New York Yankees

It's the end of November, and the Yankees have stalled with their negotiations with Derek Jeter and his agent, Casey Close.

So now it looks like they are putting the negotiations with Jeter on hold to go after the biggest prize on the free agent market that they have coveted since last winter.

According to the New York Post's George King, there are major signs that are pointing to Lee signing with the Yankees once the Baseball Winter Meetings begin in Orlando next week.

For the first time in his career, Derek Jeter is a free agent.

Jeter's ten year 189 million dollar contract is up, and while just weeks ago it seemed impossible that Jeter would sign anywhere else, negotiations between Jeter and the Yankees have turned ugly.

Jeter wants five or six years, and 120+ million dollars. He wants to be paid like Alex Rodriguez, and a Yankees into his early 40s. The Yankees have offered him three years, 45 million dollars. An overpayment for a 36 year old declining shortstop, but not what the captain is looking for.

It would be interesting to know what Derek Jeter thinks of today's news with Troy Tulowitzki.

The Colorado Rockies' All-Star shortstop is reportedly set to sign a seven-year, $134 million extension through the 2020 season, according to the Denver Post.

Tulowitzki, 26, has already distinguished himself as one of the game's bright young talents. He was second in the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year balloting, with a .291 average, 24 home runs and 99 RBI. Last season, he hit .315 in 122 games, and also won his first Gold Glove award.

As you may, scratch that, ALREADY have heard, the talks between the New York Yankees and Derek Jeter have "gotten heated".  Insults have been said, and other things each side wishes they hadn't done has been released in the press. 

The New York Yankees' two biggest free agent targets this season are most definitely long-time shortstop Derek Jeter and star pitcher Cliff Lee. 

It seems unlikely that they'll sign both, so in the hypothetical case that they only sign one, which will be more valuable to the team?

In my mind, there's not even a question about this—Cliff Lee.

Lee is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball; he may even be the absolute best. 

MLB rumors continue to heat up the hot stove—or at least New York City—as we inch closer and closer to February.

And that magical date when pitchers and catchers report.

Around baseball, it's actually been a somewhat quiet offseason for player movement. No free agents of note have signed, with the exception of the reports that former Yankee Javier Vasquez will sign with Florida.

But not even the much-coveted Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford have been in the news as much as Derek Jeter's very public contract talks with the Yankees have been.

As it pertains to J-E-T-E-R

I really hate this kind of stuff. Both the Yankees and Derek Jeter seem to be bordering on the unreasonable as they dicker over a new contract.

If you’re going to write anything this month about Derek Jeter and his current negotiations with the New York Yankees, you need to begin by weighing in.  So, for what it’s worth:  No, Derek Jeter is not worth six years at $25 million a year.  It is also fair to say that he is worth more than three years at $15 million per season.

The tension between the New York Yankees organization and Derek Jeter is palpable.

The Yankees have offered the 36 year old shortstop a three year deal worth 45 million dollars. This is a significant pay cut from his last contract which paid him 189 million dollars over 10 seasons. At the time Jeter signed the contract he was the second highest paid player in Major League Baseball trailing only Alex Rodriguez.

In the 2009 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected Slade Heathcott in the first round, 29th overall.

It was not surprising to some as the Yankee were known to like the toolsy outfielder.

And in the recent Baseball America (BA) Top 10 New York Yankee prospects, Heathcott ranked No. 9. BA also projects future lineups and Slade was projected to be the starting center fielder in 2014.