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According to the Yankees, there hasn’t been anything confusing about contract negotiations with Derek Jeter.
Agent Casey Close described the Yankees’ negotiating strategy on Sunday as “baffling” and accused the Yankees of using the press and not acknowledging Jeter’s contributions to the club.
Yesterday, general manager Brian Cashman strongly denied the organization has acted that way with its shortstop, captain and all-time hits leader.
“There is nothing baffling about our position,” Cashman said. “We have been very honest and direct with them, not through the press. We feel our offer is appropriate and fair. We appreciate the contributions Derek has made to our organization and we have made it clear to them. Our primary focus is his on-the-field performance the last couple of years in conjunction with his age, and we have some concerns in that area that need to be addressed in a multiyear deal going forward.
“I restate Derek Jeter is the best shortstop for this franchise as we move forward. The difficulty is finding out what is fair between both sides.”
The Yankees have made Jeter a three-year offer of $45 million, obviously short of what the 36-year-old icon is seeking.
Yesterday, the gap between what the Yankees have offered and what Jeter is looking for — believed to be in excess of $20 million per season — was described as “considerable” in years and dollars by a person with knowledge of the situation.
Cashman said the Yankees won’t offer Jeter arbitration by tonight’s deadline.
When Jeter became a free agent five days after the World Series, the two most delicious points were: Jeter’s value to the Yankees was greater than any other team, and the Yankees had no legitimate replacement and would be smothered under an avalanche of angry backlash if Jeter left.
Nothing has changed. Early in the process, owner Hal Steinbrenner admitted there was a chance negotiations could get “messy,” and the words the past few days have proven that.
Working in the Yankees’ favor is Jeter’s value on the open market is in the $7 million-to-$10 million range, that his career-low .270 batting average last year raises questions, and doubts over how much longer can he play shortstop.
In Jeter’s favor is his .334 batting average in 2009, and his stature as a career .314 hitter.
Also in the Yankees’ favor is the average annual value of other middle infielders. At $15 million per, Jeter would be on top.
Four other middle infielders make $10 million or more. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley’s $12.1 million deal is the highest. Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez averages $11.7 million a year, and Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal and Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts each average $10 million.
Among position players 37 and older, only outfielder Ichiro Suzuki at $18 million per year and first baseman Todd Helton at $15.7 million a year would make more than the $15 million a year the Yankees have offered Jeter, who turns 37 in June.
Close can point to Jeter helping the Yankees win five World Series titles. His client is 74 hits shy of becoming the Yankees’ first member of the 3,000-hit club and has five Gold Glove awards. And unlike Alex Rodriguez, whose 10-year, $275 million deal has seven seasons remaining, Jeter’s image is clean and has helped build the Yankees’ incredible brand.
The three-year, $45 million offer represents a pay cut from Jeter’s recently completed 10-year, $189 million deal that paid him $21 million this season. That average of $18.9 million a year was 12th highest in baseball history.
Despite the recent war of words, nobody in the industry believes Jeter won’t be a Yankee. It’s just a matter for how long and how much money it’s going to take.
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The Yankees’ deadline to offer Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Kerry Wood and Austin Kearns arbitration is midnight tonight. Wood is intriguing, because if he leaves via free agency for a multiyear deal, the Yankees would receive a draft pick. The Yankees aren’t offering Jeter arbitration because if he accepted, he could cost them in excess of $25 million on a one-year deal. The same logic likely applies to Rivera and Pettitte, who hasn’t given the Yankees an indication if he wants to pitch next year.
george.king@nypost.com