At 12:01am Sunday morning, Derek Jeter became a free agent for the first time in his professional career. And though the lifetime Yankee is unanimously expected to remain where he is, the two sides must first agree on a contract. Which is tricky, given Jeter's status as Yankee captain and icon, but also as a 36 year old shortstop coming off the worst season of his life.
Derek Jeter Awaits Yankees’ First Contract Offer
One thing is clear: in order to reach an agreement, the Yankees will need to pay Jeter more than he's worth for on-the-field reasons alone. Wallace Matthews checks in with what their first offer could look like:
From conversations with two sources, both of whom requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks, Jeter’s offer is expected to be for three years at somewhere between $15 million and $20 million per season.
That would be a slight paycut from his $21 million paycheck in 2010, but still well above the going rate for a shortstop who hit .270 last year and will hit his 37th birthday two weeks before the next All-Star Game.
Earlier rumors had Jeter seeking a longer contract - even something on the order of six years - but an expensive three-year offer could prove to be a good compromise. While neither side is entertaining serious thoughts of moving on without the other, they’ll each also settle for nothing less than what’s fair.
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