Suffice to say, Steinbrenner would know about any contract offers of note made by the Yankees, let alone a three-year, $75-million offer. The ImpactoDeportivo report said Ramirez "is on the verge of signing a contract for three years and $75 million" with the Yankees, and that the signing would be announced by today.

Even after general manager Brian Cashman told MLB.com the report was not true, ImpactoDeportivo.com reported yesterday afternoon that it had confirmed that Ramirez would be signing with the Yankees in short order.

Steinbrenner debunked the story, saying the Yankees have no offers on the table to either Ramirez or Mark Teixeira. He did not rule out making an offer to either player but said, "There've been no offers made [since last week's news conference]."

There are some in the organization who are enthusiastic about the idea of adding Ramirez, notably Steinbrenner's brother, co-chairman Hank. There seems to be fairly equal support for adding Teixeira. But the sentiment for adding neither slugger and devoting more resources to pitching is at least as strong.

The Yankees did make at least a soft contract offer to Teixeira before the winter meetings, a source confirmed. It's not known how much that offer was for, but when agent Scott Boras told the Yankees the kind of years and average annual value he was seeking (significantly more than the Yankees were offering), the team pulled the offer and told Boras it couldn't meet those demands.

The Teixeira picture has changed in recent days, though.

The Angels yanked their offer (believed to be for eight years and about $160 million) Sunday and said they are out of the bidding for good. Red Sox owner John Henry released a statement Thursday night saying it seemed clear that the Red Sox would not "be a factor" for Teixeira, based on the offers Boras claimed to have. Yet most believe the Red Sox remain highly interested in signing Teixeira and are perhaps even the favorites. The Nationals and Orioles still are in on the bidding.

Boras contacted Cashman Friday to see if the Yankees wanted to make another offer for Teixeira, but they have not jumped back in. Said Steinbrenner: "We haven't come to a decision yet on that. It's obviously a big commitment."

Teixeira is in many ways a better fit for the Yankees than Ramirez, given his age (28) and superb defensive skills. But Ramirez, 36, will require a much shorter time commitment and remains a dominant hitter who is clutch in the postseason.

The Yankees would like to keep their payroll close to what it was in 2008 ($209 million). Given that desire, signing either Teixeira or Ramirez likely would close the door on bringing back Andy Pettitte or making any other notable signings.

Even after the addition of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, some in the organization remain concerned about having a deep enough rotation to withstand an injury. Some in the organization would rather bring back Pettitte or sign a similar starter, a source said, then add a second-tier hitter such as Pat Burrell or even re-sign Jason Giambi.

Notes & quotes: The Mets launched an online fan club called Club Mets. The fan club, which is at Mets.com/clubmets and LosMets.com, costs $19.95 and includes discounts and pre-sale ticket opportunities ... Yankees minor-league catcher Damian Taveras was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance.