Jeter is not worth $20 million a year anymore, but since when are the Yankees such penny pinchers. This is a team that has more money than God and throws it away like it's paper (A.J Burnett, Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, etc.). They are probably going to offer free agent pitcher Cliff Lee over $100 million. Now is when they choose to be financially responsible when it comes to Derek Jeter's contract?
Big deal if they over pay him. Almost the entire Yankee team is overpaid. It's not as if paying Jeter an extra $5 million a year will prevent them from getting other players. They are not the Pirates. They charge a fortune for tickets and make 20 times the revenue of any other team. It seems like the Yankees have no problem overpaying other teams players, yet become cheap when paying their own.
Why is this considered playing hardball. At $15mm per season they are already overpaying by about $8mm per season. I don't get what people are talking about, why does he "need" to be paid $20mm per season. Hanley Ramirez and Jimmy Rollins make under $11mm and he isnt at their levels anymore. He was the 9th ranked shortstop last season by WAR, and players don't get better at 37 years old. They are not insulting him, he had an awful year, his defense is horrendous and is almost certainly on downswing of his career offensively. The only reason this is in public is because Jeter's agent put it there.
ReplyDeleteGiving Jeter a deal longer than 3 years will significantly harm the Yankees in years to come. If they want to give him $20mm whatever, but they should not budge on the years as we cannot have the entire left side of the infield be 40 years old in 3 years...