This is getting fun!!!!!!!!!!!

(Get it? He doesn't have a Yankees hat on!)

ESPN - New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday that the Yankees have made a "fair and appropriate" contract offer to Derek Jeter and suggested that if the 36-year-old shortstop thinks otherwise, he should shop himself around to find out.

"We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account," Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com. "We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."...Two weeks ago, owner Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged that the talks to retain Jeter, who is coming off a 10-year, $189 million contract as well as the worst offensive season of his career, "might get messy."

"As much as we want to keep everybody, we've already made these guys very, very rich, and I don't feel we owe anybody anything monetarily," the Yankees co-chairman said Tuesday. "Some of these players are wealthier than their bosses."

Oh man this is getting a million times more entertaining than I expected! I mean of course these guys weren't going to be on the same page with this whole thing from the start - Jeter's entire value to the Yankees at this point is his legacy there. The Yanks actually made a pretty respectable offer (allegedly 3 years, $45 million...yeah I guess I could go for that to play baseball) that no one else will touch unless another team just wants to piss the Yankees off which I am hoping beyond hope happens. But here are the two sides we have here:

1. Jeter's camp. His agent is posturing with all this "he's given so much to this organization" blah blah blah. But I mean he does make a point. Jeter can't play anywhere else, it would be way too weird. Plus, since he's washed up, this is really the only card he has to play, aside from the whole leadership aspect. Problem is, the Yankees know all this. Which brings us to team numero dos...

2. Hal, Hank and the Cash Man. Why would they offer a 36-year-old defensively-challenged shortstop coming off the worst offensive season of his career a penny more than they have to? As dumb as these guys may look:

...it turns out they're actually pretty smart. They can play the whole "we've been good to you, our dad was good to you, and ohbytheway we just offered you $3mill/year more than anyone else will" story. They obviously don't want this guy on their roster when he's 40+ years old, especially given his downward trending stats. Regardless of his legacy, that makes sense to me.

Basically, Jeter's fucked. He probably won't get more money anywhere else, but he can't go back and look like a pussy by accepting this offer a week from now. As much as it pains me to say it, the Yanks have played this one pretty well. He's ending up in the Bronx. I can say that with 95% certainty. Maybe they'll give in a bit to show the Captain some respect, but they've set a pretty good path from the start and might end up getting him for relatively cheap. Whatever.

Orrrrrrrrr maybe Theo and the Sox will make him some sort of godfather offer that he can't refuse so that he and Boston can really stick it to NY. Although like I just said, that would make no sense. And I don't want to root for his decrepit ass anyway. Ever heard of Marco Scutaro?