Hank Steinbrenner should probably STFU!

[AFJF]

Hank is 100% right in what he's saying, but when you do it through the media it gives off the impression that you're dying for a pissing contest with Jeter and Mo. Just STFU and negotiate behind closed doors.

NEW YORK (AP)—Hank Steinbrenner has a message as the New York Yankees negotiate to re-sign Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

“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.”

AP - Sep 29, 9:20 pm EDT 1 of 6 MLB Gallery With negotiations moving slowly, the Yankees declined to offer salary arbitration to Jeter and Rivera before Tuesday’s midnight deadline. New York also failed to offer arbitration to left-hander Andy Pettitte, reliever Kerry Wood and first baseman Lance Berkman but did make the offer to right-hander Javier Vazquez, unlikely to re-sign following a disappointing season.

By offering arbitration, New York would receive draft-pick compensation if Vazquez signs elsewhere. His agents have been negotiating with the Florida Marlins.

New York has made a $45 million, three-year offer to Jeter, a baseball executive with knowledge of the proposal said, speaking on condition of anonymity because it wasn’t made public.

“We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this,” general manager Brian Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com, without confirming the figure. “If he can, fine. That’s the way it works.”

Jeter is coming off a $189 million, 10-year contract that was second only to Alex Rodriguez’s(notes) deals of $252 million and $275 million, both over a decade.

“Negotiating is always a process,” Steinbrenner said. “I know he wants to stay. It’s going to come down to what’s fair for everybody considering all circumstances.”

Now 36, Jeter hit .270 with 10 homers, down from a .334 average and 18 homers the previous season. While his RBIs increased by one to 67, his on-base percentage fell from .406 to .340 and his slugging average dropped from .465 to .370.

An off year or the start of a career-ending tailoff? No way to tell.

But without the threat of negotiations involving other teams, there’s little pressure for either side to make a deal quickly.

“Do we want to keep Derek? Of course we do, obviously,” Steinbrenner said. “Obviously we all want to keep Derek and we all want to keep Mo.”

Steinbrenner remains confident deals will be reached to keep the pair.

“I don’t think in the end they will be unreasonable,” he said.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

I agree with you about MO, but I think the way they are handling Jeter right now is necessary. It'd be a massive PR nightmare if the Yankees and Jeter parted ways without details being known. The Yankees would look like utter crap no matter what to even the diehard fans. But releasing the details of an offer and the fact that Jeter wants more is only going to benefit the Yankees, insofar as the blame game is concerned. 3 years and 45 million is an offer that takes into account the added value Jeter gives to the Yankees. He's not going to get that from anyone else. Not even close.

[Bob]

Hank should ALWAYS STFU. Moron. Hal's the smart brother.

[JohnnyHector]

Hank should ALWAYS STFU. Moron. Hal's the smart brother.

That's like calling Rex the skinny Ryan.

[Bugg]

Suspect it's all negotiation by both sides. Casey Close probably should not being telling media people he is "baffled". But at the end of the day Jeter cannot get a better deal anywhere else and everyone knows it.

[SMC]

If that's the case Hankenstein, why did you push to re-sign ARoid at $30 mil a year for 7 yrs until he's 42 yrs old?

[AFJF]

If that's the case Hankenstein, why did you push to re-sign ARoid at $30 mil a year for 7 yrs until he's 42 yrs old?

He has a thing for man boobs.