ARod and Yankees a Costly Reconciliation
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Published by Will Hoover on November 15, 2007 02:10 pm under Free Agents, Yankees
Like at a Junior High dance, Alex Rodriguez sent a friend to help him make up with his Yankee girlfriend. Wasn’t this the guy who said he was willing to meet with prospective owners about a contact?
In the last 24 hours, the situation has turned from a potential free agent sweepstakes to a welcome home A-Rod party. Barring a last minute contract glitch, A-Rod will be in pinstripes for the next 10 years. And when A-Rod and the Yankees renew their vows, the dowry will be another record — $280 million. But A-Rod is really going to cost the Yankees - somewhere in the neighborhood of 43 million a year when factoring in the luxury tax.
By now, everybody knows the story – or at least the story the Yankees leaked. Talks resumed a few days ago when Rodriguez went to Hank and Hal and expressed his interest in remaining a Yankee. “Alex reached out to us,” said Yankees partner Hank Steinbrenner. “He wants to be a Yankee.” Yeah, he also wanted to be a Red Sox, an Angel, a Dodger, or whoever else wanted to pay him the money. But no one did.
Another fallacy was that the Yankees would not do a deal with Boras in the room. The headlines tell a different story. The Yankees denied a report that Rodriguez was handling the situation solo, saying that his longtime agent was intimately involved. Boras has been with A-Rod in Miami the past four days.
The fact that Boras/A-Rod found a team to give him more than 30 million a year when he’s three years into his 40s is nothing short of genius. A-Rod is no bargain, and the Yankees didn’t win this battle. They’ll spin the PR machine well, but another long-term, big money A-Rod deal makes more sense for A-Rod and his agent than it does for the Yankees.
The Yankees have spent about $400 million to bring back three players they already had (A-Rod, Posado and Rivera- who almost certainly will accept Yankees offer). Plus, the return of their #2 starter, Andy Pettitte, is in doubt. A-Rod and company were still first-round playoff losers to the Cleveland Indians. And if they want Johan Santana, they undoubtedly will have to trade Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and maybe even Robinson Cano.
The Santana trade might happen – but it will be a departure from what Brian Cashman has said about the Yankees getting younger. (Talented, cost-controlling players are extremely rare commodities.) Didn’t Cashman also say if A-Rod opts out of his contract, the Yankees wouldn’t re-sign him as a free agent?
Here’s the reality. The Boston Red Sox have won two World Series in four years and are on the verge of becoming a dynasty. The Indians were one game from the Series in 07. And when the Los Angeles Angels acquire Miguel Cabrera, they too will be an AL force. So how does bringing back three aging, high-priced players to a team that couldn’t get past the Indians in A-Rod’s career year represent a forward move?
What is more, the Red Sox won’t sit idly by and let Johan Santana become a Yankee (which, incidentally, might be the best battle to watch over the long cold winter). Remember, Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, or Clay Buchholz, and another core prospect, Jed Lowerie, might not be a bad option.
Let’s not forget the Joe Torre factor, either. With the Steinbrenner brothers running the show, the Bronx Zoo Part 2 can’t be far behind. After four years of A-Rod in New York, the Yankees have exactly zero World Series titles. All things considered, the Yankees reacquiring A-Rod might be the best move the Sox, Indians or Angels could ever make…
