Derek Jeter’s pending contract negotiations with the New York Yankees could well be end unhappily for both sides ; The Captain is posting career lows offensively, and his limited range at shortstop is tougher to cover up each year. Coming off a $189 million, ten year pact, for how long, exactly, should the Yankees be expected to reward Jeter as though he were still an elite player? Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest advises the Bombers to “move on from Jeter as soon as possible after his 3,000th hit.”
Who in their right mind would give Jeter what he wants? Would Derek be so vindictive that he takes a shorter deal somewhere else to punish the Yankees? Does he want to be like Wade Boggs who collected his 3,000th hit wearing a Devil Rays uniform? Better yet, what team will pay top dollar just to hurt the Yankees in this economy? I can™t think of any right now.
The difference between Jeter and someone like Marco Scutaro is harder to decipher these days. The defense is average, the slumps longer, and overall he is a below league average hitter. Money is no object, but how much is 3,000 hits worth? I say it™s worth $20 million, but on a year to year contract. If Michael Jordan could do year to year deals with Chicago at the end of his career so can the Captain. Something tells me Jeter and his agent won™t agree. That is when the real fun will start.
The most obvious difference between Jeter and Scutaro is in the number of rings earned by each, though the former’s already been compensated quite handsomely for those accomplishments.
The Jordan analogy works, tho. I mean, Jordan’s stats with the White Sox v Jeter’s current numbers.
If the salary can’t be worked out, I look for Baltimore to pay him over $20/yr on a 3-year deal because that’s the type of signing that they make every year. But probably they’ll keep him. I can see him taking a pay cut rather than play elsewhere.
he’s not done yet.
done playing ball? prob not. But perhaps done as a leadoff hitter, everyday SS for a championship contender at $20 million a year