If you needed any proof that Hal and Hank Steinbrenner are not going to follow their father’s blueprint on how to run the Yankees, look no further than Brian Cashman’s new contract.

In the old days, the Boss would have jettisoned his general manager a long time ago, needing to blame someone for the Yankees’ failures this season. By bringing Cashman back on a new three-year deal, the Steinbrenner sons have shown a belief in the GM’s rebuilding plan, even if it resulted in a season without playoffs in 2008.

Why is Cashman the right man for the job? I’ve detailed my thoughts on his run here several times, explaining why I think he should be back. Once the Yankees decided not to deal for Johan Santana, Cashman should have gotten his contract extension right there and then.

Cashman has taken a lot of heat for his decision not to deal for Santana, but of course, that’s all hindsight. When Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy combine for zero wins and Santana has an outstanding season with the Mets, how could people not criticize the decision?

But Cashman’s decision showed that he’s all about trying to do what is best for the Yankees in the long-term rather than what will make him look good in the short-term. Would the Yankees have been better in 2008 with Santana? Of course they would have. No matter how much faith Cashman has in Hughes and Kennedy, he knew that Santana would be a better option this season.

But even with one year left on his own deal, the lame-duck GM did what he felt was in the best interests for the club in the long term, which meant hanging on to a 21-year-old pitcher he felt would be a No. 1 or 2 starter down the road, and more importantly, not giving $140 million to a pitcher who might not be worth it in the final two or three years of the contract.

Cashman has a busy offseason ahead of him. He has several spots in the rotation to fill and must figure out what to do in center field and at first base. There’s about $80 million coming off the books, so he’ll have plenty of money to work with. The issue is, can he lure the free agents he desires (CC Sabathia, for instance) to the Bronx with a blank check?

Things should be quiet in the next couple weeks, with some possible changes on the coaching staff and Mussina’s pending retirement announcement the only potential news. But once the World Series is over, it’s going to get fast and furious.