Hello, Fenway West! I’m Tim Healey, this blog’s newest contributor, a journalism major at Boston University, and a hopeful sports writer. I sleep, breathe, and eat Red Sox baseball, and am looking forward to analyzing and over-analyzing every aspect of the team with you.
I’m such a big fan that I’ve half-jokingly said that, during the season, my mood depends on what the Red Sox have been up to as of late, and it is during these colder months I wish we could all hibernate until mid-February. Unfortunately, that is biologically impossible, but we do have the hot stove to keep us entertained in the meantime.
But there is one problem with the so-called “hot stove”: It’s not always hot. And when it’s not hot, what do we get? Stories about whether or not the Red Sox should/could/would pursue Derek Jeter.
First off, lets make a one thing clear: Jeter is signing with the Yankees. I’m not a psychic, I’m just sensible. I do not know how much money or how many years this soon-to-be-signed contract will entail (I’m guessing the two sides will meet somewhere in the middle), but when all is said and done, he will once again be donning pinstripes come Opening Day (which is way too far away). If you ignore most of the reasons Jeter won’t sign with the Sox (team captain, Yankee lore, etc.), you have to look at it strictly as a business and baseball decision. You have to give yourself a reality check: If by some off chance the Red Sox did offer Jeter a contract, where would he play?
Boston already has Marco Scuturo at shortstop, and I would find it hard to believe the team would be willing to relegate him to utility middle infielder duty. If the Sox were to award Jeter the multi-year contract he is looking for, it would block highly touted shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias from his seemingly rightful position as the team’s next long-term major league shortstop. Even if you believe any of the Jeter-should-change-positions-! rumors/theories/off-base suggestions, there is still no where for Jeter to play. He would never replace Pedroia or Youkilis, and despite the team’s current lack of a third baseman, the Sox would be better off with Jed Lowrie at the hot corner before resorting to an expensive and aging Jeter.
As startling as that picture of Jeter’s head on Pedroia’s body on the back of one of the New York tabloids last week was, and strange as it would be to see Jeter’s over-dramatic jumping throws at Fenway for 81 games every year, it just will not happen.
Maybe he’d like to be a bench coach, though.
Happy speculating, folks.
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