The Lightning (A)Rod
Living in the New York-Metropolitan area, and listening to sports talk radio during a two-hour commute every day, it’s impossible to avoid the drama surrounding Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees right now. To me, it’s fascinating that the man who some consider the greatest baseball player of all-time is left out of the lineup in the postseason — and in his team’s elimination game no less! I understand that the Yankees have All-Stars at every position (including the bench), and that A-Rod is not looking like the player he once was, but still, his status and paycheck would suggest that his is the first name to be written into the lineup card (especially with Derek Jeter injured). I’m trying to draw a theoretical comparison to the Mets and falling woefully short. I guess it would like if the Mets were in the playoffs (ha!) right now and Terry Collins chose to bench David Wright. The last time I can remember a superstar of this magnitude being benched in the postseason was in 1977, when Billy Martin sat Reggie Jackson in Game 5 of the ALCS vs. the Royals. Times were different back then, of course. For example, although there were players who tried to get fans’ phone numbers in the middle of a game, beat writers wouldn’t report it as news.
Something tells me that this A-Rod situation is only beginning — especially if the Yankees are eliminated by the Tigers. Already there are rumors of trading A-Rod to the Marlins, which seems plausible considering Miami’s spending frenzy last winter and continued need to build a fan base. But Rodriguez carries with him another 5 years and over $110M — a staggering commitment, and especially egregious after looking at how much his health and production have suffered since admitting to taking steroids (hmmm …..). Will the Yankees trade him? Can anyone afford him? Will they pay some of his salary to get him out of New York? What kind of package of players can they get in return? Can A-Rod contribute to a championship club, or is it all about fannies in the seats?
What do you think? Are you paying attention to the Yankees drama? Do you find it entertaining? How do you think things will turn out with A-Rod? Post your notes in the comments.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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chavez isnt exactly lighting it up to warrant a start over arod…esp with jeter out…just glad wright didnt get caught pulling this move..thats all we needed….
Will there be interested teams? Probably.
What we see here is the folly of giving expensive, lengthy contracts to ballplayers over the age of thirty. Add to that a player who came up during the steroid era, and used them, and now must play under somewhat different rules while he is past his prime.
Like you, it is hard not to follow this situation. As a non-Yankee fan, what strikes me is that by sitting ARod, despite his struggles. Girardi (and Cashman/mgmt) has not put the best possible team on the field each game. Pinch hitting and unconscious Ibanez for ARod agains Johnson, who blew away ARod the game prior was one thing. Sitting ARod against Hammels and Verlander made no sense, even with them being righties, as has shown power, and power in 2012, vs. each. I guess that’s why they call it the Bronx Zoo. Anyway, we have enough concerns of our own as Met fans, so I’m indifferent to the Yankee woes.
but is it a milestone with all the PED’s now….is it as big a deal now that he has been caught then when he inked deal…..that will interesting to see….and if the yanks try and fight it….
arod is still a very good player and name…i think they hold on to him next yr…hope he plays well then maybe re-visit miami next offseason….
I wonder about the HR king thing, though. I wonder if Yankee management and ownership soured on A-Rod once his steroid use was made public. Having A-Rod pass Babe Ruth’s 714 HRs in a Yankees uniform, with the underlying feeling that it is a tainted accomplishment, may be a difficult PR story to spin. If he’s able to pass Aaron and Bonds as well, I’m not sure how much love there will be for Rodriguez. In fact, I bet A-Rod’s admission to using steroids — AFTER opting out of his original deal and getting the Yankees to give him that second, even more obnoxious contract — has been a rotting taste in the Steinbrenners’ mouths that they’ve finally decided to spit out.
If Wright becomes a FA, he’ll have his choice of where to go. Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers — just about every team will be calling. Heck, maybe the Nats move Zimmerman to 1B to make room for Wright.
Curse the Marlins for what they’ve done and are probably about to do.
What do you think?
All the best,
Rob
However, Jeter is the key factor in any such deal. If A-Rod — a superior defender and the “greatest player ever” at the time of his trade to NY — wasn’t going to move Jeter off shortstop, then no one is.
According to all reports, Jeter is returning in 2013. As long as Jeter says he’s playing, he’s playing SS. I don’t see any possibility of him moving to another position. He’ll stop playing shortstop for the Yankees when he retires.
A few years later, despite 3 straight monster seasons from A-Rod, the Rangers were desperate to unload his salary, and gee, guess who was the only team with deep enough pockets to make it happen? How about the increasingly egomaniacal all-star team in the Bronx? The same team that just outbid everyone for Mussina and Giambi? Bad enough… but then A-Rod talks about this move, which was a salary dump, and glows to everyone who’ll listen about how great it is to be a Yankee, 26 World Series, blah blah… Well, from then on, I had to root against the guy.
Then in the postseason, watching him slump as the Red Sox came back, and smack Arroyo’s glove and be defensive about it afterward… Hey, it’s starting to be pretty fun to root against this guy.
And then in 2005, when Ortiz must have set a record for clutch hits, but the voters gave A-Rod the MVP for hitting 3-run homers in 10-2 games because Ortiz played DH… Boo A-Rod. Cheating on his wife… Boo A-Rod. Doing the ridiculous celebrity dating thing, including sex icon old enough to be his mom in Madonna… Boo A-Rod. Utterly collapsing in ’06 against the tigers… Ha ha, A-Rod! Driving in only 1 run in ’07 against the Indians… Ha ha, A-Rod! Missing the playoffs in ’08… Ha ha, A-Rod!
I was actually beginning to feel like the forces of good had triumphed over the evil Yankees for a while there. Then A-Rod tied the game off Nathan with a HR in the 9th in the 2009 playoffs, and oh crap. If you put that much talent on the big stage again and again and again, eventually it’ll work out.
So, it is with great relief that I watch the Yankees choke and fail utterly this year. And, yeah:
Ha ha, A-Rod!
However, there’s no way anyone will take A-Rod without the Yanks eating $80mil, and there’s no way the Yanks will suffer the embarrassment of eating $80mil, so no, a trade ain’t happenin’.
So, my other pipe dream is that A-Rod tries to get Girardi fired and the Yankees spend the next few years in a disastrous soap opera that fuels a media frenzy that sucks the life out of the team, culminating in a 90-loss death spiral. That at least seems possible.
Girardi was smart to get a hot Ibanez into the lineup, but benching A-Rod that much in favor of Chavez was extremely stupid, reeking of desperation. Remember when Francona stuck with slumping Mark Bellhorn in ’04 and he beat the Yanks with a 3-run HR in the Schilling game? Show a little confidence, man.