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PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic - The Yankees agreed to a three-year deal with captain and team icon Derek Jeter on Saturday, restoring order to the pinstriped universes for the short-term.
But what will happen after that deal - once it's finalized with a physical - expires? Jeter will be 39 at that point, an age considered ancient for a shortstop or any position player, for that matter. Maybe Eduardo Nuñez will have matured enough to take the baton. Or maybe the Yankees will resort to the Steinbrenner way - snapping up an expensive free agent by offering the most money or trading for a marquee shortstop. Someone like the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez, perhaps?
Not so fast.
"I don't try to look that far forward. I've got four years left on my contract, so I'm happy with what I have down in Florida," Ramirez, 26, said Saturday before hitting the links at the Punta Espada golf course here. Ramirez was one of dozens of bold-face athletes who came to support Red Sox slugger David Ortiz during his charitable celebrity golf tournament.
Ramirez said that although he would like to spend his entire career with the Marlins - "They believe in me and hopefully that can happen" - he, like any player, knows the business of baseball can throw some unexpected curveballs. Jeter's sometimes contentious negotiations over the past month are proof positive.
"What can I say? In this game, you never know. I think the Yankees organization's got a lot of respect for (Jeter), like he does for the Yankees, so they gonna get it done," Ramirez said before the deal was agreed to. "I think it's good for Derek, end his career in the Yankee uniform. He deserves it."
Ramirez, who originally was Red Sox property before being packaged in the 2005 trade that brought ace pitcher Josh Beckett to Boston, earned $7 million this past season (Jeter, by comparison, earned $21 million at age 36), batting .300, socking 21 homers, stealing 32 bases and driving in 76 runs.
The Mets would relish Ramirez changing leagues and leaving the NL East, but instead will try to contain the power-hitting shortstop in 2011 and beyond.
But what will happen after that deal - once it's finalized with a physical - expires? Jeter will be 39 at that point, an age considered ancient for a shortstop or any position player, for that matter. Maybe Eduardo Nuñez will have matured enough to take the baton. Or maybe the Yankees will resort to the Steinbrenner way - snapping up an expensive free agent by offering the most money or trading for a marquee shortstop. Someone like the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez, perhaps?
Not so fast.
"I don't try to look that far forward. I've got four years left on my contract, so I'm happy with what I have down in Florida," Ramirez, 26, said Saturday before hitting the links at the Punta Espada golf course here. Ramirez was one of dozens of bold-face athletes who came to support Red Sox slugger David Ortiz during his charitable celebrity golf tournament.
Ramirez said that although he would like to spend his entire career with the Marlins - "They believe in me and hopefully that can happen" - he, like any player, knows the business of baseball can throw some unexpected curveballs. Jeter's sometimes contentious negotiations over the past month are proof positive.
"What can I say? In this game, you never know. I think the Yankees organization's got a lot of respect for (Jeter), like he does for the Yankees, so they gonna get it done," Ramirez said before the deal was agreed to. "I think it's good for Derek, end his career in the Yankee uniform. He deserves it."
Ramirez, who originally was Red Sox property before being packaged in the 2005 trade that brought ace pitcher Josh Beckett to Boston, earned $7 million this past season (Jeter, by comparison, earned $21 million at age 36), batting .300, socking 21 homers, stealing 32 bases and driving in 76 runs.
The Mets would relish Ramirez changing leagues and leaving the NL East, but instead will try to contain the power-hitting shortstop in 2011 and beyond.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...#ixzz17FjmpmJJ
Surely this will not be used to fuel any rumors that the Marlins are thinking of trading Hanley Ramirez. That would never happen, nope, no way, nuh uh.
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