One columnist suggests the St. Louis Cardinals should sign Derek Jeter to replace Albert Pujols.
In a Saturday column at the Chicago Tribune, Phil Rogers seemed to be in the mood to try to drum up some interest for free agent shortstop Derek Jeter. The New York Yankees captain is in the midst of acrimonious contract negotiations with those who hold the keys to his only home as a professional.
In his career decline phase at age 36, Jeter appears to want more years and money than others deem reasonable. Rumors place the Yankees’ offer at three years, $45 million while Jeter’s counter may be four or five years at $23 million per season. In other words, there is a huge gap to overcome.
The Yankees did not offer Jeter arbitration, freeing him to sign with another club without compensation. As a Type A player, had Jeter been offered and declined, he would have cost a prospective signing team their first or second-round draft pick in 2011.
Given that, Rogers pulls out his dart board and outlines a list of other clubs that “at least must be discussing Jeter”. They include the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, Orioles, Twins, Angels, Cubs and White Sox.
In the case of the St. Louis, Rogers suggests, apparently with a straight face, that if the Cardinals cannot get Albert Pujols to commit to a contract extension, they should quickly turn to Jeter.
Specifically, Rogers wants the Cardinals to give their superstar an ultimatum. Either Pujols immediately takes St. Louis’ best deal, or they redeploy the money allocated for him as the basis for a four-year contract offer to the aging Yankees shortstop.
Have Rogers’ thought processes been mutated by the numerous failures of his hometown Cubs in signing expensive free agent busts or is his proposal a stroke of brilliance?
Would Jeter join forces with Pujols, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and the others for one last run at a championship as the columnist suggests, or would it send the Cardinals back down the Tino Martinez path to ruin?
Free agency is an avenue not recently traveled by the Cardinals. The last winter in which they made a big splash in that market, signing players from other organizations, was in 2001-2002, when closer Jason Isringhausen was one of two major additions.
The other was another fading Yankees icon, Martinez, who was not retained by New York following the 2001 season. At age 34, the first baseman signed a three-year, $21 million contact with the Cardinals.
After two tumultuous and disappointing seasons, Martinez was dumped for a non-prospect by then-general manager Walt Jocketty. The Cardinals were so anxious to be rid of Tino that they ate his 2004 salary simply so he would play the final year of his contract for Tampa Bay instead.
A consideration for Jeter is the recent example of his former teammate Johnny Damon. The ex-Yankees outfielder, also nearing the end of a solid career, was a free agent one year ago. He and agent Scott Boras badly miscalculated his market value, demanding a contract offer no less per year than his previous deal. The Yankees countered with a lower, but very fair proposal. After Damon did not respond, New York pulled the offer and he ended up signing with Detroit for considerably less money.
What do you think? Would signing Jeter be a bold stroke or a terrible move for the Cardinals?
Loading ...Follow me on Twitter.
Follow The Cardinal Nation Blog on Facebook.
Through the years, Chicago Tribune columnists seem able to float odd ideas about what the Cards might do. Disinvesting in Pujols and investing in has been Derek Jeter seems daffy. No wonder the Tribune has had problems.
The pole needs another choice:
Yes, if he is willing to play 2B.
Phil Rogers must think in terms of celebrity. Pujols is a celebrity, Jeter a celebrity, they equate. But Jeter is post-peak and overpaid owing to his celebrity. He’s a credit to the game, but not a natural fit with the Cards.
IIRC, the Bombers wanted to replace Tino with the higher celebrity and slugging of Jason Giambi. Walt hoped Martinez could fill a hole in the lineup for the Cards and be a solid contributor. He had to pay Tino a lot of money, because there are not a lot of bargains to be found among veteran free agents, unless they rebound from injuries.
I wonder why the Yankees didn’t offer arbitration to Jeter. Would he have accepted, given he is looking for a 5-6 year contract? If he had accepted, would he have gotten more than $$15 -$18 million?
Good question. It looks like the Yanks wanted to avoid arb period as they also declined to offer to Rivera and Pettitte (Type As like Jeter) and Wood and Berkman (Type Bs). The one they did offer was Vazquez (Type B).
The Yanks only offered Vazquez because he had agreed to decline.
http://mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/why_yankees_will_offer_j_vazquez_arbitration/3665415
Jeter makes 20+ in arbitration………………they didn’t offer because they didn’t want to piss him off.
He wants comfort………in years…………..he will get 3/51 with an option………………they are delaying the market…………..and stimulating arguments and conversations like this one…………in which it is perceived that there is a market for AP…………. at 8/ 30 …….. which there isn’t……………
these guys now know the parameters in which the union will except compensation with collusion grievances…………………….they are working the margins……………… the Cardinals wouldn’t offer Jeter 4/40…………..nor would he take it…………. they know what they’re doing…………Jeter knows what they’re doing………………. all of the descriptive dialog are about owners shaving the range of free market compensation………….. they’ve been at it since the Bonds censure………..the last agreement included compensation for Bonds………….
Jeter is a NY phenomena……………………….. there are many the feel that AP is a St Louis phenomena……….because of his behavioral tendencies…………and religious predisposition. I do ………………. are the Yankee’s trying to block an AP to Boston move by their posturing…….knowing that Lozano would try to make them players?
WC—Why does everything that goes on in MLB come back to BD and AP? That has always been my primary area of confusion with your posts.
Baseball is an industry CRD………………. AP and BD are representative of some of the raw materials used in manufacturing one of its products………………… you are comfortable with the wheel you’ve created………..I have other interests……….other readers. Don’t let it vex you……. Think differential equation………..go non-linear……………..I’m factoring some of the variables in my “prognostications”.
Westie, as one of your “readers”, I find myself unvexed by the “…………………………” es.
I dont know if these “………………”es represent a pause within a piece of music.
Or possibly they represent a deep toke of the wacky to’baccy?
Whatever “…………………….”es signify, they render invisible any words you may have typed about BD, Albert, cancer, Deep Oil, the Caymans, Dubya, etc.
“……………….” es seem to be effective mellow-ing agents.
Thanks very much for the “……………..” es!
And you think Jeter’s not pissed off now?
His last contract was close to 200 million……………….do you know what that is? He wants compensation for his assumed worth…….ego protection against demotion……….He will take the median…………he wants the life style…………..they need him………………the low bid they made is enough to discourage competition from screwing with him. if the RSox offered 55/3……….NY would let him go in a hurry………loving every minute………….they would sign some talent for half. They are prepared to do damage control…………..as are the Cardinals with AP…………
Watch the play around Lee………….. teams are creating a big dead pool………….. Teams on the outside are getting first pick……….Detroit etc……….. winter meetings are for trades, not so much for FAgents………………… Panic is Garland for 5 million………….1 year with option………… he just wanted to duck whats coming…………smart.
The Dodgers signed Jon Garland for one year and $5MM, plus an $8MM option for 2012 that will vest with 190 innings
Our ‘friends’ in Chicago offer such helpful suggestions. Why, if we were to take their advice we might match the Cubbies record for 2010… the highest payroll in the NL, finishing with the 13th best win percentage.
Must be something in the waters of Lake Michigan… brain eating microbes, second-hand Old Style, goat droppings… maybe even Jimmy Hoffa!