The issues with Lee have been pointed out in this post. With CC, Teix, ARod and to some degree AJ, the Yankees already are in dangerous position with long, expensive contracts.

The question with Lee is, is his immediate positive impact worth the potential future negative impact.

And stud pitchers come on the market frequently. Lee has been up before (trade). Same with Halliday. Santana was available not too long ago, as was CC, who we snagged. When does Miami JJ come available? Timmy? Cain? And there are others.

Pitching is always a priority… but so is ‘balance’.

“There’s an old guy been going to that park (Charleston) since the early 50s. He tells stories about Mantle playing there when NY would take the train up the Eastern seaboard before starting the season. He was going nuts when Montero launched a couple into the pines beyond left center. He said that only Mantle had reached that spot in 60 years.”

Over the last 3 years, which includes his career year in 2009, Jeter averaged 3.5 Wins. So even if he was able to manage to average 3 Wins over the next 3 years (he was 1.5 in 2010) that places his worth around $13.5m… and my guess is that ‘worth’ is much higher then any team would offer.

A fair contract (based on value) for Jeter would be 3/$30m, but we all know Jetes would piss and moan over that amount.

As far as Bernie goes, he played on a team that put winning above all else. In that vane, Bernie should have been let go after his 1/$1m year. Instead the Yankees TRIED TO MAKE NICE and offer him (the longshot) of making the team out of ST. Maybe Bernie would have been less ‘insulted’ if the Yanks just let him go. I certainly don’t blame the Yanks for dealing with reality. However, the players are dealing with their ego.

Barry Bonds went from Super-Duper-Star to unwanted in a year.
Mickey and Joe had the grace to bow out when their time came.
Bernie has STILL not retired. Talk about holding on.

Frankly, IF Derek is really about team, he will do a Wakefield and accept a contract (year to year) that obviously pays him for his current value… and not past it. My opinion is that Jeter has a big ego, is not the team first guy he has been portrayed as, and he will hold up the Yankees using his ‘stature’ to get more way more dollars then he is worth.

As I said before…. it’s a loss for the Yankees, but 3/$45m would be a very fair offer that Jeter should jump all over. If he wants more, let him play out his years in Pittsburgh.

And MP….. One hundred MILLION dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you nuts (and I say that with luv and respect)? You would do that with YOUR money? The idea is fine if it was like $50m over 8 years.

Now we are in a similar situation where it very well be done differently if all the parties involved could have enough gumption to approach it objectively.

Cash may not have to be so hardline if he knows that both Giradi and Jeter are on the same page about his role going forward. I’m no mind reader, so I can’t predict whether Jeter will be just like most people expect him to be (prideful and stubborn) or if he’ll surprise us with uncommon gumption that solidifies his leadership role (start grooming his successor), but I’m willing to bet that this will not turn out the same way as it did with Bernie, Torre or even Tino. I would also expect that Jeter starts taking on more of a direct role with the young guys on the roster; being a captain to me implies a lot more than being just a consummate professional on the field.

I think the big problem is the stupidly grand contract given to A-Rod. I wonder who was behind that jackass move. Egowise, Jeter cannot take less. He cannot leave either, because, who will be the daily face of the Yankees? Nobody.

A rotation of CC, AJ, Andy (is he coming back?), Hughes, and Nova?

Someone on TMKS made a good point yesterday, re: Bernie. Bernie had better hitting numbers, gold glover, batting champion, world series champion, blah blah blah, but look at the way he was treated at the end. Sometimes Cashman can be reptilian cold, speaking of his “assets” this and “assets” that. Bernie was not exactly welcomed back that last year with open arms and warm hugs. He was asked to prove himself via a non guaranteed contract.

Sure, Hal can say things like “Yankee for life” to satisfy the fan base, but what exactly does “for life” really mean? Bernie was a Yankee for life, too, but at some point the “for life” refers to things other than being on the roster.

I keep coming back to the feeling that Jeter does not want to leave the team before A-Rod. Maybe that’s not even remotely the case, maybe its just silly fan perception, but that’s stuck in my craw. I think it would burn Jeter to know end to sit at home and watch A-Rod still playing on his team.

Gonna be very interesting, and while I don’t think it will be publicly messy, I don’t think it will be resolved anytime soon.

Hal was right … This is going to get messy.

[4] I didn’t even take into consideration the back issues. Probably because Lee threw 7 CG this year and was as much of an innings eater as Sabathia. Another solid comment.

He will, of course, be long gone before the end of the contract, either through retirement or release, but this would greatly limit the financial hit over the course of his remaining days with the team. And by the time years 5, 6, 7, etc roll around, $10 million is going to be relatively insignificant. Heck, if the team can carry Igawa’s salary for four years, they can eat a few million in 2018.

I think the Yankees will pass on Lee and try to put together a trade package for another not-quite-as-good starter.