As he left the meetings at Legends Field, after about three hours of talks, Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told the Associated Press: “We talked about everything, including Bonds.”

Neither Steinbrenner brother — Hank or his co-chairman Hal — could be reached for comment last night, nor could General Manager Brian Cashman. But signing Bonds is likely a very long shot for the Yankees, as Cashman is not believed to be enamored with the idea of adding Bonds, who turned 44 yesterday and has not played all season.

A source, who called the meetings “due diligence,” said: “He was discussed. I think it’s highly, highly unlikely that that would happen, but he was discussed.”

There were three areas of need on the table: a bat, a left-handed reliever and a starting pitcher. According to a source, no one of those needs takes priority over the other two. It’s a simple matter of what presents itself on the trade front and if anything makes sense.

A pretty good chance exists that the Yankees will not make a major move before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Sure, they might trade for a left-handed reliever such as the Rockies’ Brian Fuentes or the Royals’ Ron Mahay. Neither would cost a ton in a trade, though the Rockies want a solid prospect back for Fuentes.

Unless the asking price drops significantly, you probably won’t see the Rockies’ Matt Holliday, the Pirates’ Jason Bay or the Braves’ Mark Teixeira in a Yankees uniform next weekend when the Angels come to town. Scratch that last part. There’s virtually no chance Teixeira winds up in a Yankees uniform this season, given their surplus of first basemen.

Going back to Bonds for a minute. His agent, Jeff Borris, has said recently that Bonds has received no contract offers, even for the major league minimum. That fact surprised a few Yankees players who were asked about Bonds recently, before Steinbrenner mentioned the all-time home run leader.

Yankees captain Derek Jeter said he had not been following the situation too closely, but thought that Bonds initially had been considering retirement. If Bonds wanted to play, though, Jeter said: “It’s probably a little surprising (he hasn’t gotten a job). In terms of hitting, he’s one of the best offensive players ever.”

As for Bonds’s age, Jeter said: “He didn’t really seem to be slowing down much last year.”

In fact, Bonds batted .276 with a .945 on-base plus slugging percentage last year. He had 28 home runs, 66 RBIs and 75 runs scored in 126 games and 340 at-bats. The only Yankee with an OPS in that realm is Alex Rodriguez, who is currently at .991.

Rodriguez said Wednesday that he hadn’t thought about Bonds’s employment situation, but he, like Jeter, is known to be friendly with the slugger. Johnny Damon, when asked about Bonds’s lack of a job but not specifically about the Yankees, said: “Not too many teams need a DH, except for probably us, if Matso (Hideki Matsui) and (Jorge) Posada can’t come back.”

The Yankees don’t yet know for certain if Matsui or Posada will return from the disabled list this season. The odds are that both will undergo season-ending surgery, Matsui on his left knee and Posada on his right shoulder. If they don’t come back, the Yankees could use a DH.

Bonds is unlikely, but as Bobby Abreu said: “He’s one of the best players ever.”

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