision has set of a flurry of prognosticating and oracle-seeking as this proves to be perhaps the most interesting off-season for the Yankees in years. At the very least, the heart and soul of the Yankees is at stake. Who could, possibly, fill Torre’s shoes? And what players would be willing to follow him to play under the great expectations in the Bronx?