The Derek Jeter and New York Yankees contract saga has dragged on over the past few weeks. There have been words thrown around from both sides of the disagreement and for a short period of time, many believed it may actually be the end of the Jeter era in New York. The fight was centered around a 4th year on the proposed contract, something Brian Cashman was unwilling to budge on. The original offer was a 3-year $45 million deal, but as a small compromise, it appears Cashman and the Yankees have raised that offer to about $51 million. The 2 sides are reportedly moving closer to a deal this morning, but the question still remains, what happens with the 4th year? Do the Yankees cave and offer the extra year to their captain or do they compromise by creating a team/player option? We should all know soon, when this unnecessary and ridiculous fight settles.
Jeter has proven his value over the past 15 seasons, hitting a career .314. The combination of Jeter’s offensive strength, his range at shortstop and his leadership as captain of the club makes him an invaluable player in New York. He has lost a step or two the past few years and his bat speed seemed to decrease in 2010, but he is still better than most any other shortstop option in baseball. This entire negotiation period has just been blown-up into an ego battle and although he will ultimately end up back in pinstripes, it has fueled the New York media. New York Post took the opportunity a week or so ago to super-impose a Sox jersey on the Yankee captain  that caused an uproar in New York and a mixed reaction in Boston.
Personally, I’m just happy this saga is almost over. The Yankees were never really going to let their captain walk away, but to treat him like he was a disposable and replaceable player is disturbing. Let’s just hope all the attention on Jeter distracts the Yankees from the Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford bidding wars. Fat chance.
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