As we all know, Derek Jeter just completed his ten-year contract with the Yankees, and is now a free agent. (Question: why is it that when other franchises-not necessarily baseball teams-do something such as give someone a ridiculous contract as such it doesn't work out, but the Yankees hit gold when they do it?) First off, I think we're being naive if we think that the Yankees (or any team for that matter) would allow a player such as Jeter to walk. We're talking about a player that's essentially been the entire franchise for over ten years. Having said that, nobody would have predicted that they would have treated Joe Torre the way that they did, and the consensus amongst various media is that Jeter took the Yankees to the cleaners on that ten-year contract. Reports indicate that the Yankees have offered Jeter a three-year contract worth $45 million. However he apparently wants four or five years and $20 million per year.
As I said, Jeter is a free agent. So is he listening to offers from other teams? Scott Boras always gets his clients the best possible deal, so it's doubtful that he would have any loyalty to the Yankees if there was another team out there that was offering more money. However the fact is that the Yankees generally outbid people, so Boras likes dealing with them. So basically what I'm asking in a passive-aggressive manner is whether or not the Orioles might have an outside shot at landing Derek Jeter. First off, Jeter's coming off of his worst statistical year in 2010; he hit .270, with only 10 HR and 67 RBI. Furthermore, Jeter is 36 years old; I would agree that a three-year $45 million contract is more than fair. However, Jeter is much more than a player in the sense that he represents everything that the New York Yankees have been for the past 15 years or so. Granted Oriole fans hate the Yankees more than anything, but that probably wouldn't stop them from rooting for Jeter if he came to Baltimore, or wanting him on the team.
If a team like the Orioles were to suddenly offered a guy like Jeter a contract, I think that we'd see an interesting dynamic ensue. The Yankees would then be forced to either let him walk, or offer a better deal. Let us not forget that a few years ago Mark Texeira used the Orioles and the Washington Nationals (his two hometown teams if you will) to essentially drive up his price for the Yankees. Ultimately, the Yankees got their man, and Tex got his money. If the O's threw down a three-year $52 million contract, Boras and Jeter would have no choice but to consider it. (While I did insinuate above that the Yankees' offer was more than fair given Jeter's age, I also recognize that the Orioles are going to have to overpay for a player of that caliber.) If Jeter and Boras liked the offer and took it, the Orioles have a new starting shortstop. However I suspect that Boras would use that as a bargaining chip more than anything else to get what he wanted out of the Yankees. Turnabout is fair play, right? Couldn't the Orioles use themselves to squeeze money out of a division rival?
I personally believe that Derek Jeter is probably going to be the starting shortstop for the Yankees in 2011. However the fact remains that he is a free agent. Furthermore, if you look through history there have been a few huge Yankee names that have been allowed to walk, including Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra. As has been said previously on various sites and newspapers, the Orioles are probably going to have to overpay for a big-name free agent. So to look at this from another perspective, should the Orioles overpay for this particular free agent? Survey says: probably not. While it would certainly be an interesting dynamic to the AL East and the 18 games between the teams, as I said above Jeter is 36 years old. It would be somewhat inconsistent with the whole youth movement that Andy MacPhail has tried to push since his arrival. If Jeter was four years younger, I'd say the Orioles should go for it. And given that Jeter is coming off of his worst statistical season, we also have to question whether or not he would be the same player that had plaqued the Orioles all of these years. However as each day passes without a new contract for Jeter, eyebrows around the league get higher and higher...
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