There’s a kind of mania developing among Yankee beat writers this spring: Jeter contract mania.
Now I know that there’s not much to talk about in Yankee camp this year–no HGH or steroid scandal, no disgruntled former teammates calling the manager racist, no half-baked statements by whacked out ownership. And Jeter makes great copy–he’s a player everyone wants to read about from 12 year old boys with posters on their walls to my wife’s 80-something Aunt who keeps a Jeter jersey. But there’s a lot of crazy speculation going on.
The mania reached fever pitch yesterday in Kevin Kernan’s Daily News blog calling on the Yankees to make Jeter a “Yankee for life” by any means necessary including structuring his new deal to give Jeter a piece of ownership (after his playing years, MLB rules prohibit players from being owners while they’re in uniform).
Now even putting aside the collectively bargained restrictions on ownership, this is unlikely to happen. For one thing, owners–particularly owners of something as successful and valuable as the New York Yankees–aren’t likely to give away equity to employees. (They’ll sell equity only if they have to to raise money.) For another, the kind of minority stake Jeter’s likely to acquire as part of a contract is unlikely to satisfy is avowed ambition to own a team so he can “call the shots.” For a third, the Steinbrenners would never want Jeter looking over their shoulders and going over their heads, as perfectly noted by Lisa Swan at Subway Squawkers:
Kernan fails to realize what a circus it will be for everybody involved if the captain becomes a Yankee partial owner, especially if it’s just after his retirement as a player. The media will scrutinize every single decision the Yankees make – from spring training hats to player development choices – to see if it’s what Jeter wants. It will be impossible for Brian Cashman or anybody else in the franchise to make any independent choices. How could that possibly be a good thing, especially since none of us know yet what Jeter’s skill set would be as an owner?
Some fans disagree. Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues has advocated the ideaand even proposes a way around the CBA rules. But, on the evidence of the blogs most fans seem to be more dispassionate than the pro writers–not only scoffing at the notion of forking over ownership but also wondering whether or not an aging Jeter is worth the six years and $120 million plus it will cost the Yankees to sign him.
I’m wondering that too. Putting aside the “Derek Jeter factor,” guaranteed money to the tune of more than $100 million for a shortstop who will be 42 at the end of the contract seems like a contract ownership is likely to regret about midway through. Six years seems to be what Jeter wants though I’m sure the Yanks would be happier with 4, taking Jeter to 40 years old. Everyone is talking about ownership as a goal that is driving Jeter’s contract negotiations but I think 4,000 hits is more likely to be a driving factor. Jeter’s sitting at 2747 hits as the 2010 season opens. He’s averaged a remarkable 208 hits per 162 games including 7 200 hit seasons and 3 more 190+. If Jeter plays six years and averages 208 hits per, he’ll be five hits away from 4000. Now those numbers are likely to prove a tall order for a 40 something player, even if he’s spending more and more of his time at DH, but they’re possible. And, although Jeter always says the right thing–that he’s only focused on the current season, only focused on winning, not focused on his stats or legacy–I strongly suspect that 4,000 hits is a factor in his thinking about how long he’ll play.
I’d love to find a way to keep Jeter around to get 4000 hits. That’s a great achievement and legacy. And maybe the Yanks can use the promise of ownership as a carrot to get Jeter to retire when his skills begin to diminish–a way to convert the remaining money to equity when he retires as an incentive. But I doubt that a $50 million share of the Yankees is what Jeter is after. He wants a franchise he can control, and that’s going to mean buying into a smaller market. If, after his playing days Jeter buys into, say, the Tampa Bay franchise (in a city where he lives and which he could afford to be a major stake holder in) Kernan among others suggest that it it would some how be a sad day for the Yankees. I don’t get that. If Jeter owned the Rays I’d say God bless him and I’d wish him just enough luck to finish second in the AL East every year.
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