New York Yankees

For the first time in his big league career, Derek Jeter is a free agent. For the time being, he has remained one.

The Yankees captain is looking negotiate a new deal with the only team he has ever known and played for.

This past week, the Yankees submitted their first offer for three years and $45 million, which would earn Jeter $15 million per season.

For a typical 36-year-old shortstop who has had some decline, that would be considered overpaying for the player. But Jeter is not the typical shortstop.

Let's preface this piece by saying the Rule 5 draft is the most overrated way to obtain talent for your organization. The reason why is most teams know their own organizations players pretty well.

They know the players make up as well as their games.

Can the player handle pressure?

Do they have a good work ethic to get better as a player?

So many question marks remain for the Yankees this off-season.

Will Cliff Lee go for the money in the Bronx, or will he stay close to home and return to Texas? Will Derek Jeter be in a different uniform next season, and if so who is the starting shortstop for the Yankees? Is Andy Pettitte coming back for one last title run? Will Posada, Montero or Cervelli be the starting catcher? What is the bullpen going to look like?

Cliff Lee is a phenom on the mound.  With the ball in hand and the crowd going bananas, Lee oftentimes shines.  His prowess as a big-game pitcher is no longer questioned, despite another World Series loss for his team, this time the Texas Rangers.  

The one team that has long coveted this stud lefty is the money-powered New York Yankees.  Why not? Unlike most teams, they can afford Lee's services, and they're looking for another arm in their rotation right now—or at least they should be.  

Derek Jeter is a Yankee. Let's get that out of the way before we get to anything else on this list.

The Yanks and Jeter's agent are all talk right now, but there's still lots of wheeling and dealing to be done before the start of spring training, and the Yankee captain is too much of a fan favorite for them to let him get away. 

That being said, there is the slimmest of chances that somehow, someway, Hank and the Steinbrenners screw this thing up. What becomes of the Yankee captain then?

It has been some time since the New York Yankees weren't involved with an offseason's top free agents. This year—to the chagrin of many baseball fans—is no different.  The most prized member of this year's free agent class, lefty Cliff Lee, tops just about every team's free agent priority list. For the Yankees, Lee could quite possibly be the piece that seemed to be missing down the stretch in their 2010 campaign. 

The New York Yankees are going to re-sign Derek Jeter, right? Right? Surely, they'll find some money in their infinite budget to bring back their captain, a guy who has led the team to five World Series Championships.

Though the Yankees will ultimately reach some sort of middle ground with Jeter, keeping him in pinstripes for the rest of his career, they aren't making things easy.

The Yankees' brass has called out Jeter on a couple occasions this offseason, saying his ego is getting in the way and that they won't overpay for a guy who isn't worth as much as he thinks he is.

While 2009 ended with a World Series championship, 2010 ended in disappointment.

While the Texas Rangers celebrated in front of their home crowd and were heading to their first World Series championship in franchise history, the 2010 offseason was beginning for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees and their 200 million dollar payroll, began their offseason earlier than expected.  Now multiple uncertainties surround this team, with some of the greatest players in franchise history becoming free agents.

Derek Jeter is still a free agent, much to the surprise of the entire baseball community.

Jeter's agent, Casey Close, has said that he is "baffled" by the way negotiations are proceeding and how little respect the Yankees organization is showing for their most iconic player.

The Baseball Hall of Fame's Veteran's Committee will vote on Dec. 5 to select any players, executives or other baseball personnel who have contributed sufficiently to the game since 1973 to merit induction. As it happens, 1973 was the year George Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees. Though Steinbrenner died in July, his son Hal remains chairman of the Yankees today.