There is certainly room for nostalgia for us fans. We love digging through past records, watching Yankee Classics and reliving past glories of players on teams from days of yore. But for those who are running a franchise like Brian Cashman, Randy Levine and Hal Stienbrenner, there’s little room for sentimentality. Especially when you have to decide what kind of contract to give to an aging icon like Derek Jeter. Joel Sherman addressed this yesterday in his column for the NY Post. He writes:
But confidants of Cashman said the GM is determined not to have the team get so lost in the past that it destroys the future by giving Jeter a contract that either lasts way beyond his effectiveness and/or overpays him to such a degree that hurts financial flexibility elsewhere.
That is why, the confidants say, Cashman decided to have a face-to-face, turning-the-page meeting with Jorge Posada in Manhattan to tell the longtime catcher that the plan is to go with youngsters behind the plate and that Posada is now viewed as a DH. And it is why, the confidants say, he essentially played bad cop with Posada’s pal, Jeter, at a meeting that also was attended by Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine and Jeter’s agent, Casey Close.
So we now learn that even pushing Posada aside is part of their strategy with Derek. It’s not as if its unwarranted, Jorge has had all sorts of trouble staying healthy since 2008. But the timing is coordinated to let Derek know the team is ready and willing to move on from the Core 4. As the head of Baseball ops, Brian has the strongest case to make against Derek. His performance is clearly declining, and as I’ve detailed here it looks more the like final phases of a once-great players career much more than just a bad season.
Drawing such lines and eventually parting ways with an iconic player is always difficult and often pivotal to a franchise in any sport. Hanging on too long poses its own risks. Mickey Mantle was retained well past his prime years and the team fell in the toilet in the late 1960s. Not solely due to him, but those Yankee teams were known as a group that got old all at once in 1965, and the franchise didn’t recover until the mid 70s. Was hanging on to Mantle the main reason they lost? No, but it certainly didn’t help. Baseball instituting an amateur draft in 1965 had a much more lingering impact. Before the 1960s, the Yanks were able to cherry pick the best young players by offering larger signing bonuses and constantly replenish their winning machine. With the draft funneling talent to the teams with the worst record, the Yanks had to start losing in order to get top amateur talent. They rebuilt a good team by 1976 through the draft and some key trades by Gabe Paul, but it was really the institution of free agency in 1975 that brought the Yanks back to prominence and still keeps them on top to this very day.
It’s an ugly (but necessary) part of the business and always has been. Babe Ruth was unceremoniously let go by the Yanks in 1934 and replaced with George Selkirk. Joe Dimaggio retired after he just started to decline in 1951 at age 36. Reggie Jackson was allowed to leave as a 35 year old free agent in 1981. 37 year old Bernie Williams was given a non-guaranteed invite in the spring of 2007, which he declined. All of these moves were controversial, but necessary. Maybe a year too soon in some cases, but you’d rather give up on a player a year early than 4 years too late. Which may very well be what Derek is asking them to do.
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10 Responses to There's no crying nostalgia in Baseball
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TIQ IQ
The most recent Jeter article on espn (however true it may be) was disappointing to read. It quoted someone (not sure who) as saying the Yankee brass wished Jeter would sign for 3 yrs, 21 mil a year, but he apparently wants more than that. To think Jeter would turn down that offer is insanity, that is well above his market value and imo the absolute max the yankees should offer him. I was more in favor of the 3 for 15 mil a year contract but i have a feeling Jeter would spit at that now. Obviously baseball is a business, and I wish no ill will on a player for trying to get the best contract possible for themselves, but for a guy who claims he’s all about the team, and just came off a deal that paid him over $20 mil a year for 10 years, he seems a bit hypocritical here.
Jeter has been paid handsomley by the yankees for his past accomplishments, no need to “reward” him now, especially when it hurts the 2011 payroll flexibiity. I hope Jeter comes to his senses, or I’d be in favor of moving on and using that money someplace else.
I’m waiting for Derek and (hopefully) Lee to sign, but the 2013 payroll is a nightmare. Making some reasonable assumptions, you’ll have 170-180 mil tied up in EIGHT players, with SEVENTEEN roster spots to fill.
I am pleased with the line the Yankee management is taking on Jeter, but I wish the organization backed it with a harder line on the length of the contract — I simply would never go beyond two years for a shortstop of Jeter’s age with the evidence of decline already there. He has no future at any other position, either.
I agree. I think of 2010 as the baseline going forward, and expect him to decline further over the next few years.
Reports are that Jeter wants 4 minimum and “prefers” 5 or 6 years, these 2 sides are all ready too far off at 3 years to hard ball with 2, at that point he may leave.
It’ll never happen, but I’d love to just offer him arb and go year to year.
Thank you Steve for articulating so well what many other bloggers have refused to.
I hated to see Bernie go but it was time…I will hate to see DJ go one day (hopefully not in more than 3 years!), but frankly, I hate to see the Yankees play poorly due to age even more…
I’m still hoping the 3 year 45 mil that a lot of folks are mentioning more and more is what it ends up being.
If they offered him any amount of years at 21 per, they’re being foolish.
Treat him like they did Andy that one year. A guaranteed salary at what he’s worth, say $8-10mm and that much more in incentives. If Derek is still as good as he appears to think he is, he’ll earn the money, otherwise, he has no gripe. Set it up for as many years as he wants with the guarantee diminishing each year.
The difference is Andy didn’t know how long he wanted past that 1 year if at all Jeter wants to play for what looks like 4-6 years from his demand, Andy knew he wasn’t superman anymore Derek seems to still be wearing the cape with none of the powers.