Derek Jeter is as associated with the New York Yankees as any individual player in MLB history is with one team. So the idea of the Bronx Bombers ever trading Jeter is unfathomable.
Of course, there are certain offers that make you entertain the once unthinkable.
The late Nick Cafardo, writing for The Boston Globe, dropped this gem in March of 2016:
As the story goes: When Jeffrey Loria owned the Expos, he was obsessed with Derek Jeter. So he ordered his general manager, Jim Beattie, to try to make a deal with the Yankees and to give up whatever he had to. Beattie offered Yankees GM Brian Cashman Vladimir Guerrero and Pedro Martinez. Stunned, Cashman told Beattie, “I can’t trade Derek Jeter.”
We don't know exactly what year this was, but Martinez left Montreal before the 1998 season, so it must have been prior to that. There's no question that Jeter was a budding superstar at that stage, having slashed .300/.368/.315 in his first 331 games. Though winning titles with the Yankees would become the norm during Jeter's tenure, the title that he helped the team to win in 1996 was their first since 1981, a lifetime for that franchise. In fact, between 1982 and 1994, the Yankees didn't reach the playoffs once. So optically, it would have been hard to fathom trading Jeter, who was becoming the face of the sport at the time, and one of the most recognizable figures in New York City.
That said, if Cashman had been more receptive to the possibility, moving Jeter for Martinez and Guerrero, said deal probably would have aged very well for the Yankees.
No one is disputing Jeter's place in MLB history, but between 1997 and 2003, Martinez had one of the most dominant stretches in MLB history, going 118-36 with a 2.20 ERA, 2.26 FIP and a 55.6 fWAR. He was, at the height of the Steroid Era, the best pitcher in the sport.
If the Yankees had simply traded Jeter for Martinez, it would be hard to say that they didn't win the deal, especially if the trade would have prevented Martinez from joining the division-rival Red Sox. But if you added in a young Guerrero, the Yankees clearly would have won the exchange.
Between 1997 and 2008, Guerrero hit .323 with 391 home runs, 1,267 RBIs and a .965 OPS. Is shortstop a more valuable position than right field? Probably, but while both had some signature defensive plays, neither was an especially strong fielder over the totality of their careers. Over that 12-season period, FanGraphs says that Jeter was the seventh-most valuable offensive player in baseball, as opposed to Guerrero being the 11th. That doesn't seem like enough of a difference to prevent you from trading for Martinez in his prime.
As interesting as it is to think about a rotation that could have eventually included Martinez, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, you wonder if Jeter could have helped keep the Expos in Montreal. Unfortunately, by the time Jeter would have been arriving in Montreal, key pieces from the much-talked-about 1994 team - Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Wil Cordero, Ken Hill and Jeff Fassero - were all gone. Jeter alone probably wouldn't have prevented the Expos from leaving Montreal. Frankly, he probably would have left Montreal after the 2001 season in free agency.
In the end, Jeter helped the Yankees to win five World Series titles, and is arguably the most popular player in the history of the team. It's hard to fault Cashman for not making this trade. Then again, if you have the chance to trade one Hall of Famer for two Hall of Famers, most people would rather have two.
More Historical Trade Rumors on RADIO.COM Sports
- Andy Pettitte to the Phillies
- Mariano Rivera was nearly a Detroit Tiger?
- How Bryce Harper was almost an Astro
- The Barry Bonds to the Braves trade that was scrapped
- How Randy Johnson nearly joined Curt Schilling in Philadelphia
- Brad Lidge for Cliff Lee?
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram