Derek Jeter made it clear this weekend that he does not really care who replaces him as New York Yankees’ shortstop after he retires at season’s end. Maybe he truly is indifferent to the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t care.
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It is a fascinating question, after all. Who is going to be the one to take on the daunting and uncomfortable task of replacing a legend, one of the few that this generation of baseball has seen?
Could Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers be that guy?
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wonders if that might be a fit once the off-season rolls around and all the dust has settled from Jeter’s farewell season:
"While there has been no meaningful conversation between the Rangers and Yankees about Andrus as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches, the conditions for real offseason dialogue between the general managers only continue to improve.After Jeter’s farewell tour, the Yankees face a future without a shortstop. The Rangers face a future with holes in the starting rotation and the batting order and $15 million per year — franchise player-type of money — invested in Andrus for the next eight seasons. Coincidentally, $15 million per season is what Jeter has averaged over the last four years with the Yankees."
The issue would likely center around New York’s willingness, or lack thereof, to further deplete a farm system that is already thin. As Grant notes, the money is not an issue, and winter will bring more roster flexibility.
It is just a matter of whether or not the Yankees would feel strongly enough about such a move to give up talent. If they did and there was a match, the team would certainly be doing well to immediately find a talented replacement for that spot.