Posada Resigns for 4 Years

Late last night, it was revealed that the Yankees have inked their homegrown backstop to a 4 year, 52.4 million dollar deal. The extra .4 million at the end of that figure makes Jorge the highest paid catcher in history, averaging 13.1 million a year, .1 more per year than the previous high by Mike Piazza. Posada actually met with the crosstown Mets yesterday, and lo and behold, hours later, the Yankees had added a year to their offer.
There are those fans that disapprove of the length of the deal, being that Jorge is 36 and plays a physically demanding position. While I concur that optimally, Posada should not have gotten more than 3 years, I understand that the team really had no choice, and I applaud the club for biting the bullet and giving Jorge what he wanted. Losing ARod and Posada in one month would have been catastrophic for the offense, and losing Joe Torre and Jorge (and possible Pettitte and Rivera) in that span would have been equally problematic from a public relations standpoint. After this past season, in which he posted a magnificent year, there is no reason to suggest that Jorge will not be worth the terms of his contract for at least 2 years behind the plate and another season with the bat (maybe at 1st or DH?). If the last year of the deal is a lost cause, it still will have been worth keeping Jorge in the clubhouse and at the plate for the next three seasons. All in all, good news for Yankee fans, and finally some stability in a tumultuous off season.