5 thoughts on “What price Jeter?”

1. This thing about this whole negotiation with Jeter, that people seem to forget is, that its the Yankees.

   All these analysis of what he may be worth now etc seem irrelevant to me because its the Yankees. The Yankees do not operate like any other teams in terms of finances. Just about every regular player on the Yankees roster is “overpaid” to some extent, even the best players on the team.

   This is all fine because like I said, the Yankees payroll allows them to pay half thier regular players 20M a year. Everyone knows they are not a model franchise from a payroll efficiency standpoint, but they are successful the way they do things.

   My only question is why now is everyone so concerned with analyzing Jeters stats and paying him ‘what hes worth’, when they pay countless other players far more than they are worth without blinking an eye. IMO Jeter should continue to get paid somewhere areound an average salary as hes been getting. 15-20M for a few years. Anything less would be disrespectful from the Yankees who are paying a guy like AJ Burnett 18M a year or just paid Javy Vasquez 12M this year.

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   • Yeah, but if his name was not Derek Jeter, he’d be worth no more right now as a free agent than Miguel Tejada.

     I find this topic fascinating b/c it will be interesting to see how much over value Cashman (who is no fool) will be willing to pay a player who, in reality, is probably worth no more than a 2 year, 6M, contract right now. Seriously, over the next two years (ages 37 and 38), what can you realistically expect from him? A .700 OPS and sub-par defense, with an increase likelihood of injury. While Jeter’s fawning fans in the media may dispute that, Cashman knows better. And Cashman also knows that Jeter needs the Yankees a lot more than the Yankees need him. But at the same time, I doubt Cashman wants to play hardball with a guy whom the fans love so much.

     As a Met fan, I hope they give him 5 years, 100m, so that in a few years they are paying him and A-Rod a combined 50m per year for next to no production.

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     • See but thats my point, he is Derek Jeter, and that means something.

       And you are right to say “interesting to see how much over value Cashman (who is no fool) will be willing to pay a player who, in reality, is probably worth no more than a 2 year, 6M, contract right now”. You are right about his true value.

       But my point is, that is the case of probably half the players on thier roster, they have ingnored the players true value. I mean when the team pays CC Sabathia 20+ million a year, and Arod 30 million a year, and Burnett 18M, and they trade for Javy Vasquez making 12M etc.

       Like I said, the Yankees dont operate the same way as other teams in terms of payroll. They have no problem paying well above a players true value to get them to sign or bring in a needed part in a salary dump trade.

       So for the Yankees to now all of a sudden, for probably the first time, get all fiscally responsible when it comes to Jeter would be insulting to me if I was Jeter.

     • Absolutely, how do you take a hard line stance with Jeter, after giving A-Rod 10 years, $305M (inclusive of the HR bonuses)? To agree to overpay A-Rod until he is 42, and then find financial religion with Jeter because he will be 37 seems odd. But at the same time, how many bad contracts can they give until it comes back to haunt them. It is conceivable that 3 or 4 years from now, they could have a aggregate $100m per year invested in Jeter, A-Rod, Tex, and CC, and could be getting next to nothing in return. That would be an obstacle even the Yankees would be hard pressed to overcome financially.

     • I agree with everything you are saying Sherm, but like you said, finding financial religion now, when it comes to your biggest star is IMO a dumb move.

       The Yankees dont penny pinch. And you are right they may eventualy have to start, but I think starting with Jeter, a guy who is a top all time Yankee, would be ridiculous.