For Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees, all is well that ends well. With their highly-publicized contract negotiation behind them, both sides can look ahead to the rest of Jeter's iconic career.
"This is the only organization I've ever wanted to play for and this is where I want to finish my career," Jeter said during a Tuesday afternoon new conference.
Jeter, who has spent a career staying away from controversy, admitted being bothered by the public nature of the negotiations.
"I think the thing that bothered me the most was how public this became. The negotiations were supposed to be private. It was an uncomfortable position I was in ... Throughout the years, I've prided myself on keeping things out of the papers and out of the media.
"I never wanted to be a free agent. It's the situation I was in. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't angry at how some of this went. I'm not going to point the finger at anyone. You can see we're one big happy family now."
Jeter's contract is for three years and $51 million, with a fourth-year player option that could reportedly make it worth $65 million. It sound like Jeter, 36, expects to play beyond when this current contract is complete.
"It's not a situation where I view is as my last contract," he said.
"I have a lot of years left to play in productive baseball. I don't look at the end of my career when I'm in the middle of it. I've taken it year to year. I've always done that. I've pretty much taken every season and focused on trying to improve and to help us win."
Both sides want Jeter to finish his tremendous career as a Yankee. This contract goes a long way toward making sure that happens.