The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
I’m not sure how many people outside of the New York area care about the Derek Jeter contract war. Many thought it was a no-brainer. After all, Jeter is a sensible guy and the Yankees have always been respectful of his talents. But it’s been anything but friendly.
I’ll admit I’m biased. I have always liked Derek Jeter—the player and the person. His reputation is impeccable. He likes kids and is comfortable around fans. In this world of the crass celebrity, Jeter is a real exception.
However, here are the “business” facts. Jeter is coming off a 10-year contract for which he earned around $19 million a season. He is 36, and his performance on the field is slipping. Yet, he’s the captain, and I can assure you that the guy sets the professional tone for everyone else—players, coaches, executives, journalists—who step foot in that Yankee clubhouse. The team has won 5 World Series rings in his 15 years (and lost 2 more). That’s pretty amazing. And, as anyone who knows anything will tell you, it’s not a coincidence. Many of Jeter’s best plays and key hits have come in playoff games when the spotlight burns brightest. I think that’s worth a lot. How much? I don’t know.
The Yankees are playing it completely by the numbers. They are apparently not planning to pay anything extra for his rock-solid reputation, his leadership, or his ability to draw families to the ballpark. It’s still okay to tell your little boys to try and be like Jeter. I’d bet all the money I have (okay, it’s not much) that he won’t be caught up in a cheating, steroid, rape, drug, etc. scandal.
Jeter and his agent, Casey Close (married, incidentally, to Gretchen Carlson of FOX News), have been together for ages. Jeter could have gotten bulldog Scott Boras to represent him any time he wanted. But he stuck with his friend. Close only has 1 or 2 other clients in baseball.
Jeter wants a contract to take him to age 40 and perhaps beyond. Reports have him asking for a 4 or 5-year contract at around $23 million a year. In the best case scenario, the Yankees and Jeter are $40 million apart.
Before you gasp at the greed and absurdity of these figures, let me point something else out. Maybe it will show the human side of this. A side we can all relate to.
As everyone knows, Jeter’s chief but (mostly) friendly rival for the position of all-around-infield-superstar and media heartthrob is Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez came up in 1994. Jeter in 1995. For more than 15 years, their hitting, fielding, leadership, and girl-getting skills have been vigorously debated and compared.
The Yankees are paying Rodriguez huge money—almost $28M a year through age 42. If you were Derek Jeter, wouldn’t that chap your hide? I mean, Rodriguez is a better overall player than Jeter, but the whiff of the steroid scandal will follow him all the way to Cooperstown. He’s aloof to fans and the press, and he’s rarely mentioned as a “great guy” to have in the clubhouse.
I realize that the salary issues of folks like us are not of comparable magnitude, but think of it this way: Imagine your biggest rival at work. The one who some say is better than you; others say you are better than him. You have many similar gifts, but you both have unique qualities. You are more well-liked by the staff. You go the extra mile with clients. You have helped the company grow from nothing into the most powerful firm in your industry in the world. The other guy is a Johnny-come-lately. But a couple of years back, the boss rewarded him with a huge salary. Then, this year, the boss gets all cost-conscious and penny-pinching with you. How would you feel? What would you do? How would you approach management?
I’ll say it again; I side with Jeter. I ran into him once when I was several months pregnant. He was in a Starbucks with Alex Rodriguez and Tino Martinez. (A pretty high-powered Starbucks sighting, don’t you think?) I was about 8 years out of my reporting career at the time, but Jeter remembered me and was friendly. He congratulated me on my pregnancy and asked what I was doing,. He was, shall we say, “normal.” Tino was much the same. Rodriguez? Never looked up from his phone and asked his sidekick to get his coffee for him.
photo: Keith Allison
- Comment (17)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (3)
Comments :
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
A new contract for a 36-year old who is past his prime? How can he justify a pay increase? Don't get me wrong, I love Jeter. He's a class act, a great player, and a great ambassador for baseball. I have nothing but respect for him even though he is the face of "my" team's great divisional adversary.
No matter how great a guy he is, I just can't wrap my head around getting a raise when his on the field abilities are declining. The Yankees are offering him 3 years at an average of $15 million dollars a year. He's not going to the poorhouse on that, it isn't an insulting sum, and the $40 million dollar difference between what he wants and what the Yankees are offering could be used to sign new talent and get them back to the World Series. If Jeter is as good a guy as I believe he is he should understand $15 million is fair for a player of his ability and it gives him a better chance of leading the team back to greatness.
1/2
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Just because A-Rod is a whiny, prima donna, overpaid, bad teammate, poor attitude, etc. etc. (I really HATE A-Rod, on and off the field. He's a fantastic athlete and an awful person.) Doesn't mean Jeter should follow his example. Jeter accepting the Yankees contract and continuing to lead the team with his sterling example will only make Rodriguez look worse by comparison.
Nov '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
For my part, I don't follow baseball too closely, but when I do I care about the Mariners. I guess that has something to do with the fact that I'm 90 minutes north of Seattle. No, I'm not in Canada, but you can see it from here!
When A-Rod and Jeter played for the Ms I liked them. Now that they play for the dreaded and evil Yankees, I don't. That's just how we sports fans are....
Aug '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Jeter is a great player with a great legacy with the team, but the Yankees have to look beyond the next three years and into the next decade. Who do they have lined up in the minors system? Who are the upcoming free agent shortstops in the next year? What can they get for the price Jeter is asking?
They can't get someone who is going to pass the 3,000 hit mark, as Jeter will during his tenure with whoever he lands with in the next few years, but they might get a player who isn't on the decline physically.
Baseball has historically had a tendency to reward players for performance they are no longer capable of giving, while underpaying the actual performers, maybe the Yankees want this trend to stop.
This is all said with the utmost love of Jeter as a player. Though I am a Cubs fan, Jeter has been a joy to watch over the years.
May '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Rose left the Reds, Mays left the Giants, Aaron left the Braves and Ruth left the Yankees. Life went on. Billionaires arguing with Millionaires... Some spectator sport.
Aug '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
There is a reason that Formula 1 fans call the contract negotiations time the "Silly Season."
Jun '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Ursula Hennessey
I’m not sure how many people outside of the New York area care about the Derek Jeter contract war.
It's not so much that we don't care, Ursula, as that many of us outside the New York area passionately loathe the Yankees. My 2 favorite teams are the Oakland A's and whoever is playing the Yankees. Hence I view the contract war with a gleeful schadenfreude.
I do respect Jeter for all the reasons you mentioned, but I can't root for him as long as he wears the pinstripes, so I'm hoping he signs somewhere else.
May '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
M-I-N-K-A K-E-L-L-Y.
Need we say any more?
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Joseph Stanko
I do respect Jeter for all the reasons you mentioned, but I can't root for him as long as he wears the pinstripes, so I'm hoping he signs somewhere else. · Dec 2 at 1:19pm
I don't want him to wear any other uniform, even though I'm not at all a Yankees fan. Jeter is one of the last franchise players in sports, having been drafted by them in 1992 and spent his entire career in their organization. As a fan, there is something special about a player who has been with one team his whole career.
Aug '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
There is always the overlooked Michael Young when it comes to Franchise Players.
May '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Both sides need to move but Steinbrenner needs to move more. I think we might be seeing early-onset Alzheimer's there.
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Ursula Hennessey
I’m not sure how many people outside of the New York area care about the Derek Jeter contract war.
It was actually burning up the sports talk-radio waves in Boston...with people both for and against acquiring him. So I wouldn't be surprised if other sports-obsessed cities are having similar conversations.
My only quibble is with the premise behind the comment "Before you gasp at the greed and absurdity of these figures..."
I think it's neither greed nor absurd. It's simply the industry in which he works. At any given income bracket there will be people who think the earners in that bracket are greedy or that the pay is absurd. They have no right to hold those views unless they're the ones paying the salaries. If the Steinbrenners want to pay Jeter X dollars, no one's putting a gun to their heads, and it's not coming out of my pocket. So while in relative terms it may seem greedy and absurd, in objective terms it is wholly rational and defensible.
And I'm a Met fan/Red Sox fan!
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
It should also be pointed out that Jeter's fielding reputation far exceeds his actual ability. The fielding metrics that are used to rate players put Jeter way, wayyyyy down the list, and have for a long time.
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
dittoheadadt
My only quibble is with the premise behind the comment "Before you gasp at the greed and absurdity of these figures..."
I think it's neither greed nor absurd. It's simply the industry in which he works. At any given income bracket there will be people who think the earners in that bracket are greedy or that the pay is absurd. They have no right to hold those views unless they're the ones paying the salaries. If the Steinbrenners want to pay Jeter X dollars, no one's putting a gun to their heads, and it's not coming out of my pocket. So while in relative terms it may seem greedy and absurd, in objective terms it is wholly rational and defensible.
And I'm a Met fan/Red Sox fan! · Dec 2 at 4:39pm
Yes, you are absolutely correct, dittohead. You said it better! There was just something mindboggling about typing this post and rounding $18.9 million to $19M and same w/ Rodriguez's numbers. I mean, those decimal point figures would buy me my dream home, buy my kids some great Christmas gifts, etc. A strange suspension of disbelief is necessary...
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
Robert McKay
Joseph Stanko
I do respect Jeter for all the reasons you mentioned, but I can't root for him as long as he wears the pinstripes, so I'm hoping he signs somewhere else. · Dec 2 at 1:19pm
I don't want him to wear any other uniform, even though I'm not at all a Yankees fan. Jeter is one of the last franchise players in sports, having been drafted by them in 1992 and spent his entire career in their organization. As a fan, there is something special about a player who has been with one team his whole career. · Dec 2 at 1:28pm
Great point, Robert. This reminds me to ask something of all you folks. If you are a manager (or employee) in a company do you think things like loyalty, time served, being "easy to work with" are things that should be rewarded, salary-wise? Is this bad or good for business? Is there a "conservative" or "liberal" way to approach this kind of situation in work matters?
Oct '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
I can't even wrap my head around those numbers, but it was probably Rush years ago who said something like...well, I probably cribbed my entire earlier post from something he said years ago about "what business is it of mine to object to a salary paid to someone else BY someone else?" and that there's probably someone, somewhere who thinks MY compensation is too high. And that's when I had my epiphany. (Thanks, Rush!)
So while I envy their pay, I don't begrudge it. And I probably envy their athletic skills more!
(Plus, a $20 mil salary probably yields only $10 mil in take-home pay. So they don't have it as good as it seems...)
May '10
Re: The Derek Jeter Contract Saga
I'm with you, Ursula. Jeter is and has been a class act; A-Rod not. The difference in compensation has always bothered me on Jeter's behalf. I hope he stays a Yankee (I wish Tino Martinez had, too) and is appropriately well paid.
I met Jeter once several years ago when the Yankees were in Cleveland. He and Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and a 4th I didn't recognize, were having dinner in a pretty much closed restaurant, after an unfortunate loss to the Indians. I had had a couple of drinks... Anyhow, I briefly (I have SOME class) interrupted their meal to tell them I was and am a lifelong Yankee fan (Mickey Mantle hit a home run for me the day I was born) and that at least someone in Cleveland appreciated them. Jeter actually stood up when I approached and then let this slightly tipsy, strange woman hug him. The other three were equally gracious. It's a VERY fond memory.