Jeter to the Royals

In a stunning development today, Derek Jeter decided to shun the NY Yankees and sign a team friendly one year contract with the lowly Kansas City Royals.  After Jeter felt betrayed by the Yankees piddly offer to only pay him twice the market rate for a player of his caliber, instead of his desired quadruple market rate salary, he decided that he was up for a new challenge and went to a team who he felt was the complete opposite of the NY Yankees.  He also agreed to move to second base in favor of the far superior fielding capabilities of the younger and rangier short stop Yuniesky Betancourt, also realizing that he would have to beat out Chris Getz for the second base job in spring training.  He agreed to a one-year, six million dollar deal with KC in hopes to reestablish himself as a premier free agent in next years offseason.  Given that we know Jeter is always looking for ways to meet new challenges and overcome obstacles, he feels that through his patented leadership qualities he will be able to lead one of the worst teams to the world series in just one year.  It came down to a decision between KC and the Pittsburgh Pirates and he felt that it was time to get out of the east coast take advantage of the low cost of living which Kansas City offers.  In an exclusive interview with the Powder Blue Room, Derek stated that the new challenges included; wanting to see if he could actually hit 10 home runs in a real baseball stadium, to see how difficult it is to score 100 runs a year without the benefit of a 100 million dollar batting order hitting behind him, and the added difficulty of fielding behind pitchers who will never get any hall of fame votes.  He acknowledged that it will be difficult and he'll miss the ease of riding into the playoffs every year on the coattails of the best team money can buy and that many of his opposite field home runs will not even make it to the warning track, but he feels that his prowess alone will make most teams give up at the mere sight of him dawning an opposing team's uniform, no matter whose uniform it is.  He admitted that the strategy is similar to the guy who gets dumped by his girlfriend, then dates the next girl who will have him in an effort to make the old girlfriend jealous and thus take him back, ignoring the faults for which the girlfriend previously dumped him.  Jeter also admitted plans for reality based TV show to be aired on FOX and titled "Jeter's Winning Ways", which covers his transition and is likened to a show where CEOs for major corporations agree to pick-up trash to see how real people live.  The show will reportedly pay him the difference in money he is forfeiting on the free agent market and will keep his face in prime time, given the Royals current once-every-10-year pace for nationally televised games.  All in all, DJ feels that he owes something to the game and wants to bring his winning attitude to a group of losers, demonstrating that his true worth cannot be measured in age, slugging percentage, defensive rage or any thing else which can be measured by numbers.

Yes by now you've caught the whiff of sarcasm and get the joke, but just what would this guy be worth to the Royals is the question?  Would you even want him if he said okay, okay from you guys I'll do if for 2yrs/$25 mil?   In the end we all know that Jeter will sign a contract for the Yankees worth roughly the value of the 2011 payroll for the Royals, but if you were the GM for the Royals and he approached you and said that he was tired of negotiating with the Yankees and he was willing to play for your team, just what would you offer the guy?  How many teams out there would, if they could, match the Yankees initial 3yr/$45 mil offer?  It would surprise me if there were two.  This year I gave thanks for all of the Jeter vs. Yanks management contract talk and just how hilarious it really is.