Jeter at 35

by jscape2000 on Jun 26, 2009 11:46 AM EDT in New York Yankees Analysis

Happy birthday, Cap'n.

You're owed $21.6M this season and $22.6M next season.

You have 2623 hits, and if everything goes right you'll be a few dozen hits shy of 3000.

You've got some decisions to make DJ; you've talked so often and so sincerely about being a Yankee that it would a shock if you ever wore another uniform.

But you might have to take a pay cut to stay in pinstripes. There's not really a precedent for the downward negotiation of the second richest contract in free agent history. But when you look at the deals handed out to Jorge Posada (30% raise for age 36-39), Mariano Rivera (40% raise for age 38-40), and Alex Rodriguez (10% raise for age 32-41) you might be thinking raise. How pissed will you be if the Yankees give you the Andy Pettitte treatment?

You're the Yankee shortstop. You're playing the best defense of your career through better positioning and off-season focus on movement. You're going to be remembered as the Yankee shortstop the way people think of Mickey Mantle as the Yankee centerfielder- no one really talks about 404 games at the corners and at first from '64-'68.

But you're 35. Of the 7 shortstops in the Hall of Fame who played most of their careers after WWII, they played 58.6% of their games at short from their age 35 season on. You'll argue that those numbers are skewed by the switches of Ernie Banks and Robin Yount, but you were never in the defensive class of Ripken or Smith. The change is coming, can you live with it?

If I were the Yankees, I'd have started negotiating a contract extension already. Then the blame is on you if we can't get it done for rough $18M through age 40, bonuses for breaking the Yankee hit record later this season or early next season, for 3000 hits, for breaking Rickie Henderson's Yankee record 326 SB, Gehrig's 534 doubles, and Ruth's 1959 runs.

Once the new deal is signed you start shagging fly balls in the outfield. I'm not ordering the switch until I'm sure we have your replacement, but when you move it'll be permanent. Once Ripken moved to 3rd he didn't bounce back and forth. I watched the Mike Piazza first baseman experiment, and you're not going to do that. The move will be final.

Happy birthday, Cap'n. It's going to be an interesting year.

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Geez Jscape

Couldn’t you simply say Happy Birthday Captain and be done with it? These are issues that are not necessary for Jeter and the Yankees to address now. He will be resigned, he will be rewarded. He will not simply get a pay raise for onfield performance but he will get a raise simply for the fact he IS the icon of the New York Yankees and is one of the best Yankees both on field and off I can remember in my life time. With the amount of revenue he helps bring to Yankees just for showing up, he deserves a raise. Lord knows the Yankees have the money. Jeter will get his 3000th hit barring inury, he will get it in pinstripes and he will be honored in monument park before he is 50. The reason why they gave Posada that raise was because they felt he DESERVED a bump because of his past performance AND because they had no one else even remotely available to catch.

by HappyLuckyGoldenDragonNumber1! on Jun 26, 2009 12:04 PM EDT reply actions

Jeet

Wow, to pinhole Jeter into one deffinite career path is absurd. Year after year, time after time, he has shown he may be one of the best all around players ever. period. I for one think his defense gets better with age, and he is as fast now as he ever was, and has shown that speed in defensive range and on the basepaths(16 of 17). Happy birthday Cap!

by Buggz04ny on Jun 26, 2009 1:28 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with both of the above comments

This diary borders on the idiotic. You admit that he’s “playing the best defense of [his] career”. He’s hitting this year at just about his career average for AVG, OBP, SLG and RC. He’s stolen 17 out of 18 bases this year, well on his way to a career high. For the first time in a while, he’s healthy. (If you don’t believe he was hurt the last couple of years, look at both his SB percentage as well as his SB attempts per PA; they were both way down in 2006 and 2007 but they’re better than ever this year.) Yet you want to put him out to the OF pasture and cut his salary. Go root for the sox, will ya’?

by cph on Jun 26, 2009 1:37 PM EDT reply actions

I’m willing to leave him at shortstop for as long as Jeter’s bat+defense > replacement’s bat+defense. So long as he keeps posting a .300/.350/.400 line while playing passable d, then he’s a shortstop.

But don’t you think a responsible GM would start having the position conversation with his marquee player? What better time will present itself? A Piazza-esque shuffling and media circus would be the worst case scenario.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Jun 26, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

My guess is that his bat + defense will be better than any replacement's

bat + defense for as long as Jeter wants to play.

I don’t agree that it’s time to have the “conversation” with Jeter now. What you are suggesting is similar to what the Yanks did to Pettitte: dis him, let him leave, and then beg him to come back three years later. Wouldn’t the Yanks have been better off if Pettitte had pitched for them those three years? What did the Yanks “save” in the process? Not much.

by cph on Jun 26, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I meant the way the Yanks left Pettitte dangling this past offseason, then basically made a “take it or leave it” offer.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Jun 26, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Well I agree with the post

Jeter’s best days are behind him, and he’s already been well rewarded for his contributions to the 4 World Series titles … if you think he’s worth $22 million based on his production, you’re crazy.

Some people think Jeter is going to play forever and refuse to accept the reality of the situation. The Yankees should make sure Jeter never wears another uniform, but Jeter plays a part in that too.

And he won’t be a SS for much longer … this is his best defensive year EVER and he’s still only slightly above average, that’s saying something.

by New York Sports Jerk on Jun 26, 2009 1:51 PM EDT reply actions

I agree too

He has been paid handsomely for his tenure. It would be a smart idea to get this done this off season. Can you imagine what the 2010 season would be like if he was in his walk year? I think the idea of him moving to the outfield should at least be braoched. If the above cited HOFamers moved for the good of the team, could he do less? That would depend upon who the new SS would be. Definitely an “elephant in the room” scenario.
None of the outfielders on the current roster are mainstays. All nice players, but no locks. To my mind, Matsui is gone. Damon? Do you resign him? Swisher, Nady, Cabrera and Gardner, if any/all of them stay, fine, but there’s no O’Neill in that group.

by fredny on Jun 26, 2009 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

To be honest I think Jetes

eventual move SHOULD be to the OF, maybe even CF.

Dude’s a great athlete and he can catch fly balls no problem. The main problem is the fact he’s 6’3 and just doesn’t have that dexterity anymore of course.

I mean the way he’s playing this year shows that he has been playing injured the past season or so and it also shows that he has adapted.

Im fine with Jetes playing where he’s at. I mean unless the yankees manage to get a Hanley Ramirez or Jimmiy Rollins…or maybe they get Miguel Sano and he develops into that dude (that’s a long time to wait on a 16 y/o tho), he just needs to stay where he;s at.

As for his contract? I highly doubt he gets a raise. Im sure Jetes would be OK with $18 mill till he’s 40 (what a joke to even have to be ‘OK’ with that).

Jetes is a lifetime Yank, no doubt.

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 26, 2009 3:54 PM EDT reply actions

I'm not going to debate of merits of Jeter at SS

But any paycut he may take to resign will made up from endorsement deals in NY. Or he could take more salary from… lets say… the Tampa Bay Rays… and be less visible. Of course that isn’t going to happen.

by BigSlim on Jun 26, 2009 5:11 PM EDT reply actions

jeter

i would cut his salary by at least half. man-crushes aside, he should be happy to get 8 mill a year for 3 more years. one of the greatest yankees of recent memory, but he isn’t that great anymore. so kill me for saying it (he’s not a stalwart for a softball team but a MLB player, there should be no loyalty). don’t tie up the yankee cash in players over 33. as hard as it might be to take, the yankees will still exist past jeter, posada and mo. let’s get some new guys who are good. all you crybabies who will inevitably yell at me don’t know anything about sports and getting the real best players. PS- brian cashman is awful and is the biggest factor holding the yankees back.

by soxaredone on Jun 28, 2009 2:28 AM EDT reply actions

nah.

Jeter is still better than 90% of SS, Posada is still better than 95% of catchers, and Mo is still better than 98% of closers. Who exactly would you get that is available and better than these guys?

Can they play forever? Everyone knows that’s not true. But they are still better than most of the players out there, that’s how good these guys are.

You don’t believe that, well that the lord you are not the Yanks GM.

by FreeBradshaw on Jun 28, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions

you wonder

if he is going for a statement season. he is like 17/18 SB, still hitting .300, defense is up and let us not forget he is the leadoff!! DJ is the man!!! Although I wish he would get pissed when we suck. but I guess he is more Mattingly then Munson captainwise.

by ReggieARodJeter on Jun 29, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions