Edition: U.S. / Global

Ready to Deal After Shuffle

Published: August 26, 1990

FOR the Yankees' reshuffled front-office personnel, it is still just the beginning of the post-George Steinbrenner era. But so far, things seem to be progressing well.

George Bradley, brought to New York from the team's minor league operation in Tampa, Fla., arrived at Yankee Stadium yesterday and spent most of the day conferring with General Manager Gene Michael on trades the team might make. He also gave every impression that the new alignment was working well.

''I love it,'' said Bradley, who underwent a change in titles from vice president of player personnel to vice president of baseball operations. ''It's the best thing. Stick and I work very well together. We're on the same wavelength, as is Stump.'' Stump Merrill, the manager, will have greater input in decisions regarding trades. But the biggest change will apparently be the ability of Bradley and Michael to make deals without having to run them past the former principal owner, who often called off trades on a whim.

''We'll go to Mr. Nederlander and inform him of what we're doing,'' Bradley said of Robert Nederlander, who was named to succeed Steinbrenner as the team's general partner. ''But our agreement is that if we feel it's the thing to do, we'll do it. Mr. Nederlander will leave the baseball decisions to the baseball people, as long as he's informed and kept abreast of things.''

Bradley had been part of what was essentially a two-headed general manager partnership, operating out of Tampa and talking by phone with Pete Peterson, who was replaced by Michael last week. But Bradley said he would spend the summers in New York and the winters in Florida, making it easier to conduct business on a daily basis. So far, however, all the Yankees have done is talk trade. ''There's a lot of smoke,'' Bradley said, ''but no fire yet.''