MLB: Who Will Replace Jeter?

by Steve Painter

Allow me to make one thing very clear: You can't replace Jeter. How would you? He's one of the greatest of all time. You can't just get the scouts on the phone and say, "Get me another Jeter." Impossible. Doesn't work that way.

Jeter is what I call a generational player, meaning that he is special, has exceptional talent, and shines both on the field and off. Yes, a certain Hall of Famer and his statue will grace Yankee Stadium. Everybody should just rise and applaud him during his farewell tour, the 2014 season.

And at last, the Bronx limelight is where it should be, on a proven winner, and not on A-Rod, the exact opposite. Gone are Cano, A-rod, and now Jeter after this year. The Yanks will soon be sporting an entire new frontline, save Tex at 1st.

The Yanks will be fine. They've built champions before and they'll do it again. But you can't replace a Derek Jeter. But you can keep your eyes peeled for a good shortstop.

There is Stephen Drew, Hanley Ramirez, J.J. Hardy, Asdrubal Cabrera, et. al. and it would be ironic and funny if the Yanks landed Hardy, robbing the O's, after what their skipper said about the Yank's chasing after Wieters last year. Poetic, really.

The point is there is no lack of talent at shortstop around the league. I bet teams will be busy in the next few weeks locking up their SS's to long term contracts, or trying to.

Replacing Jeter's leadership? That's very hard, as well. New York is a tough market. I believe Brian McCann will eventually step into the role of team leader. He has experience with that in Atlanta. He's a good man, who does things the right way.

Replace Jeter? Can't do it, no way. Just change the mindset a bit, and look for a good shortstop. The Yanks will be fine. They have a  lot of time, no sense for a knee-jerk reaction.