Yanks cut ties with Torre

There's really no other way to look at it. The Yankees knew they'd have a public relations disaster if they "fired" Joe by not offering him a contract. So instead they offer him a one year deal with a substantial paycut and then say "well we wanted to bring him back but he chose to leave..." as their company line. It was amazingly predictable.

You don't offer managers with the success Torre has had one year deals. Guys like Bavasi get one year deals. Guys with multiple World Series rings coming off a season many consider Manager-of-the-year worthy don't.

To put it in perspective, Torre was making less than HALF what Pettite's option for next year will be. For many teams paying a manager $7+ million a year might be a lot of money, but not the Yankees.

The Yankees are going to look a LOT different next year. This is the first step. Everything the Yankees do has some affect on the other teams, including the M's.

Rockies in the World Series. Torre out in New York. It's been an interesting off-season for the Mariners already.