Derek Jeter, New York Yankees Resume Relationship Following High School Antics
December 7, 2010 · Daniel Bartemus · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Think back to your high school years and all of the silly “relationships” you were in. How many times did you date someone for awhile before briefly splitting up, only to resume dating days, sometimes hours, later?
It’s okay to be honest, everyone does it that way during the teenage years because the human race tends to be awkward and extremely immature between the ages of 14 and 18 (and beyond).
I was reminded of this phase numerous times over the past six weeks while watching the way the New York Yankees and Derek Jeter handled their relationship. It felt like high school all over again.
Each said things behind the other’s back to try to gain leverage, which was pointless because neither side ever had, or needed, much leverage. The Yankees wanted and needed Jeter back, and Jeter wanted and needs to be a Yankee forever.
He will be, as both sides finally came together Tuesday to announce a three-year, $51 million contract with a player option for a fourth year.
Everyone that follows, covers or works for Major League Baseball knew Jeter and the Yankees would get back together. It was just a matter of when one side would finally crack and walk down the hall to the other’s locker to make it official.
Yes, I have beaten this high school analogy to death, but I think we can all agree that these negotiations lasted much too long, to the point where the situation was bordering on ridiculous.
From the beginning, it was Hank Steinbrenner’s intention to give a fair deal to an aging player who has meant everything to the Yankee organization, on and off the field. For Jeter, it was about getting a deal that illustrated how important he has been to New York since arriving in 1995. In my opinion, it was also about needing to feel wanted.
Jeter is 36 and coming off the worst season of his career. Since August, everyone has been saying he’s done without thinking for a second that maybe he just had an off year.
It was barely a season ago that we marveled at the Captain’s 2009 campaign, when he batted .334, had a .406 on-base percentage, finished third in the MVP voting, and had a typical-Jeter postseason during New York’s title run.
Understandably, his ego took a hit, and he wanted proof in numbers that the Yankees still coveted his presence.
Every sports media outlet has asked the same question since the 2:30 p.m. press conference from Yankee headquarters concluded: Who got the better deal? You get the feeling that Jeter was happier walking away from the table, but I call it a push. I know that’s a copout, but take a second to think about it.
Jeter is getting paid $17 million in each of the next three seasons, which is a pay cut, but only $1.9 million less than the $18.9 he averaged during his expired 10-year deal. He’s still making more money then most 36-year-old shortstops should, and that number fairly represents his value, both past and present, to the franchise. Most importantly, he gets what he ultimately wanted all along: to be a Yankee for life.
On the Yankees side, they overpaid for an aging superstar. Big deal; do you think that’s the first time they’ve done that? And think of the haymaker New York would have absorbed had they not ponied up, forcing Jeter to walk.
The number of season ticket holders would have decreased significantly, hundreds of thousands of dollars would have been lost in merchandise sales, and the organization would have worn an ugly black eye that would have taken years to remove.
Jeter’s value to the organization transcends his on-field production, a valid point that his agent, Casey Close, made from the beginning.
Along with that, they are retaining a darn good player. Thirty-six is old in the NFL and NBA, but great players have remained productive well into their 30s, and sometimes 40s, in baseball.
Only time will tell, but you have to think the odds of Jeter producing numbers closer to 2009 are better than him performing at the incredibly low level he did this past season. This contract lasts three years, possibly four, but we will know after one just how fair of a deal it was for New York.
In the end, both sides got what they wanted. At last, we can shift our focus to other negotiations that are taking place at baseball’s winter meetings, most notably Cliff Lee’s. But please, spare us the high school drama.
For more, visit my website www.pointbartemus.com, a sports forum. Or contact me at dbartemus@gmail.com.
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