A few days ago we explained to you how signing Derek Jeter could hinder the New York Yankees’ ability to bring in other big-name free agents, such as Cliff Lee. What we forgot to mention is that the Red Sox have the ability to make life even more difficult for the Yankees. We forgot to mention it because we never would have anticipated that New York would tell Jeter to go out and test the market.
According to ESPNNewYork.com, Brian Cashman and the Yankees have made Jeter an offer that they feel is fair and are encouraging him to go look for another one if he doesn’t like it.
We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account,” Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com. “We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That’s the way it works.”
Enter Theo Epstein. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion the Yankees’ offer is something like 3 years, $45 million. If you’re the Red Sox, why not offer him 3 years, $60 million? Is that way too much money? Of course. But what’s the worst that could happen? The Sox get “stuck” with Derek Jeter for a few years at way too much money and the Yankees have to deal with one of the biggest PR disasters in franchise history.
That probably wouldn’t happen anyway. The Yankees can’t let Jeter walk. He’s arguably the most important player in the history of the New York Yankees. He’s done as much in pinstripes as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio. If Epstein offers Jeter an absurd amount of money, the Yankees will have to either match the offer or call Jeter’s bluff and hope he chooses loyalty over money. The Red Sox, on the other hand, don’t have much to lose.
