It’s official — Derek Jeter will be a New York Yankee for at least the next three years. Jeter has signed a three-year, $51 million contract with a player option for a fourth season.
There will be a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET today.
“I think we expected to get it done,” team president Randy Levine said before the news conference. "We’re delighted that it’s done. … I think it was inevitable that it would get done, and we’re just real happy that it is.
“Every negotiation is a negotiation. Start and ask for ‘A,’ and it’s the old adage — if you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s that way on both sides. I don’t think it was contentious. It was done in a business-like way. We spent a lot of time with Derek before this was done. He was the usual high-level, integral person that he is. He comported himself with tremendous professionalism, in the spirit of what the captain of the Yankees truly is. I’m just so happy he’s going to be here for three or, hopefully, four years, and I hope he makes every one of those incentives.”
LoHud’s Chad Jennings ran into Joe Torre at the Baseball Winter Meetings and Torre spoke glowingly, of course about the player who always called him ‘Mr. Torre.’
“No question, I don’t wear those rings without Derek Jeter on our club,” Torre said. “We were fortunate to have Derek (at) my Safe At Home Foundation. We honored him in November before he signed. He’s a very private person. I said at that time, and I’m glad it turned out that way, it’s hard for me to believe the Yankees wouldn’t want him back. And I know that’s the only ball club he ever wanted to play for. I’m just happy it worked out for him.
“I talked to him a couple of times over the last, well actually, I talked to him once over the last few weeks and we’ve communicated through the texting, which my daughter taught me how to do. As I say, he’s very private. I’m sure he’s happy it’s over with. What can I say? He’s a special young man, not only the baseball part of the game, but he’s just been a great role model for all the young kids. To do that in New York, especially as a single player where there are a lot of distractions that can certainly cut into what you do, I think he’s been tremendous. Hopefully he continues to stay healthy.”
As a Yankee fan, I am glad this saga is over with. It got way more contentious, at least outwardly, than everyone hoped it would. Jeter gets a deal that doesn’t insult him, and the Yankees are not tied to the iconic shortstop for longer than they want to be.