This Thank You Is Huge
Our rivals/enemies/counterparts 210 miles to the South came out with their own bit of news on the heels of CC Sabathia's poor 2 inning performance today (who cares if it's spring stats, it's still fun to say!). With the contracts of future Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in their final year this season, there's been much talk about what kinds of contracts the Yankees should extend to two icons that have been with the franchise for close to 15 years. Let's take a snapshot of both players from the point they signed their 2001 contracts. Derek Jeter has averaged 18.9 million per year during his 10 year contract, reaching as high as 21 million this year. Since 2002, he's been worth 40.1 Wins Above Replacement, averaging about 132.2 million dollars of market value. During that same time period, Jeter has been paid 157 million dollars. While it's not the return on investment you should see from a player who never officially reached free agency, it's a testament to what Jeter has been able to accomplish over the years, as the odds normally say a large long term contract like this usually follow the path the Cubs are enduring with Soriano.