The Curse of Derek Jeter?

Can you imagine Derek Jeter in a Sox uniform?
Believe it or not,  it's not that far-fetched.

I'm going to propose to you an idea so unbelievable and incomprehensible that it just might work. Of all the possible free agent signings the Red Sox could make this offseason, one name none of us should overlook is......hold your breath.....Derek Jeter.

I said it. Seriously. As much as it pains me to admit it, the Red Sox have become a boring baseball team. They lack star power. There's no more Pedro, Nomar, Manny, Curt Schilling or even Johnny Damon. No colorful characters like Kevin Millar or dirt-dog glue guys like Trot Nixon. And just when they find a guy who excels under the heavy spotlight and pressure of baseball in Beantown, they let him slip away to the Detroit Tigers for next to nothing (ie. Victor Martinez). 

While it seems completely absurd to even to consider, stealing Derek Jeter away from the Yankees would be the one move that would create the most buzz around Fenway. More than anything, it would be an epic slap in the face to the Evil Empire that stole so many of our favorite Red Sox, including Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon. The psychological factor cannot be denied. Nothing would infuriate Yankee fans more than seeing their modern day Babe Ruth switch sides and don a Boston uniform. 

The only reason the Red Sox have a legitimate shot at landing Jeter is because negotiations between the star shortstop and the Yankees are at a standstill. Sources have the Yankees offering Jeter a three-year deal for around $45 million, well over the going rate for a soon to be 37-year-old shortstop who just had the worst year of his career at the plate. You would think Jeter would jump at $15 million per year. Nope. Although his agents deny it, rumors had Jeter asking for six years and $150 million. Even the Yankees aren't that stupid. 

Landing Jeter, not Carl Crawford or Jason Werth, would change everything. It would be the biggest possible free agent splash the Sox could make, while also creating the most media buzz and reinvigorating a befuddled and confused fan base. To top it off, the Sox could use Jeter on the field as well. Imagine Pedroia leading off and Jeter hitting second? Imagine an infield of Beltre at third, Jeter at short, Pedroia at second and Youk at first? I'll take it. 

Symbolically, landing Jeter would be our modern day answer to losing Babe Ruth to the Yankees nearly 90 years ago. Hank Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman would take up the mantle Harry Frazee once occupied, the infamous Sox owner who sold the Babe in order to finance the play No, No, Nanette. 

We all know what happened once that move was made. If karma exists, then maybe if the Sox land Jeter it will curse the Yankees for the next 86 years. The Curse of Derek Jeter. Make it happen, Theo.