Seriously? Jeter a Red?

Interesting title, but it grabbed ya, didn’t it. Believable?

I’ve read a couple of posts over on Bleacher Report that state the Reds are a possible landing spot for Derek Jeter if he doesn’t re-sign with the New York Yankees. Of course I had a tleast a chuckle over those.

We know what the possibilities of this really happening are, don’t we? Negligible. They don’t even register on any meter. Not a single one.

For the sake of these ludicrous assumptions (because that’s exactly what they are), I’m pretending that I’m biting on all of this. Yes, even though I know the possibility of this deal resides so far out in right field that I’d be standing on the Kentucky side of the river staring in at GABP.

But we all know that there’s the good and the bad about signing/acquiring any player.

So…what if? (Can’t believe I’m really going this far!)

Positives:

1. Leadership. All throughout the 2010 campaign, we heard on several occasions how great of a clubhouse presence Orlando Cabrera was. Well, Jeter commands that even more.

2. Ticket sales. Say the Reds shock the world with this. Could you imagine how many seats would sell merely based on Jeter coming to Cincy? Even the fly-by-night Reds fans would fall into the spell of Jeter. Sure attendance would jump. The whole city of Cincinnati would jump. Another thing to consider is the number of single guys (or any guy for that matter) that would purchase just to possibly get a glimpse of Minka Kelly.

3. You have your leadoff guy and a shortstop. It’s been said so many times that the Reds need a shortstop and a leadoff guy.

4. What an infield though! Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, and Jeter. BR’s Adam Spencer is right on this point. Spencer also states the Reds would again be considered a contender for the big prize.

Negatives:
1. Money. Isn’t this what always makes or breaks any deal? The amount of money from extra ticket sales (as I stated above) would still not offset the cost of signing him. The latest deal Jeter’s camp has proposed is, get this, 5 years/$22 million to $24 million per year. This is according to the New York Daily News. If the Yanks were to agree on such a deal (and I’m really not seeing that at this point), the total monies would be in the neighborhood of $110 million to $120 million for the life of the contract. And I thought Jose Reyes was expensive.

2. Lack of production. This applies to both the bat and the glove. Jeter is coming of his worse offensive season in his career (.270/.340/.370, 10 HR, 67 RBI, 106 SO). He still managed to swipe 18 bags and score 111 runs. He won the AL Gold Glove in 2010, but almost anyone that holds a pulse knows he shouldn’t have. He can still make the spectacular play. Those plays just don’t occur with near the frequency as they once did.

3. Contract length. He’s wanting 4 or 5 years. The Reds wouldn’t need him for that amount of time, maybe a year, two’s a possibility, three at the utmost. That’s even a stretch.

4. Age. Even if the Reds could sign him to a three year deal, he’d turn 39 in that final year. Added fact here, OC turned 36 at the beginning of this month. They’re about the same age.

I think the funniest deal in the two posts I read is a purported “fact” that GABP is a hitter’s paradise. For one, that would be Coors Field. Second, Baseball Reference shows that GABP is, in fact, NOT a hitter’s park. It’s now considered a pitcher’s park. According to BR’s Sam Westmoreland:

"Why Jeter Would Go There: They need another shortstop for a year or two, until guys like Chris Valaika are ready to roll. Jeter gives the Reds a big bat, and he’d love the tiny dimensions of Great American Ballpark.Why He Wouldn’t: The Reds are a mid-to small-market club, and Jeter is a bit out of their price range at shortstop. Plus, he’d want more years than they’d need him for."

Catch that other part? The Reds could go after Jeter to wait for Chris Valiaka? I know Valiaka was drafted as a shortstop, but he was moved to second base in Louisville. That was out of necessity. Did he also forget about the likes of Paul Janish and Zack Cozart?

Bottom line is this. Knowing that the Reds own a reputation for being frugal when it comes to cash, how could anyone even put the Reds on this sort of list? We know the Reds pulled a stunner last off-season when they nabbed Aroldis Chapman. It had been rumored that the Yankees and Blue Jays were driving hard to sign the Cuban lefty, but that was a move for the future.

Signing Jeter isn’t. It’s a stop gap. That’s the assurance that the Reds offer Jeter. Three years, $45 million? That’s what the Yankees are offering.

And the Captain wouldn’t settle for that.