Does senior circuit fit for Torre?

There’s been no official announcement, but when Grady Little stepped down as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, it became readily apparent that their next manager will be Joe Torre. Torre last week did not accept a pay cut to stay with the Yankees, and they hired former Marlins manager Joe Girardi (who also was offered the Dodgers job, according to published reports.)

Little says he stepped down for personal reasons and didn’t elaborate, but the timing sounds fishy to many. (Oddly enough, the last time Little lost his job, it was related to Torre, whose Yankees defeated Little’s Red Sox in the 2003 American League Championship Series.)

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Torre’s contract will be for three years at $4 million per season, which ironically is a pay cut from what he would have taken to stay with the Yankees. Don Mattingly, the former Yankees great who was Torre’s bench coach last season in New York, stepped down and will likely stick with Torre in Los Angeles, according to the New York Times.

Torre obviously wants to prove the Steinbrenners wrong, that he deserved to stay with the Yankees, where he led them to 12 consecutive playoff appearances. (True, they never fired him – but they knew he wouldn’t accept the pay cut.) Los Angeles is one of the few places that have a payroll somewhat comparable to New York – he’ll inherit a $124 million roster that underachieved last season.

But will Torre’s game work in the National League? It’s a different strategy without the designated hitter, and Torre had almost all of his success in the AL. He went 1173-767 (.605) with the Yankees. He managed the Braves, Mets and the Cardinals earlier in his career and was a combined 894-1003 (.471).

That’s a big difference, and the 67-year-old Torre would be risking his legacy somewhat in the senior circuit.