It’s not even March yet and the Yankees have been facing some prickly questions from reporters. Earlier this week, Alex Rodriguez got a bit testy when he was asked about Johnny Damon’s departure from New York. Today, Derek Jeter was asked about potentially being a free agent before next season.
The Yankees’ shortstop is in the final year of his massive 10 year, $189 million contract. At this point, there’s no way that he could command that level of compensation. Jeter’s agent had initially contacted the Yankees about negotiation a new contract but was told that wouldn’t take place until after the 2010 season. Fortunately, Derek Jeter seems to have good perspective on his situation:
“I don’t have a problem with it. That’s the new policy that they have. They have every right to do that. I signed a long deal, I’m still under contract with that deal, and they have the right to do whatever they want.
“I’ve never gone into a season focused on the next season. My approach since Day One is to do whatever you can to help the team win in that particular year. I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen next season.”
So at least The Captain can deal with the negotiations with class. But it remains to be seen how this will play out from the Yankees side of things. General manager Brian Cashman has played hardball with other players entering free agency without hesitation. At the same time, he’s also paid to get players he deems critical for success. It’s doubtful that Derek Jeter would be put into a predicament where he seriously considers joining another team.
Even if that did happen, my gut still says Jeter works out a deal with the Yankees. The value of his New York endorsements is probably worth a lot more than the marginal dollars he’d gain by signing a “better” contract elsewhere. If push comes to shove, I could see Cashman working out a one-year “rolling” contract much like Tim Wakefield has with the Red Sox. With performance and playoff incentives, the Yankees could present a competitive offer without investing a lot of money up front.
Tags:
2011,
baseball,
brian cashman,
contracts,
derek jeter,
free agents,
MLB,
new york yankees
