Why So Stingy?

Whether your a Yankees fan or not, you know the boys in stripes are always in the media. The free agent market is at its peak in the Major Leagues right now, so we can expect the Yankees to dish out hundreds of millions of dollars to top free agents, as they try to assemble their version of the "All Madden" team. Can you blame them though? They have the money, they are located in New York and they have a winning culture. I've never had a problem with their offseason tactics to winning until recently.

As we all know Yankee legend, Derek Jeter became a free agent for the first time in his career this fall. Jeter has been a Yankee for his entire 15 year career. He has been a team captain since the 2003 season and has really served as the teams face for the last decade. So why was there a contract dispute? Apparently the Yankees found Jeter's original contract request to be unrealistic. The Yankees pretty much told Jeter to come back when he has a buyer for that offer. It got so ugly that Yankee reps were quoted as saying Jeter needed to drink some "reality potion." Whether the Yankees were right or not, is that the way to talk about the face of your franchise to the media?

Understandably, Jeter is on the downside of his Hall of Fame career, so he isn't going to be able to command top dollar. But when CC Sabathia was given a seven-year $161 mil contract in 2008, Mark Teixeira was given a eight-year $180 mil in 2008, Alex Rodriguez was given a 10 year $275 mil contract in 2007, and A.J. Burnett was given a five-year $82.5 mil contract in 2008, why can't the face of your franchise get the money he wants?

Jeter has reportedly asked for $22 mil per year over the course of the next five years, which I agree is unreasonable for most teams. But when your the franchise is known for spending the top dollar, why all of a sudden become stingy? It is no secret that Jeter is coming off the worst season of his career and while some may argue it was an off year, the rest of us realize that he is going on 37 and has seen his best days as a Major League baseball player. Trust me, I see all the reasons why Derek Jeter should have been stuck in a contract dispute but I also realize that during his 15 years the Yankees have won five World Series Championships, had two managers (Joe Torre and Joe Jirardi), gone through two owners, and played in two stadiums. Jeter is embedded in Yankees history. He may not be playing his best ball, but I wouldn't couldn't him a liability. So I ask, why so stingy?

In case you were wondering Jeter's career numbers are listed below:

Batting Average: .314
Hits: 2,926
Runs: 1,685
Home Runs: 234
Runs Batted In: 1,135
On-Base Plus Slugging: .837

P.S. Jeter and the Yankees recently agreed upon a three-year $51 million deal, that includes a player option for a fourth year.