Big Blue must come to Jeter realization with Manning

EXECUTIVES in charge of personnel in any sport essentially have one mandate: that every move should edge the team closer to contending for a championship. That could be immediate steps backward to take future moves forward quicker as, for example, the Astros did to tank to get high draft picks and save money for a better day.

This brings me to Eli Manning and how much his situation reminds me of the Yankees’ endgame with Derek Jeter.

The two players share similarities as guys who honored their major acquisitions by New York teams, not only winning titles, but being the faces of those titles and representing the franchises in a mostly upright, pristine way.

Because of that, it is hard to move on from both — for fans and, often, for ownership. The ties are rightfully strong.

It was the Steinbrenner family, not baseball operations, that ordered Jeter’s final multi-year con- tract with the Yankees, from 2011 through 2013, and then his one-year deal for his 2014 retirement tour. And there was no suitable backup added for that last year, which led to Jeter continuing to start and — despite well-below-league-average stats — continuing to hit second every game, pretty much to not embarrass him on the way out the door. The Yankees recovered the next year by acquiring Didi Gregorius, but that was good timing/ scouting rather than having prepped well for life after Jeter.

As for Manning, it is hard to make a case he will be the quarterback the next time the Giants have a championship contender and, if that is the case, they should be doing whatever best prepares them for that — perhaps starting rookie Davis Webb. In fact, you can make a case the Giants even more so should be in this position because they are 1-7, while the 2014 Yankees were at least peripheral playoff contenders, and it can be argued that Jeter’s experience provided value in the race.

Again, it is hard for those who like all that Manning has done for a franchise, including staying durable enough to never miss a start. But those in charge of personnel always need to rise above the sentimentality and see the big picture — regardless of how special the bond becomes between stars such as Jeter and Manning and fan bases. It’s not personal. It’s business.