Jeter will remain…

The following article by Bob Klapisch has brought in the New Year with another Derek Jeter’s future debate. With the Mark Teixeira signing, Klapisch wonders if the Yankees will retain Jeter after his contract expires after 2010. Klapisch thought that the Yankees would ultimately resign Jeter with the intention of having him play first base. However, now that first is locked up for the next 8 years or so, Klapisch thinks that Jeter’s time with the team may be dwindling. That’s the gist of the article.

Now, my “analysis” of its premise is simple—Klapisch is wrong. If there has been anything that we’ve learned since Hal and Hank Steinbrenner took over the team’s day-to-day operations, it’s that the Yankees are willing to dish out expensive, loyalty-driven contracts. One only needs to look at the end of 2007, when Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, two elder statesmen of the Yankee franchise, were awarded a total of $97.4 million in multi-year deals. At the same time, when asked about Jeter, Hank Steinbrenner said, “Derek will be taken care of.” The Yankees are an organization built upon nostalgia and its own internalized sense of history. Derek Jeter is a big part of that and will be resigned barring an injury or truly significant decline in his offensive production.

His defense will be bad, however he’ll play SS until it becomes a glaring detriment (one that is noticeable by even the most cursory fan). He’ll likely move into the DH role if the Yankees decide to move him. The DH slot is typically a power position, but you can make that argument for 1B too, which is where many fans and writers thought Jeter would end up before the Tex signing. Also, I’ve seen some folks saying that Jeter should play the OF, but I don’t know if you want to throw a 37-year old (2010) SS with bad defense into Death Valley at Yankee Stadium.