Jeter Wants A-Rod Money In Next Deal?
Via John Harper today -
All along it has been thought that hammering out a new deal would be a relatively smooth process because the brass understands it will be paying more for what [Derek[ Jeter has meant to the franchise than for what he will actually be worth as a shortstop who turns 37 next season.
But what if he finishes out the season without putting together any kind of extended hot streak, and winds up a singles hitter who manages, say, .270 with a .335 on-base percentage?
Under ordinary circumstances the drop-off from a typical Jeter season would be significant enough to make management reassess what it should pay him. Obviously Jeter is an extraordinary case, but how extraordinary?
Complicating matters is the Alex Rodriguez contract, which has another seven years worth $209 million, plus those potential milestone home-run bonuses.
Jeter may be the ultimate team guy, but two former teammates believe that when it comes to getting paid, his pride will demand that he get something approaching A-Rod money, regardless of what he hits this season.
“It’s up to (the Yankees),” one former player said. “Knowing Jeet, he’s not going to let an off-year, if it turns out to be an off-year, play a role in what he thinks he should get paid. He just doesn’t think like that. He’ll be more convinced than ever that he’ll come back and hit .330 next year.”
The second former teammate essentially agreed.
“The question is whether (Brian) Cashman and the others think this is the start of a decline,” he said. “And if so, are they going to factor it into the negotiations or just pay him for being the face of the franchise all these years? Knowing Derek, he’ll say all the right things, but he won’t give an inch based on his numbers this season.”
Obviously the Yankees won’t want to go to war with Jeter, knowing it likely would be a PR nightmare.
“They’re in a tough spot,” one prominent agent said Tuesday. “Because the way he’s hitting, the gap between his true value as an old shortstop without power and his Yankee-legend value is so enormous, I’m not sure how you bridge that gap without causing some hard feelings.”
I still have a feeling that this is out of Cashman’s hands and that it will be Randy Levine, Lonn Trost and the Steinbrenner boys who work on the next deal with Jeter. A-Rod didn’t work out his new deal with Cashman – he went straight to Hank Stein. In a way, maybe Cashman would be happy with that? It’s really going to be an uncomfortable task – given the way that Jeter has played this season.
While Jeter will be asking for a lot of $$ and his skills may be declining, we (and the yankees) must keep in mind the money the organization will make from Jeter’s quest to get 3,000 hits. He will pack arenas both in NY and on the road–leading to $$ for the yankees and the teams the bombers visit.
I simply can’t imagine that Cashman, Levine, Trost or the Steinbrenners would give Jeter an A-Rod style contract. I’m certain that Jeter will be overpaid for the privilege of becoming the first Yankee in history with 3000 hits but I sincerely doubt that he’ll get more than four years or $22M AAV.
Sure he wants it, I want A-Rod money too. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.
Corey Italiano wrote:
Count me in on that.
A-Rod isn’t even worth A-Rod money.
No one is worth A-Rod money in his late 30s.
I’ve said here several times I would not give Jeter a long-term deal. Once you start to pay for past performance and tie up a position with a player with declining skills, you are on the road to team decline. But I agree with the article that the negotiations will probably go on above Cashman, because Jeter’s agent would rather talk to people who know little to nothing about the game but think they do.
@ Scout:
Agree with everything you said.
The only thing that MAY go in Jeter’s favor is if he has some injury, that the Yankees know about, that he’s playing thru this season and the Yankees know that it can be fixed in the off-season. But, if there’s no excuse, other than decline, for Jeter’s season, then this could be one ugly scene…
Imagine it all breaking down and then Jeter signs a one-year deal with the Rays to play first base for them in 2011…and gets his 3,000th hit in his current hometown of Tampa…
Just kidding. Sorta/Kinda.
@ Steve Lombardi:
I don’t know if it’s injury related, but it seems that Jeter hasn’t been as patient as he has been in the past. I know that he’ll never be confused with Wade Boggs, but still… It seems that he has been swinging earlier in the count and at more pitches outside the zone.
This looks like a train wreck no matter what happens, except in the very unlikely scenario that he’s willing to sign for 3-4 years and high, but not ridiculous money, and Jeter is able to play at the average level of his 2007-9 seasons.
From a standpoint of cold logic, the Yanks SHOULD say adios after this year, unless, as Steve says, he’s been hiding a serious injury all year.
However, there is no way in the world they will say adios. If the difference between what Jeter wants and what the Yanks are willing to pay is significant, and it SHOULD be, this will get extremely ugly. At which point, even if Trost, Levine, Hank and Hal are involved, they’ll palm it off on Cashman.
I don’t envy Cashman at all on this one. It looks like a no-win scenario.
On the bright side, Steve, if the backlash focused on Cashman is severe enough, they may scapegoat him, and you’ll finally be free.
However, the powers that be in the Yankees organization will know better, and though they’ll make a big show of pointing at Cashman for the debacle, they’ll keep him at his post, and a whole new round of “When will Cashman be held accountable?” storm and fury will erupt.
If it happens that way, wherever he is, the Boss will be smiling.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
That would be fine. It’s not like the Yankees would cease to be if Jeter played in Tampa next year. And, really, I doubt Tampa could afford what Jeter would ask for.
Here’s a possible double nightmare scenario.
Let’s say the Yanks stand firm on Jeter, as they should, from a business standpoint.
Now suppose Mariano refuses to sign with the Yanks until Jeter does?
Evan3457 wrote:
I wouldn’t predict it to go down like that. I don’t exactly recall but I don’t think Mariano took a similar principled stand during his and Posada’s simultaneous negotiations after the 2007 season.
Stupid thought: Cashman could be blamed for not re-signing him after last season, when a big contract could’ve been justified. This is completely bass-ackwards, business-wise, but it would’ve saved the organization the coming pandemonium.
If only Cashman had made the blunder of signing Jeter after last season, the forthcoming ruckus could’ve been avoided. Damn you, Cashman!
@ Steve Lombardi:
If that’s the case, then he needs to go on the DL. It always drove me nuts when Roger Clemens would pitch poorly in a big game, then claim he had some injury he never bothered to mention beforehand.
“Pena needs to slide over to short for a couple of games once A-Rod gets back. Won’t really hurt us at the plate at all. Along that line of thought…
I sincerely hope Jeter is concealing a seriously debilitating injury. Hate to think he’s that late in his career, especially after a great year in ’09. If what we are seeing is what he’s got left in the tank, he’s got maybe a year or two left, and most of that will be on reputation. I’m a huge DJ fan, and always be, but he seems to have aged before our eyes over the past 3 months.”
To this I’ll add…
My hope is for an incentive laden 2 year deal, with club or mutual options, also with a big incentive upside, and a personal services arrangement after that, assuming he plays out his career as a Yankee. If he wants to go do the Tampa-like thing somewhere else, then the personal service deal is off. It’s a two way street. The Jeter of 2009… Sure, I’ll overpay to keep that guy around considering what he’s meant to the org. If he plays like 2009, pay him like 2009+. But if he plays like 2010, I’ll still overpay him by league standards, but not $18-20M per. He couldn’t reasonably expect that. I know there is money involved, but I have a hard time seeing Jeter wanting to hang around if he’s performing like he is right now. It can’t be fun for him. He’ll get his 3000 hits, but if what we are seeing is what he has left, forget about 4000 like was talked about (even by me, as recently as last year). By all accounts he’s managed his affairs well, made bundles as a pitchman, and he and his great grandchildren are set for life. I sure do hope he’s hurt, or his eyes are going and he needs glasses/Lasik’s, etc… He entered the league and played with great dignity for a long time. He’s got to leave that way to complete the legend.
Go out like Joe D., not like Ali.
I’ve always loved Tim Wakefield’s recurring contract (the one he had before this past offseason). Perhaps something similar would work?
I’m thinking, $12MM (or however much you prefer) recurring mutual option. Let Jeter go out when he wants to. He’d be a Yankee for life, and it can be taken at a year by year basis.
4 years $50 million – take it or leave it.
Why should Jeter, or anyone else be paid for the past? Torre left and the Yankees survived. Jeter wants too much, LET HIM WALK AWAY! The Yanks will not only survive, they would probably get better!