Major League Baseball

Jeter wanted negotiations kept private

Published Dec. 7, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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Shortstop Derek Jeter is officially back with the New York Yankees, but that doesn’t mean he has put the contentious contract negotiations completely behind him, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry at how this went," Jeter said during a press conference in Tampa Tuesday, announcing the three-year deal worth $51 million, with an option for a fourth season.

Asked whom he was angry at, Jeter said, "I’m not going to point the finger at anyone. We’re one big happy family."

Instead, he said he was upset with how public things became between the two sides, when it was reported that Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, asked for significantly more than the Yankees were willing to offer.

"I’m angry at the process and how I was portrayed," Jeter said. "I heard about greed and all of a sudden I had an ego and arrogance."

The shortstop said he didn’t want to become a free agent and told Close not to take calls from other teams.

"I wasn’t negotiating with anybody," Jeter said. "And salary demands? I’m in no position to make salary demands. I thought it was portrayed incorrectly."

Jeter, 36, also said he wouldn’t be considering retirement anytime soon, despite the fact he’s coming off his worst offensive season, batting .270.

"I have a lot of years left to play as a productive player," Jeter said. "Criticism is part of the game. I’ve never shied away from that.

"Yeah, I’m getting older, but so is everyone else in this room. I take it year-to-year. You don’t look to the end of a career when you’re in the middle of a career. I feel I’m in the middle of it ... I’m going to play as long as I’m having fun."

Of the three years that are guaranteed, manager Joe Girardi said, "I think he’s gonna play a lot longer than that."

If he does, Jeter would rather avoid a similar spectacle in the future.

"The thing that bothered me the most was how public it became," Jeter said. "It was uncomfortable. I’ve prided myself on keeping things out of the public and I’m not happy about it. I let my feelings be known. I never wanted to be free agent."

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner admitted it was not an entirely smooth negotiation.

"It was difficult at times," Steinbrenner said. "Once we sat down face-to-face last week and decided enough was enough with the media and it wasn't good for everybody, we hammered it out."

Jeter, the Yankee captain who has won five World Series titles in his career with the team, is 74 hits away from reaching the 3,000-hit milestone.

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