Future Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter is one of the greatest New York Yankees of all time and a seemingly bulletproof figure in the Bronx, but that didn’t stop Yankees general manager Brian Cashman from being brutally honest with the Captain in 2010.
According to Ryan Hatch of NJ.com, a profile piece on Cashman by Sports Illustrated‘s S.L. Price revealed that the GM was very frank with No. 2 during 2010 contract negotiations, as he told him he would rather have then-Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki when prodded by Jeter.
Cashman also proclaimed: “We’re not paying extra money for popularity. We’re paying for performance.” The two sides ultimately reached terms on a three-year deal.
While Jeter went on to play four more seasons for the Bronx Bombers, including three All-Star campaigns, Cashman wasn’t exactly off-base in terms of anointing Tulowitzki. The current Toronto Blue Jays star was just 26 years old at the time of the conversation, and he went on to have a career year in 2011 to the tune of a .302 batting average, 30 home runs and 105 RBI.
Tulowitzki is still one of the best shortstops in the game to this day, while Jeter retired at the conclusion of the 2014 season.
Cashman’s bluntness is somewhat understandable in hindsight since he was trying to get the upper hand in negotiations, but his brutal honesty very well could have rubbed Jeter the wrong way, and it may do the same to Jeter-worshiping fans who are catching wind of the story five years later.
Despite the fact that Cashman and Jeter had an up-and-down relationship at times, per Price (h/t Hatch), the GM called the Captain “the greatest player I will have ever had.”
Jeter is a five-time World Series champion, a former World Series MVP and a 14-time All-Star, which cements his status as one of the best to ever put on a pair of cleats.
Cashman’s comments regarding Tulowitzki speak to the fact that baseball can be a cutthroat business, but it doesn’t detract from what Jeter accomplished during his 20-year career and how much he has always meant to the Yankees organization.
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