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02/19/2008 1:00 PM ET
Steinbrenner optimistic on future
Yanks' vice president confident in club's long-term success
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com









TAMPA, Fla. -- Listening to senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner forecast the Yankees gunning for the American League pennant, the similarities are unmistakable. The prominent face of ownership may be a younger one, but the demanding voice remains much the same.
"I think we're a legitimate World Series threat this year," Steinbrenner said. "I think we're one of the four or five teams in the American League that can win it. I don't want to trash the National League, but the American League is very strong and everyone knows it.

"We're one of, I'd say, four teams that has a chance to win it, in my opinion. Starting next year or the year after, we may be the favorite."

Steinbrenner spoke Tuesday at Legends Field after watching several groups of the club's pitchers -- including Joba Chamberlain -- throw bullpen sessions beyond the right-field wall.

Steinbrenner said that he believes the Yankees will be "a power for 10 years" thanks to the array of young pitching talent that general manager Brian Cashman has helped amass over the last several seasons.

Chamberlain is certainly in that group. The right-hander dominated after being promoted to the big leagues as a setup man for Mariano Rivera, posting a 0.38 ERA.

Manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland may decide that Chamberlain should begin 2008 in the same role, even though his long-term projection is as a starting pitcher.

"I think that Joe and Dave are thinking of starting him in the bullpen," Steinbrenner said of Chamberlain. "We've got to build up his innings. He didn't have many innings last year, and baseball history is littered with 22- and 23-year-old pitchers who were thrown into the mix as full-time starters who had arm trouble and never pitched again.

"We don't want that for our guys. They'll build up their innings whatever way they think is necessary, and eventually everyone in the organization agrees that he'll be a starter."

Steinbrenner made little secret of his affinity for former Twins hurler Johan Santana, with whom the Yankees flirted before he was ultimately traded to the Mets for a four-player package. After watching Santana ink a six-year, $137.5 million deal across town, Steinbrenner said keeping their distance made sound financial sense.

"We already have by far the highest payroll," Steinbrenner said. "At some point, you've got to say, this is getting [to be] enough. It was a tough decision. I don't know if it was the right decision -- we'll see.

"But I do know that with the young pitchers we have, we're very comfortable, even for this year. By the end of this year, we could see two to three firing on all cylinders. If that happens going into the playoffs, we can be pretty tough."

Steinbrenner supported Andy Pettitte's press conference held Monday in Tampa, saying, "I thought it was great." While declining to expand on his thoughts, Steinbrenner said he stood by comments made to The Associated Press on Monday regarding performance-enhancing drug use in Major League Baseball.

Steinbrenner told the AP that the number of PED users in the National Football League is "at least twice as many" as baseball, and that football is "tailor-made" for drug use. The NFL responded that it has conducted random, year-round testing since 1990.

"I don't know why no one in baseball has spoken up about it, but I'm tired of baseball being singled out," Steinbrenner said. "What I said is what I said, and I don't think it bears repeating."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.