Excuse me for any typos. I’m currently mobile and typing this on my phone, but I just saw the following tweet from Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger:
“He should be nothing but a New York Yankee. He chooses not to be.” — Brian Cashman, on Derek Jeter and the negotiating process.
I vented earlier today about Cashman, but this is absolute lunacy. Cashman is essentially telling all of us that Jeter has no desire to play for the Yankees. Unless he takes whatever offer Cashman decides to put on the table, that is.
Brian, that’s not a negotiation. It’s an ultimatum. If you’re out to prove to your boss that you have the cajones to stand up to the team captain, you’ve made your point. Otherwise, you’re only proving yourself to be a bigger idiot in player decisions than the original Boss.
Update from Zell: Marc Carig corrected the quote:
“Let me correct this Cashman quote on Jeter. “He should be nothing but a New York Yankee, if he chooses to be.” My apologies everyone.”
M. B. Rozell
Kevin Rozell
I love it. I thought Cashman and co. would be stupid and just give Jeter whatever they wanted. This is amazing. I love the stance they are taking in negotiations.
The Yankees have a payroll and if they don’t hold a hard line with these negotiations then Jeter will be taking away part of the Yankees financial advantage.
Keep it up Cash. Nobody is bigger than the Yankees, not even Jeter.
Rob – This is reminding me of the way Reggie was treated at the end. George took the same stance, Reggie went on to have 5 more really good seasons with the Angels and the Yanks didn’t get back to the series for the next 14 years. Negotiate with him, don’t deliver ultimatums.
–Ray
This negotiation is nothing that i expected. Do you think Jeter will go to another team? i didn’t until today. my god. I wrote this about it.
http://bleedingyankeeblue.blogspot.com/2010/11/we-got-trouble-my-friend.html
In fairness, Reggie only had 1 more good year after he turned 37. They only missed him the year after he left really.
This whole “negotiation” has the potential to go south fast. As I’ve stated many times, Jeter IS the Yankees. Bad blood shouldn’t get splattered in the process. Wouldn’t want to see Jeter move to LA with a sour taste I’m his mouth like Torre did. Then again, the weather there is fine. Wouldn’t mind following. d8)
It’s one thing to not want to overpay Jeter; it’s another thing to make it look like he is going to have to beg and crawl on his hands and knees in order to re-sign with the Yankees.
As for Jeter, if he feels he can play top level baseball until he’s 47, then why doesn’t he accept 2 year contracts, one after the other? If last year was an aberration then he’ll clean up when he returns back to form. The Yanks have made him rich enough. The only reason to play to 40 is to reach 4,000 hits, not “secure his future”.
This is just wrong in my opinion. I totally get the point that the Yanks front office feels his skills have after having a bad season. Also, they may not want to address the subject of having Jeter change positions due to he lost some range. What baffles me is this: “When A-rod announced he was opting-out and testing the market the Yanks took some what of a hard stance, but in the end gave him the keys to the front door”. Here is a guy that is determined to get the spot light in some way, has the issue of steroids looming over his head, and is a superficial person. Jeter will get 3,000 hits this season, barring any injuries, and will be the first career yankee with 3,000 hits. A-rod may break the homerun records, but with a giant asterisk next to it, this goes for any stat he breaks. With Jeter you can almost never question it other than it being in the error of steroids. Sign him or the Yanks will take a media and fan backlash!!
@Mystic – you know, I was thinking something along the same lines; in fact, I thought that’s what they were shooting for at the beginning. Something like 2 years @ $35 million guaranteed, then mutual options for four more years @ around $15 mil per. The options become guaranteed based on some basic criteria: games played, BA, etc. It wouldn’t be an unusual deal at all – and nobody is on the hook if Jeter truly is in serious decline. If last season was just an aberration and 2011-12 turn out to be typical Jeter years, then the Yankees get a bargain.
I don’t understand why Cashman is drawing a line in the sand, for the first time in his life, with the man who means more to the brand than anyone else since Mantle.
@ Rob: From 1982-1986, Reggie averaged 27 HR and 81 RBI. (The numbers get even better if you discard 1983, when Reggie was hurt for most of the year).
Yankee right & left fielders not named Winfield over the same period: 14 HR and 61 RBI. Even Boss George admitted forcing Reggie out was his greatest mistake.
I’m only hoping that Hal and Hank don’t wake up one day with a similar realization.