Speier: ‘Joba Rules’ spark rumble in the Bronx

It didn’t take a meteorologist to see a storm brewing in the Bronx. Two opposing fronts — or, more accurately, front-office factions — were destined to clash. Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner has channeled his father’s legendary demand for immediate results. New York GM Brian Cashman, meanwhile, subscribes to the gospel of long-term planning.

Less than a month into the season, those world views are conflicting over the proper role for Yankees phenom Joba Chamberlain. On Sunday, Steinbrenner made clear that he wants the lightning-armed pitcher to move immediately from a bullpen role to the starting rotation.

“I want [Chamberlain] as a starter and so does everyone else,” Steinbrenner told The New York Times. “You don’t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don’t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.”

Cashman, meanwhile, is equally hostile to the notion of making a rash decision based on the poor performance (5.33 ERA) of his rotation. In an effort to limit injury risks, the Yankees — like many other teams — do not permit their developing pitchers to increase their workload by more than 30 or 40 innings in any single season.

Thus, Chamberlain — who logged 116 pro innings last year — will be limited to roughly 150 frames this year. His current bullpen role is a direct result of that approach. Based on his comments when the Yankees visited Fenway earlier this month, Cashman seems unlikely to abandon that approach.

“We’re managing the assets,” said Cashman. “I love it when sometimes people criticize that and say, ‘Let ’em loose. Let him throw his 220 [innings].’ Those people are dinosaurs now.”

Cashman is intent on running the Yankees according to the same principles followed by Theo Epstein as general manager of the Red Sox. Both GMs believe success is the byproduct of a commitment to the long-term best interests of the players.

Last September, the Yankees instituted “the Joba Rules” to ensure that Chamberlain did not get overworked down the stretch. The Sox shut down Clay Buchholz before the playoffs in an emphatic statement that they would not go for it in one year at the expense of future seasons.

Winning at all costs, Cashman pronounced, is no longer an acceptable modus operandi so long as he remains in charge of the Yankees’ roster.

“I take it very seriously in terms of trying to do what’s best for this franchise even if it hurts us in the short run,” Cashman said. “Any time I get challenged on it, I become defiant and say, ‘Go ahead and second guess all you want. When you’re running this organization, you can make decisions differently.’”

It is not yet clear whether such a turn of events will transpire. But there is a severe weather watch in New York.

Alex Speier is in his seventh season covering the Sox.