The Yankees placed Derek Jeter on the disabled list today, officially ending his 2013 season. Jeter played in just 17 games this season, slashing .190/.288/.254 as he battled ankle, calf and quadriceps issues. Here's more on Jeter and the team with which he has become synonymous …
- Calling it a "stretch" to see Jeter as a starting shortstop next year, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes that the Yankee legend should hang up his spikes rather than holding on in a utility role. While Jeter has often proved the exception to the rule, reasons Heyman, historical performances by 40-year-old shortstops do not offer much hope, especially given his still-healing ankle.
- For his part, Jeter still believes he can play regularly at short, reports Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. He declined, however, to offer any meaningful insight into his pending decision on a $9.5MM player option for next year. As MLBTR's Zach Links noted yesterday, Jeter would seem to have little hope of getting a better deal if he declines the option.
- In the meantime, the Yanks acquired shortstop Brendan Ryan from the Mariners last night to handle some of the load at shortstop. He was inserted directly into the lineup today, as the club squares off in a crucial test against the Orioles. If the Yankees win, they would control their own destiny, notes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (on Twitter). Ryan acknowledges that it will be hard to man Jeter's spot, but says he is excited at the opportunity to split time with Eduardo Nunez.
- With a chance to earn regular playing time, Ryan has a solid shot at becoming the most impactful September acquisition in recent memory. Last year, the only 2012 September deal for a major leaguer was the Brewers' acquisition of catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who only saw six plate appearances in Milwaukee. Among the prior year transactions found on this list, compiled by Mike Axisa for MLBTR, only Willie Bloomquist (picked up by the Reds in 2010) and Octavio Dotel (added by the Rockies in the same year) saw any real action. Neither of those players made a positive contribution, however, making (perhaps unsurprisingly) for quite an unimpressive recent record of September acquisitions.
- The Yankees stand to pay an MLB-record $29.1MM luxury tax penalty, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. That figure represents a 50% tax on the amount the team spent over the $178mm level. The Dodgers will also pay a tax for the first time in franchise history, but will be taxed at a less-onerous 17.5% rate since the club has not incurred an overage in consecutive seasons (yet, anyway).
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
