To Sign Jeter Or Not!!

[jetersbatboy]

Let's take a poll of what Yankees fans think!

I say don't sign him, if it cost you 3 year at $21 million!

ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/m...ace&id=5818664

[r_phelps]

If jeter was to leave NY, seeing him wear another uniform would be like Santa wearing a halloween costume.

[jetersbatboy]

I'm a huge Jeter fan, but I'm a bigger Yankees fan!! Do what best for the team, take a stance! 3 years at most and no more then $17 million....

[BULBUS]

The Yankee have the upper hand here. I think Jeter has to take whatever they are offering. What is another team going to give him???? Would another team give him more than say 7-10 mil for 2-3 years, I dont think so. Is there any other team that would want him as their short stop at this point?

He is going to reach 3,000 hits in 2011, does he want to do that in another uniform, especially when no other Yankees has done it before? Nope. I think Jeter should just take the offer and call it a career in 3 years. What else does he have to prove, how much more money does he need?

[cjclong]

Hope they reach agreement. At the end of your career you can't expect to be paid as much as in the prime. Would other teams like Jeter as their shortstop? Yes. At his current salary, no. I hope Jeter is one of those players who spends all of his career with one team. Great that Ripken did, hope Jeter does too.

[legaleagle92481]

he has made over 100 million in his career and countless more in endorsements. the yankees owe him nothing they have given him as much as he has given them if not more. he is clearly slipping and at his age once a guy slips he rarely bounces back. i would thank him, wish him well and invest his 20 million in carl crawford. they could use his relative youth, speed, defense and bat. this would allow them to sell high on swisher and maybe get some pitching for him as even if they get lee they still need middle of the rotation arms. Jeter would be a good fit on a team like the Orioles that is young and upcoming as he would fill the seats and bring attention to the team and he could mentor and set a positive example for the young players. The niners let Montana go, the Pack got rid of Farve, the Chargers got rid of LT so it is not unheard of for a team to let a longtime star go late in their careers.

[trsent]

he has made over 100 million in his career and countless more in endorsements. the yankees owe him nothing they have given him as much as he has given them if not more. he is clearly slipping and at his age once a guy slips he rarely bounces back. i would thank him, wish him well and invest his 20 million in carl crawford. they could use his relative youth, speed, defense and bat. this would allow them to sell high on swisher and maybe get some pitching for him as even if they get lee they still need middle of the rotation arms. Jeter would be a good fit on a team like the Orioles that is young and upcoming as he would fill the seats and bring attention to the team and he could mentor and set a positive example for the young players. The niners let Montana go, the Pack got rid of Farve, the Chargers got rid of LT so it is not unheard of for a team to let a longtime star go late in their careers.

Jeter's legacy would not be the same if he left New York. Isn't he team captain? George would never let him leave. I hope he stays and retires in a similar class as a Robin Yount or George Brett.

George Steinbrenner said, "I have always been very, very careful about giving such a responsibility (Captain of the New York Yankees) to one of my players, but I can not think of a single player that I have ever had who is more deserving of this honor than Derek Jeter. He is a young man of great character and has shown great leadership qualities. He believes, as I do, what General (Douglas) MacArthur said, that 'there is no substitute for victory.' To him, and to me, it's second only to breathing."

[legaleagle92481]

This debate is meaningless because regardless of what should happen from a baseball and financial perspective does anyone really think he will not be back? Who else would even pay him at almost 37 15-20 million a year for the next 3-4 years? If he goes to a noncontender looking to make a splash doesn't that sort of kill his whole legacy? Does anyone think he could turn around a team like the Royals, Indians or Nats by himself?

[cjclong]

The reported offer of $15million a year for three years sounds more than fair. It is considerably higher than other younger shortstops are making. To put it in perspective, a person in a job making $100,000 a year, which is way above the average, would work 40 years to make $4million, which would still leave them $11million short of what Jeter would make in 1 year and $41million less than he would make in 3 years. To most of us his one year salary would be considered "winning the lottery." I am an advocate of the Yankees signing Jeter, but the offer that is said to be on the table does not seem in the least unfair.

[xpress34]

The Yankees have encouraged Derek Jeter to test the market if he believes there is a better offer out there...

It will be interesting to see how this little experiment turns out...

Not that Rafael Palmiero is Derek Jeter, but I still remember clearly back in the '90s when Palmiero told the Rangers he didn't like their offer and he wanted to test the Free Agency waters...

The Rangers extended the same offer they gave Palmiero to Will Clark and Will the Thrill became a Texas Ranger. Palmiero became incensed and immediately went on the offensive claiming how poorly the Rangers had treated him 'stabbing him in the back' and leaving him 'hanging in the wind'... I'm sorry, who's choice was it to pursue the almighty dollar and test free agency?

I would like to think that Jeter is a better person than that (we all know what ultimately happened to Palmiero in the end - in fact I've never seen his name surface since his positive test - but that's another story).

I agree with Hank's stance and hope Jeter proves to be the Stand Up and Class Guy he has always been - and this is coming from a guy (me) who can't stand the Yankees!

My agreement with Hank comes from my belief that these guys need to realize how OVERPAID all of them are for playing a game - and yes, I am still a baseball fan - and they also need to realize the fans that many of them treat like 2nd class citizens are ultimately the ones who truly pay their salaries.

Steinbrenner and the rest of the owners aren't paying these guys out of the goodness of their hearts. They are paying them based on income which is created by who? US - the fans. We buy the tickets, the concessions, the gear, etc... hell, we even vote for the taxes on ourselves to build them the stadiums that they ultimately make all of the money from!

But I digress, I am getting off track here.

It will be interesting based on this article to see if The Captain actually dips his toes in the FA waters or if he just decides to get the deal done with the Yankees.

As much as has been made here about Ruth and Mantle and everyone else, this deal (or non deal) could ultimately underscore Jeter's legacy in NY. The WS are great, but Ruth and Mantle both did that too while winning MVP's, Batting Titles, HR Crowns, joing the 500 HR club, etc... but Jeter is on the precipice of doing what NO other Yankee has ever done - join the 3,000 hit club.

Yes, others that have donned the Pinstripes have joined the 3,00 hit club AFTER leaving NY (Boggs, Henderson, Winfield, etc) but NONE have done it as a Yankee. Only Lloyd Waner (1944-45) ever donned the pinstripes as a member of the 3,000 hit club. No other 3,000 hit club member besides Waner has ever even worn the uniform as a member of the 3,000 club.

Add to that the fact that A-Rod should join the 3,000 hit club as a Yankee, but Jeter should be 1st as he is a FRANCHISE guy - not another hired gun like A-Rod. He's gotten EVERY hit wearing pinstripes and 3,000 should be no different.

If Jeter gets a bigger offer and leaves, it WILL absolutely leave a tarnish on his NYY Legacy and will make A-Rod the 1st to do it in pinstripes. It would be a lot like 'kissing your sister' at that point and would not have near the poignancy of it being done by a lifetime Yankee player.

I actually like and respect Jeter - outside of the HBP act he put on this year, there has never been a bad word said about Jeter in his career. He is the epitome of what a Pro Athlete should be for our children to look up to. Play for love of the game and play with class and use every bit of your ability to make yourself as good of a player as you can possibly be.

That said, Jeter is NOT a top tier SS anymore. His range is lacking and he is not the HR/BA/RBI machine many of today's bigger more athletic SS (Tulowitzki, HanRam, etc) are becoming.

Again, Jeter has made his money and yes, he has made the Yankees and MLB money as well, but he needs to remember that without the company (MLB, Yankees, etc) he wouldn't be a millionaire from playing a game.

I honestly believe that everything his had made of himself up to this point hinges on which way this deal goes... NO other player that has left the Yankees - Ruth included - would incur more wrath and anger from NYY fans than Jeter if he takes another deal. Ruth was jettisoned by the Yanks as other players have been.

If Jeter leaves, it will be HIS choice and HIS choice alone. This fact alone separates the Jeter issue from Ruth, Mantle and any other Yankee you care to name.

I think that covers it for now. Thanks for readin my rant and I'll be interested to see your responses to it.

All the best -

Smitty

PS - Realize that many teams will be willing to top the Yankees current offer for one reason alone - marketing and sales. If they landed Jeter, they would make their money back on ticket and product sales alone.

Steinbrenner has said they will not overpay Jeter - regardless of what he has done for the team, so if he tests the market and gets a huge offer, we will see if the Yankees stick to their guns or bend and break under the pressure to keep The Captain and his Legacy in tact. Ironically, if Jeter does hold the Yanks for ransom and wins the battle, that will leave a bitter taste in many fans mouths as well as it will make Jeter look greedy and petty, so both sides are in a very sticky situation - possibly the single most contentious FA battle ever given the history and the legacy at stake.