As a member of the N.Y. media I’m contractually obligated to say something about Derek Jeter today, so I’ll start with this amazing Photoshop montage from the Daily News:
That’s partnered in the print edition with Mike Lupica’s column about, well, something. I guess it’s about how the Yankees don’t want to give Derek Jeter the money Derek Jeter wants but maybe Derek Jeter wants too much money, only stretched out to like 900 words and with a bunch of quotes from rival executives incredulous that the Yankees won’t overpay for a 36-year-old shortstop who can’t field anymore.
The Yankees are doing exactly what they should be doing.
Apparently, since Brian Cashman reportedly told Jeter and his agent to look around for a better deal and come back to him, Mike Francesa suggested the Mets need to sign Jeter to make a splash, or something silly like that. It’s almost too ridiculous to even merit a response, but here’s one anyway:
Signing Derek Jeter to make a splash is the opposite of what the Mets need to do. If Jeter has a three-year, $45 million deal on the table to play for the Yankees, it will require more than that to pry him away. The Mets, by all accounts, don’t have that type of money, and even if they did they shouldn’t spend it on Jeter.
Jeter, despite his defensive issues, is undoubtedly still a very good player. But according to just about everyone he’s not interested in switching positions anytime soon, and the Mets already have a very good player at shortstop. If the Mets had more than $15 million available with which to upgrade their team in 2011, they likely sign Orlando Hudson and an innings-eating starting pitcher, a pair that would likely combine to add more wins than Jeter.
And a multi-year deal would mean the Mets had Jeter on their hands for at least his age 38 and 39 seasons as well. For a lot of money.
It makes no sense.
Tedquarters 
Pretty good argument against the Yankees signing him at that price too.
You’re only worth what someone will actually pay you and it sounds like no one will pay Jeter what he thinks he is worth. So guess what?
Fun to guess whose body they put Jeter’s head on. Definitely Utley. Frenchy? Maybe Pedroia? Who’s the Dodger?
I was trying to do that too. I’m pretty sure the Dodger is Matt Kemp — if you look at it closely (which you can’t really do here), you see a)he’s got very impressive biceps and b)They might have photoshopped out the 7 in Kemp’s 27.
From a little googling (man, is it slow before thanksgiving), I’m going with Casey Blake because of the wristbands…
http://www.google.com/images?q=casey+blake&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US358&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=1056
Definitely, Blake
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://dodgers.topbuzz.com/dodger-pics/d/5823-2/Casey%2BBlake%2Bturns%2Bback%2Bto%2Bcelebrate%2Bwith%2Bteammates%2Bafter%2Bscoring%2Bthe%2Bgame%2Bwinner%2Bagainst%2Bthe%2BCardinals.JPG&imgrefurl=http://dodgers.topbuzz.com/dodger-pics/v/fielders/casey-blake/%3Fg2_page%3D2&usg=__3mQ-vY-kJSpoeTfhvNs6iasALeE=&h=225&w=202&sz=12&hl=en&start=186&sig2=nOMXMNv1bNRR12PJ_22tpA&zoom=1&tbnid=Hv_ZkzWhaEabiM:&tbnh=152&tbnw=161&ei=FTHtTNunKoKs8AaVoJi0Ag&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcasey%2Bblake%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R1GGLL_en___US358%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D1056%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C5505&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=338&oei=vTDtTMXQHszAnAeenbnIAQ&esq=7&page=7&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:186&tx=102&ty=57&biw=1024&bih=1056
(Sorry about the length of the link)
Wow, nice find. If Jeter grew the Blake beard I’d like him like a billion times more.
Ike Davis is the Met
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/gallery_images/photos/000/467/103/23-Aug-10_97637127JM109_Arizona_Diamo_crop_450x500.jpg?1282593862
Sorry wrong link
I agree with everything written here, and if it were any other team but the yankees I would agree 100%. But it is the Yankees, so I just cant agree with them playing hardball with Jeter like this.
Its not about the $$$ in terms of what hes worth as a player, its about respecting a guy who is an all time great Yankee player. If they are willing to offer $15/45, they clearly have no problem with his ability to man SS for the next three years. So really it comes down to maybe an extra $5M per year? Really?
This is the Yankees. The yankees wipe thier @$$ with $5M. They over pay everyone. They pay AJ Burnett $82M? They’ll likely throw $150M at Cliff Lee. Paid Arod $30M a year until hes 42 years old but now are for some reason going to penny pinch Jeter? I’d be insulted if I was Jeter too.
So I agree that from a pure baseball standpoint, thier offer is fair and Jeters not even worth that, but this is teh Yankees, and everything in terms of finances is just different when its the Yankees.
To be fair to the Yankees, I don’t think that Derek Jeter “brand” would be as strong, marketable, or even existent if he weren’t a Yankee.
I kind of agree that it seems an odd time for the Yankees to care about fiscal responsibility.
But at the same time, if their offer is twice what he could get on the open market, it’s hard to say they’re penny-pinching.
Bottom line, I’m sure it will get done, but I’ll appreciate the ugliness while it lasts.
Mets should offer Jeter a 2 year deal at the league minimum, just for shiggles
TBH, I’m amazed that the Yankees even offered him that much. He is not worth 45 million. If he got a 3 year deal, I would assume it would be something like 2011 13M, 2012 11M, 2013 9M, with incentives to make up the rest. 45M guaranteed i silly money for a player his agae. Jeter should be biting Cashman’s hand off, not shopping himself around.
But Ted, signing Jeter would make the Mets relevant again…