Derek Jeter expected to be overpaid, probably worth it
For the first time in his career, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is a free agent. Unfortunately, for the club, that likely means that the lifelong Yankee will be able to demand as much as he wants from the storied franchise.
According to ESPNNewYork.com, a source close to the negotiations between the squad and Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, expects the Yankees to offer their captain more than he is actually worth. “The Yankees are going to overpay him,” the individual told the website.
“The question is, how much are they going to overpay him?”
The website also reported that although the team has yet to make an official offer to the 15-year veteran, they are currently in the process of preparing the potential contract. Although the team has made it publicly known that they are also after Rangers’
starting left-hander (and fellow free agent) Cliff Lee, it is likely that the Yankees will attempt to retain their shortstop first, hoping to sign Jeter before the end of the month.
According to the confidential source, Jeter is expected to net a three-year deal, which will be worth anywhere from $15 million to $20 million per year. “Some people will think the number is unfair,” a source close to the negotiations said, “And some are going
to think it is way too much.”
And, even though the shortstop’s current deal remains the third-most lucrative in the sport’s history (eclipsed only by teammate Alex Rodriguez’s former and current contracts), many believe that the 36-year-old is about to receive more than one would expect,
considering his recent production. “Jeter’s numbers are exactly the same as Marco Scutaro’s,” one source said, according to ESPNNewYork.com. “He’s gonna get paid a lot more than Scutaro, of course. He’s gonna get more than the best shortstop in the league,
Hanley Ramirez, who makes less than $12 million a year.”
Still, even casual fans of baseball know that Jeter is synonymous with the Yankees, as he has been an integral part of their success over the past decade and a half. It’s entirely possible that the figures on his new contract will have just as much to do with
what he means to the Yankees’ organization and its fans, as they do with his production on the diamond.
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