When a standout player who has been with your organization his entire career wants to stay with you, you listen. That’s what Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did when Jorge Posada became a free agent after the 2007 campaign.
A five-time All-Star and switch-hitting Silver Slugger, Posada would’ve been a boon for any team on the market. He still stands as one of the best-hitting catchers of the past 50 years, and his bat was elite in 2007. The Yankees had been able to extend him during the 2001-02 offseason for five years and $51 million with club option, but despite expressing interest in staying with the team he had been with his whole career, there was also major interest from the crosstown New York Mets — making the chase for the decorated, switch-hitting backstop all the more interesting.
The Yankees ended up making the deal, paying Posada the most average annual salary for a catcher at the time—$13.1 million—and thus stopped a rival team from compelling him to remain in the City, in a different borough. Although the final result being a positive one for the Yankees, it certainly wasn’t without its fireworks.
Jorge Posada
Signing Date: November 13, 2007
Contract: Four years, $52.4 million
Posada was already an established star by this the fall of 2007, and it had been a remarkable ascent from near-complete anonymity during the early part of the 1990s. We chronicled his history in greater detail during our Top 100 Yankees series, but we’ll present a shorter version. The Santurce, Puerto Rico native starred in high school and was able to cut his teeth some more at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, AL. He landed on the Yankees’ radar, and after a couple draft attempts, they signed him out of the 24th round in the 1990 edition — two rounds behind the Yanks’ selection of a young high school lefty from Texas named Andy Pettitte.
Originally a second baseman, Posada was convinced to give catching a try in 1991, when he made 11 appearances behind the plate for short-season Oneonta. By the next year, he was a full-time backstop, and over the next couple seasons, he shot up through the minor leagues, playing 92 games with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers in 1994 and officially debuting with the Yankees in September of ’95. Blocked at the big-league level across ’95 and ’96 by Mike Stanley, Jim Leyritz, and Joe Girardi, Posada played just nine games in The Show during that span, and only traveled with the team as they won it all in October 1996. But even though he would never be confused for a defensive stalwart at catcher, his time would soon come.
Prior to the start of ’97, the Yankees traded Leyritz to the Angels despite his World Series heroics. They wanted to open the door for Posada to get big-league reps as Girardi’s backup and were confident that the up-and-comer could earn his keep. Following a 101 OPS+ in 60 games of action in ’97 though, the Yankees did float Posada as a possible trade option with the Montreal Expos for Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez. That obviously did not work out, as Pedro was traded to the rival Boston Red Sox, and the next handful of years would live in infamy between those two teams (and the two players in particular).
Posada finally started over 100 games in the record-breaking ’98 season for the Yankees, slashing .268/.350/.475 with 17 homers for an OPS+ of 115, and his numbers only continued to climb from there. He was eventually trusted with the everyday job as Girardi aged out of the role and departed in December of ’99. The 2000 campaign was the first where Posada really shined, making his first All-Star team and hitting .287/.417/.527 with 28 homers and a 139 OPS+, earning his first Silver Slugger as well.
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It was an important time for Posada to make his mark, as other members of the Yankees’ core like Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez were nearing the ends of their days in pinstripes. And thanks in part to Posada’s tenacious at-bat against a dominant Al Leiter with two outs in the ninth inning of 2000 World Series Game 5, the Yankees rallied to secure the three-peat, Posada scoring the go-ahead run on Luis Sojo’s single.
Although it would be a few years before the Yankees again won it all, Posada was an essential part of the contending operation alongside pal Derek Jeter (the best man in his wedding). Posada earned four consecutive All-Star nods and Silver Sluggers from 2000-03, and he really shined in the last of those years. He became the first Yankees catcher to hit 30 homers in a season since no less than Yogi Berra, and thanks in part to a 144 OPS+ and 5.9 rWAR in 142 games, he finished third for AL MVP, trailing only Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Delgado. And while his 2004-06 seasons weren’t as decorated, he still played a vital role, remaining a pillar of health with 422 games started out of the possible 486, notching a 121 OPS+.
Entering 2007, Posada had one year left on his deal before he would hit free agency, and in spring training, the Yankees were uninterested in opening up talks on a second extension. He timed his best campaign since ’03 quite well, and his bat would’ve received even more attention had A-Rod not turned in an MVP season for the ages. Posada finished sixth in the voting with career-highs in all the rate stats, batting .338/.426/.543 with a 153 OPS+ and 5.4 rWAR to claim his fifth All-Star selection and Silver Slugger. That made him a valuable commodity for teams, despite approaching his late thirties at the most physically demanding position in the sport.
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The Yankees fell to Cleveland in the ALDS that October, and a decision was on the horizon for Posada. He really wanted a four-year deal in wake of that superb season. The Yankees weren’t particularly enthused about handing that long a commitment to a catcher who had just turned 37 that August; they were hoping to get Posada on a three-year contract for around $40 million.
So Posada was willing to hear out some of his other options, especially since A-Rod had opted out and longtime manager Torre was on his way to the Dodgers. Most notably, the folks across town were very interested. The 2007 season had ended in disaster for the Mets, and catcher Paul Lo Duca took a serious dip after leading the NL East champs in 2006. He was a free agent as well, but GM Omar Minaya had his eyes on Posada, as did his former third-base coach, Mets manager Willie Randolph.
As such, it was easy for Posada to not-so-subtly get the Yankees’ full attention by meeting with the Mets the day before other clubs could officially submut offers, per the New York Times:
Posada and his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, had lunch Monday with Minaya and [Mets] vice president Tony Bernazard. The Yankees initially offered the 36-year-old Posada a three-year contract but upped their proposal to four years on Monday evening.
While Posada briefly played hard to get for the Yankees, his intentions were clear from the start. He felt it would be easier to stay with the team that he had been with since his mid-twenties, and that’s exactly what happened. The Yankees acquiesced to his request and ultimately signed him to a four-year, $52.4 million deal.
In those final four seasons, Posada played in 397 games and slashed .258/.349/.454 for an above-average OPS+ of 110. A shoulder injury curtailed both his and the Yankees’ hopes for 2008 success under his old teammate-turned-skipper Girardi, but in 2009, it all came together. Posada hit 22 homers in 438 PA, good for an .885 OPS and 125 OPS+, and he had a productive October as well. Jeter might’ve been the captain, but Posada unofficially led the clubhouse and was willing to be the guy who held teammates accountable when necessary.
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The Bombers won it all, and Posada had his fifth ring. It would be the last one.
Posada’s bat remained strong in 2010 but his oft-uneven defense had made him a liability behind the plate, and he was a concussion risk as well. The Yankees found a bargain in the more well-balanced Russell Martin that offseason, so they signed him and planned to have Posada DH in 2011. The 40-year-old was unhappy in the role and dipped to a below-average showing at the plate, too. Although it was an awkward swan song for Posada, the hard feelings faded in time (and he was actually one of the few consistent bats during their five-game ALDS loss to Detroit). He retired in January 2012 and the Yankees retired his No. 20 in August 2015, honoring him with a plaque in Monument Park.
So yes, the Yankees had reason to be uneasy about that fourth year. But the overall contract still led to a 2009 World Series crown and the Yankees were able to pivot to a new catcher anyway during that last season. Losing Posada to the Mets would’ve been a true shame; thankfully, they didn’t let it happen.
See more of the “50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agent Signings in 50 Years” series here.
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