I couldn’t help sharing the following news item with you after reading about it on MLBTR.

Obviously, most baseball fans, even Mets fans, have heard about the ongoing negotiations between Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees. You would never think the Yankees would be playing hardball with the one player that has defined their brand and image for over a decade, but yet they have. It’s kind of a gutsy move by them.

Anyway, check this out:

Brian Cashman has really escalated his hard stance so much so, that he told ESPN’s Wallace Matthews the following:

“We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account.  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.”

Wow… Just a few words, but boy do they really pack a huge punch. As Ralph Kramden would say, “Pow, right in the kisser!”

The Yankees are standing firm on their reported three year deal worth $45MM. And believe me, no team in their right mind will offer Jeter anything close to that in years or dollars.

After seeing how Omar Minaya has operated all these years, imagine if they had instead taken this approach with players such as Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez or even Jason Bay.

Imagine if they understood the market the way Brian Cashman apparently does?

They could have offered Castillo a two year deal for $10 million dollars with a team option and said, that’s our best offer, but you are welcome to check out free agency and see if you could beat it.

They could have told Oliver Perez, we’re not really looking to go more than two years for $16 million dollars, but feel free to shop that offer around if you want.

No way would Jason Bay get that four year deal with a vesting option, no way.

Well, I for one am glad that the Omar Minaya era is finally over and completely behind us now.

I have a good feeling that our new administration will be negotiating more like Brian Cashman and the Yankees do, rather than the way Minaya did things.

And on this Thanksgiving Day, among other things like family, friends and loved ones, I’ll be very thankful for that.