Cashman draws the line on A-Rod
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 17, 2007 
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There was one bit of news that came out of today’s meeting.
Brian Cashman said, with the backing of ownership, that the Yankees would not pursue Alex Rodriguez as a free agent if he opts out of his contract.
Cashman has been saying that for eight months. But now it’s with the support of the Steinbrenner family.
This is a shot across the bow of Scott Boras. Taking the Yankees out of the mix with any free agent is a great loss of leverage. For the highest-paid player in the game, it’s a massive decrease.
Realistically, only a handful of teams could afford A-Rod. The Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, White Sox and Dodgers.
Boras will play this off as no big deal. But as each day passes, the best deal he can get could be an extension with the Yankees.
I completely agree with this decision to not pursue him. If he really loves New York like he says then he will do what it takes to stay here.
Don’t forget the San Francisco Giants, they are looking to replace the current career HR champ with the next one.
Great job by Brian Cashman to stand his ground. This could lead to Scott Boras changing his tune. Boras wants A-Rod to get the highest dollar contract as possible, but to get that contract, he just about has to have the Yankees involved. If A-Rod opts out, Boras loses the goose that laid the golden egg. I’m still not 100 percent sure that he’s opting out, even though I am starting to lose interest just a bit, sorry.
If the Yanks do, indeed, sign A-Rod to an extension before he hits the open market and Boras doesn’t get Alex to opt out…this wouldn’t be the first time that Cashman got what he wanted from Boras. Didn’t Damon ask everyone for 7 years at $15M per? And Cashman called his bluff and got Damon for 4 years at $12M per?
Whether Damon is worth $12M in that fourth year is debatable, but he definitely won’t be worth $15M in the desired (from Boras) year seven.
The Mets are not signing A-Rod.
Unless he wants to play 2nd or 1st.
I believe that this decision has nothing to do with money, it’s whether Alex wants to play in NY where he will never be as popular Jeter. If he wants to stay, he’ll sign a very lucrative deal. If he wants to leave, he’ll sign a slightly less lucrative deal. Either way, he’ll make more in an inning that the rest of us make in a year.
Ball’s in your court Bore-ass.
After The Angels getting killed in 1st round – I would think they have the highest motivation to give Arod i.e. Boras what he wants – they need another stick behind Guerero.
Damon gets $13M per year, but point taken. If Cash stands his ground, Boras could cave. He also caved in the Matsuzaka negotiations, although he portrays it as a win.
Hey, finally some good news.
Poor ARod. I wonder what the strip-joints are like in Chicago??
Oh, Manny had a press conference today. Really.
“We’ve got a great team over here and the other side is playing great. They’re pitching the way they should and they’re coming through with big hits.
What can you do?
You just think about Thursday and you just try to come and play hard and have fun.
It’s not over yet.”
Sorry Manny. I think you’re funny and I wish you were bombing Monument park on a daily basis, but it’s over, Johnny, IT’S OVER!!
Arte Morino of the Angels will not and has said so in today’s LA Times that he will not pay any player more than he’s paying Vlad….30 milion per would nearly double Big Daddy Vladdy’s salary……A-Rod will stay in NYC, as he may very well be more concerned about his leagcy as opposed to trying to squeeze more bread and thus be immortalized as a gready HOF ballplayer…..Should be one hell of a game of risk……
Win, win situation. If Alex decides he wants to stay, he’ll negotiate an extension, thereby buying himself lots of goodwill in New York. New York gets a big bat and a big draw.
If he opts out, then Alex goes and finishes his HOF career somewhere else where he won’t be under a microscope. New York turns the page and moves on. Cashman shifts the balance of power back to the team, alerting FA and their representatives that the Yankees pockets are not bottomless.
Would love to have Alex, but I really like the direction in which Cashman is moving.
In the end, Alex wants to decide whether or not he wants to be a Yankee. Alex needs prestige and recognition as much as he needs money. Yankee Pinstripes can give him that. In some ways, Alex needs the Yankees more than they need him.
Hopefully, Borat will save face and say that all Alex ever wanted was to be a Yankee for life.
If Arod still wants to prove he can win in the #1 MKT in BASEBALL,He’ll stay.
If it’s all about the “Benjamin’s”
He’ll ruin his legacy and be know as “Sold to the highest bidder” a mercenary,and still couldn’t conquer NY. But he’ll be rich!!!!touche
Who cares about SF? Lets remember how badly Arod wanted out of Texas which would be an close facsmile he would find himself in if he goes to SF, no surrounding cast. If he wants to leave let him go. We won before he came and will after he is gone.
Why would a team give any player 30 million a year? That’s insane, A-Rod or not.
This is GREAT news. Alex Rodriguez is not bigger than the Yankees. There is no reason to believe that with their resources in young arms and money they can’t win as many if not more games than they did last year should he walk.
Kudos to Cashman.
A-rod stays because he was mocked for years in Texas for signing that lucrative deal. As much as he is a special player, he also wants to be one of the guys. A-rod is a historian of the game and there is nothing like finishing your career in pinstripes,with a yankee cap in the h.o.f. That said, they will give him an extension that will please both sides.
I love Cashman. I hate Boras.
It’s amazing how my feelings for A-Rod don’t even make the mix.
Earlier, Peter mentioned he’d like to see Beyonce, Lucy Liu, and Diane Lane at next year’s press box.
http://tinyurl.com/232qgx
cue the dream sequence…
“There is no reason to believe that with their resources in young arms and money they can’t win as many if not more games than they did last year should he walk.”
Um…actually, there is a LOT of reason to think that. If Alex leaves, Posada will be their only right handed power threat. And the likelihood of him repeating this season is slim. They’d have to go give too many years to Mike Lowell, or give up a bunch of that young pitching to try to get Miguel Cabrera.
That said, I think they’re doing the right thing by drawing a line in the sand.
Earlier, Peter mentioned he’d like to see Beyonce, Lucy Liu, and Diane Lane at next year’s press box.
http://tinyurl.com/232qgx
cue the dream sequence
mel,
Ilove it when greedy agents have to back peddle.I wish
Cashman and Co make a secret declaration to never hire a Boras client(I’m dreaming I know) but it would run that scum bucket out the business. Boras=bad news for baseball!
A-Rod will be in Pinstripes next season…If not, I think the Yankees will survive. The Mariners won 116 games the season after he left them. Granted they sign Ichiro but the game is bigger than one single player and the Yankees are bigger than the game. Mike and the Mad Dog are ripping the Yankees a new one for the no decision thing. I would like to know who the hell they think they are telling another organization how to run their business. What a pair of jerks, acting as if the Yankees are in dissfunctional because they are taking too long to decide on their manager. The fact that the media and the fans want answers now does not make it necessary to rush things. This is a corporate decision and is no-one’s business until it is made.
I normally wouldn’t go this route, but for sure Cash is doing the right thing here! Good job by Cash. Hey, it’s a huge- stake poker game here between Cash and Boras, so away we go.
Agent Boras: An extension with the Yanks (the team with baseball’s biggest market) has a $20 million (Texas-sized if you will) head start on every other deal you could come up with.
If A-Rod opts out, add $20 million to what you get elsewhere and that’s probably what you could have gotten here if you pursued an extension without getting so high on yourself.
Well said Tim H. We CAN win with him or without him. I’m guilty of jumping on tyhe AROD bandwagon. I had not seen him play everyday before this season, due to living elsewhere. I drank the Kool AId, reversing my previous stance on AROD.
I was against the trade in 04.
Hell, I would have traded him for Manny straight up last year. One headache for another.
I know MAnny is a flake, but just look at last night. Sure, The SOx did beat BYrd, but cmon. Manny did not stand there with bat on his shoulder ala AROD.
In Little LEague, they call it fear. IN the MAjors, its called choking.
Dr Acula,
Your a naughty naughty guy!!!
For all the hype that Billy Beane and John Shurholtz gets. Cashman should be mentioned in the same breath as those guys. Just for the fact that he turned around one of the worst farm systems in baseball to one of the best. For getting something for those trouble makers in Johnson and Sheffield. And finally for making it clear to all that the Yankees will no longer be used to drive up your free agents price tags.
Would Beyonce, Lucy Liu, and Diane Lane make great beat reporters? Peter thinks so.
http://tinyurl.com/232qgx
And that go me thinking. yeah, that’s what I call it.
I do hope its true. I never liked ARod and still don’t.
Lets not forget this nice quote:
“[Mike] Mussina doesn’t get hammered at all,” the story quotes him as saying. “He’s making a boatload of money. Giambi’s making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write [bad things] about me, I don’t know if it’s [because] I’m good-looking, I’m biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team …”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21...../14924610/
Yeah ARod I don’t like you or want you on the Yankees because you look too good. When I am watching from my seat at the stadium I can’t concentrate properly on the game because of your stunning beauty…you got me!
Free up the cash to pursue some free agents who in addition to the young guns can bring us some championships. Pitching wins in the playoffs, we all know that.
ooops, double post.
Whozat -
Obviously if he goes they will have to be creative and remedy the situation, probably via trade. But with the $$ that would be freed up they could improve at several positions in the process (LF, 1B, bullpen). They’ll never replace his numbers in one player but they could end up with a more balanced attack, and if you’ve been watching the playoffs these past few weeks (or remember the late 90s?) that would obv. be preferable.
If he opts out it will be a busy winter.
Cashman is playing this the right way for one reason…..
He knows if Arod opts out, its because Boras already has a deal in place with another team. This keeps the Yankees from bidding against themselves in the free agent process.
If Arod leaves, life will go on. If he stays, which is the best thing he can do for himself and his family, that’s great.
The days the Yankees bid against themselves in free agency, which they have done several times in recent years, appear to be over. That’s not good news, that’s GREAT news.
“Manny did not stand there with bat on his shoulder ala AROD.
In Little LEague, they call it fear. IN the MAjors, its called choking.”
ARod had a long garbage-time homer this post season too. Unlike Manny, he realized that he hadn’t won the game when he hit it, though.
Catya,
Boras is good at what he does, but the act gets old. Yankee fans have lost their patience with the A-rod situation because of the drama surrounding the opt-out clause.
I do feel sorry for J.D. and Steven Drew, though. Their reputations have suffered because of their association with Boras and the negotiating tactics he used.
Wouldn’t mind taking a look at Salcedo, though. It might be worth making a deal with the devil, just to land him.
_Copies from prior thread_
I like the stance they’re taking on ARod. ARod knows the Yankees would like him back; he also can assume they are going to make him a pretty offer. It makes no sense for the Yankees to say that if ARod opts out they are still in the running, because it just raises the final price of ARod – they’d be negotiating against themselves. And Boras’ daily pronouncements of ARod’s worth are really getting tiresome and I would be surprised if there are ANY teams in the major leagues that aren’t just laughing their heads off.
Boras can say anything he wants. He will not get anywhere near the numbers he’s spouting. In retrospect, he did not get what he originally wanted for Matsuzaka either. Boston held firm on what they wanted to offer and they won out.
I agreed with cashman on the arod issue, If some of these players do not realize the PRIDE of being a yankee , then leave” As for Torres , he is a gentlemam and should tell these bozos running the yankees GOOD BYE. They can not make a rational decision and it is thier fault the yankees did not move.. I say bring on the kids and let them play,
I know it was garbage time. I qualified the comment by saying that , yes the SOX did not beat BYRD.
Just go back and look at AROD’s first 2 ABs against BYRD. Especially the second one. Arod was flat out unable to move the bat from his shoulder against the likes of Byrd.
How many more ABs from the highest paid player in the history of the game, must one watch, befor one says good riddance!
“But with the $$ that would be freed up they could improve at several positions in the process (LF, 1B, bullpen).”
People say stuff like this and assume it to be true. How will the money help? Which LF, 1B will you be buying? What will you be doing with the other two LFers the Yankees have? Will you force players with no-trade clauses to accept trades to teams for which they do not want to play?
You claim ARod’s production can be replaced with the money they’ll save? Ok, show me how. If you’re talking trades, tell me who you’re trading for and why the other teams will accept those trades.
Like…yeah, trading Giambi for Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder would be great, but he don’t wanna leave, and they’d never do it.
Doreen,Oh my goodness
I completely forgot dice-k was Boras latest “Phenom” how’s that working out for beantown,uh 4.2 innings before being yanked out of the game.
catya-
_Your a naughty naughty guy_
if ya only knew, Grrl. creative types come with innovative and stimulating imaginations. 8)
“Arod was flat out unable to move the bat from his shoulder against the likes of Byrd”
So was everyone else.
Fortunately, I watched the entire season, just like you claimed to, and I saw a myriad of wonderful ABs from Alex, under pressure as well as not under pressure.
No team can win a postseason series when they’re playing every single game from behind and they get terrible outings from their starters in three of the four games.
The decision to stay or go is ultimately decided by Alex Rodriguez and perhaps his wife Cynthia. I believe Alex has decided to stay and all that is being discussed with his agent are proposals for the length of the contract and the dollar amount.
Dr Acula ,
I can tell by your post,”believe me”!!!
Speaking of Mrs. A-Rod, if A-Rod comes back, does Cynthia get her own clothing line?
If he leaves, you better find some RH bats, besides if Uncle George wants him to stay, bet your butt he’s staying regardless of all this postering…Just as it was said abouit Reggie, he puts the meat in the seats…..I think it’ll come down to both parties ( Boras & Cashman ) looking good and saving face…..It should make great theater….Let the games begin……By the way all this Torre hanging in the wind is nonsense…He’s still under contract and it’s most likely already decided that he’s coming back certainly at a lower salary…..Only in NY….Does anybody know when the GM’S meeting is…Is it after the 10 day window on A-Rod ?????
catya-
no, no, no
Boras last phenon was (drum roll) – Eric Gagne.
Boras put on a ski mask and shook every dime outta Boston’s GM.
Get this, Boras held on for _moving expenses_ !! No Joke. Boras would not approve the trade unless Boston picked up Gagne’s moving tab. LOL!!
Ummm…I never said A-Rod’s production could be replaced. In fact I said just the opposite. I said if they are creative they could end up with a more balanced attack.
Nor did I say they’d be able to dump the albatrosses with ease. But this notion that the list of players available this winter begins and ends with Mike Lowell is foolish. It is a fluid market. There are teams desperately in need of young arms, or with a disgruntled vets in their walk years, or with surpluses at given positions, etc. The GMs job is to find and acquire such players.
Boras is just doing his job. I don’t know why folks get so upset with him. His job is to get the best deal possible for his client. Not to make Yankee fans happy.
Ignore all the bluster and see how it plays out. Hopefully, the Yankees stick to their guns.
IMO, they are going to have to now or they become Boras puppets forever if they change their negotiating tactics. They don’t need to get worked over like Theo Epstein does everytime he does a deal with Boras. Red Sox ownership got taken to the coals on the JD Drew and Craig Hansen deals, among others. Boras treats Theo like one of Michael Vick’s dogs. He works him over every chance he gets.
I’m torn on the Arod stuff. He had the best year of his career this year. Mainly because, for the first time in his life, he was treated as one of the guys in the locker room. He loved everything about his season, except the ending, this year.
He patched things up with Jeter. For the first time in his career, he started mentoring younger players. He even patched things up with his wife and they have another baby on the way.
He loves living in NY and is still looking for new digs in the city.
OTOH, you have Boras DYING to put him out on the open market. IMO, its because he has a big deal in place with another team. Boras NEVER does anything blindly. He has something up his sleeve.
So, if you are Arod, what do you do? Listen to the guy who has been like a second father to you since you were 17 years old and hope (pray is more like it) the next place he takes you is not Texas Part II? Or, do you tell him you want to stay in NY and instruct Boras to make the best deal he can make with the Yankees?
It would be the first time in his life he doesn’t follow Boras’ direction. Hopefully, he realizes its time to blaze his own trail and not get lead into another bad situation.
Legacy does count for something. If he leaves the Yankees, wherever he goes, its a step down, regardless of how much money he makes.
For a guy who has talked about wanting his jersey retired and a plaque in Monument Park, that has to count for something.
Catya –
Yes!
What the Red Sox had going for them was that there was no one else involved in the negotiations — no other teams who could up the ante as far as salary goes. The bidding was a different animal and doesn’t count towards payroll, so that’s where they went for broke. But they weren’t going to be held hostage by Boras. Boras had the choice of agreeing to the Red Sox terms or losing the contract altogether.
With ARod, I am assuming that they have exclusive rights to negotiate with Arod until 10 days after the World Series. I also assume that this means the Yankees will put forward their proposal and then Boras will answer with his. If Alex wants to stay in New York, they’ll work something out at that time. If Boras advises, and Alex agrees, not to accept whatever the Yankees offer, and ARod then opts out, I think he will be sorry, because the entire negotiating process for Boras is based on pitting teams against each other. With the Yankees arguably having the deepest pockets, plus Texas money, I don’t know who will go higher. In addition, I think the Yankees will go very public with their offer to ARod, so all the world will know just how fair their offer is.
Now that I think of it, in the Damon negotiations, no one else seemed interested in Damon except for the Yankees, at least not at that amount of money. Boras’ methods only work if you let them.
I just hope that ARod stays, Life will be a lot simpler for me as a fan if he does. That’s pretty much why I want Joe Torre back, as well as Mariano and Jorge. I don’t want that much change. I can’t deal with that much change all at once. I will still root for the Yankees, but, well, whatever did happen to Ricky LeDee?
dice-K isn’t a valid comparison to the a-rod negotiation because with dice-K boras had ZERO leverage, with A-rod, he basically holds the cards. The only leverage we have is knowing we have the biggest wallet, if you want to call that knowledge leverage at all…
That said, I think A-Rod will sign a very lucrative but not absurd (compared to his current contract) deal to stay in NY.
Dr Acula,
I wish you would visit “boston dirt dogs.com” It’s a beantown website with loads of stuff bashing beantown players,especially with their postseason,please take a look.
If you want to see some more ” at imagination at work. lol
The reason Boras didn’t get what he wanted for Matsuzaka is because Boston won the posting fee thus giving them the right to negotiate with him without competition from any other team. Yes, there was the possibility that Matsuzaka would not sign and he’d go back to Japan for a year but Boras and Boston knew that would never happen, giving Boston the upper hand in the negotiations.
That being said, I agree with Cashman’s stance on A-Rod. It would be nice to have A-Rod return because he brings MVP offense and Gold Glove caliber (or close to it) defense, however, if he opts out, he’s selling out. What about a contract extension that leaves out the opt out clause that way we don’t have to deal with this in the future?
Sorry to change the subject, but back on the Torre front…
I think the best route would be to announce that Torre is coming back on a one or two year contract, and that Mattingly will replace him at the end of the contract. Confusion and indecision is removed from succession issue, the players have a stable present and future, and both the anti-Torre fans and the pro-Torre fans are molified.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Doreen,
I love your post,you go girl. lol
“Nor did I say they’d be able to dump the albatrosses with ease. But this notion that the list of players available this winter begins and ends with Mike Lowell is foolish. It is a fluid market. There are teams desperately in need of young arms, or with a disgruntled vets in their walk years, or with surpluses at given positions, etc. The GMs job is to find and acquire such players.”
Ah. So, you have no ideas. That clears it up. Thanks.
Who are you? And where is the real SJ44? What is this nonsense about “patching up things with his wife” and “first time blah blah blah?
Are you for real? This is not the first year Alex Rodriguez has mentored the young guys. It is the first time it is so publicized – and yeah, I know, Alex has mentioned enough times this season that this was the most he has laughed at himself and so on. Also, how do you know anything about his relationship with his wife or his teammates – more to the point Jeter?
And how do you know “it is best for him and his family” to stay in NY?
None of you know any of this – where is this talk about Mo and Posada? This is a business, nothing here is personal. No one can treat a man like a dog for 3 years, and after one year of a love fest – expect and demand anything.
SJ44
I know Boras is just doing his job. Heck, I wish my husband had the type of job that required an agent like him! And there’s nothing inherently wrong in trying to get as much as you can — it’s kind of the American way, isn’t it? Whatever someone is willing to pay you is what you’re worth.
What it comes down to with ARod, for me, is exactly what you said. He’s got more money than most honest people have. Money should not be driving this decision, unless he really does want to be iconic in the monetary sense rather than in the more traditional sense. He will still be paid amply – more than amply – if he stays with the Yankees. He did _seem_ to be really at peace this season. The mentoring aspect of the season really seemed to agree with him. I don’t know ARod, so I can only surmise by what comes across on a television screen. But he seemed relaxed.
One thing I have thought recently though is that he may have been relaxed because he had decided it would be his last year in NY, and then, lo and behold, as a new and improved relaxed ARod, he actually has fun! It’s not going to be an easy decision for Alex, but I think if this were last year it would have been a snap.
SJ44- You nailed it again. A-Rod is a very sensitive guy who needs to feel admired and appreciated. For the first time this year, he felt truly appreciated by his teammates and the fans. Boras may try to direct his path, but I feel like A-Rod will ultimately listen to his own heart and decide to stay with the Yankees. I don’t think that he will ever forget how great this year was for him. The only thing better would have been to win a World Series, but he knows that the team and the front office are all fully committed to rectifying all of the flaws. I think that he was fully comfortable this year, and you really can’t put a price tag on comfort. Cashman’s stance is just icing on the cake and I just don’t think that A-Rod will leave, but I can be as wrong as anybody.
the yankees should not offer a-rod more then 22 to 25 mil per The yanks if a-rod wlaks should then try to get joe crede and platoon him with wilson betimet.They may not hit 53 homers but i bet they will drive in more then 1 run in 18 playoff games
Oh, and Alex is not a sell out if he signs a bigger deal anywhere else.
Again – It is a business.
I have no problem with the Yankees stand – but insulting Alex for pursuing an ideal business option as an athlete just ’cause he is richer than Croesus is stupid and ignorant.
I always felt that the whole plan was maybe Arod didn’t want to opt out then it would be Boras’s job to get the benefits of opting out without opting out. Boras has running a pretty effective campaign in the media in the last few weeks driving the price up. Unless Arod deep down doesn’t want to stay I think if Yankees offer him a good deal he will take it. I mean with the Texas money no one will outbid the Yanks.
All this about Arod is nothing new, I wonder why they just don’t say we are getting a new manager. It’s not like I would be angry if Torre came back, that’s fine but if he’s gonna go, let’s just let him go already and move on. I think if they were gonna let him go they should have done it last year then we could have gotten Lou Pinella but I guess he had lot’s of money left on his contract. I like Torre but he aint worth 7+ mill per year as a manager.
FTH
Look up the definition of Mercenary,it fits ,IF his decision is money motivated.imho
Why won’t they pursue him if he opts? Is it because it’s sort of like a slap in the face to the Yanks???
There has been some whispering that A-Rod has been looking for a spread in the Larchmont / Rye area…Secondly, A-Rod did go against Boras when he signed an extenstion with Seattle prior to his emancipation in 2000 when he bolted to Texas……A-Rod was out here in Newport Beach as he stayed at Boras’s home, which has lead to the Angels to express no interest in A-Rod…..Nothing from the Dodgers about him….But Onley says that the Marlins could be a spot for him ??? Say What …..
Matt,
The Yanks lose the money that the rangers pay yeaarly
when he was traded I think it is around 9mil per annum.I think.
Pat M- I also caught what Olney said about A-Rod possibly going to Florida. Talk about being a big fish in a small pond. He would go from playing in front of more than 55,000 fans at every home game to playing in front of 625.
Matt,
The won’t pursue him because they’ll lose the subsidy from Texas($21M?). It wouldn’t be fiscally prudent to do so. It’s what GM’s do.
Cashman said they won’t “participate” in free agency if Alex opts out. I would feel a little more comfortable if Cashman had said they won’t “pursue” Alex in free agency. That would leave the door open a bit. Who’s going to win this game of Chicken?
No offense to anyone, but wouldn’t A-rod double Florida’s payroll? That scenario makes it sound like Buster’s trying to stir up some action on a slow newsday.
Perhaps Cashman and the Yankees will feel that whatever their final offer is, is what it is. Maybe if Alex shops himself around and finds no one is going higher, the Yankee offer will still stand. Don’t know, but that could make sense. Except from the standpoint that if Alex opts out, to the Yankees that means he does not want to return, and therefore they can’t waste time waiting for the free-agency game to play out; they have to move on as if Alex is not returning and re-make their team. A lot will have to be done if Alex is gone. As will a lot have to be done if Mariano and Posado decide to leave.
mel, you read my mind. Why would the highest player in the game never want to be seen.Stupid olney,speculating.
So if he opted out, the Yankees would have to pay the 21 million that Texas would have still paid if he hadn’t opted out and stayed w/ the Yankees?
Doreen,
Your last post confused me! lol. One thing’s for sure. 11 days after the end of the World Series (that Boston will hopefully be conspicuously missing from) we’ll have our answer. Or it may get really muddled and complicated. Good grief, I hope not.
catya-
that’s a good site!
Also comments attached Bo Herald articles and letter to Gorden Edes of the Globe are a riot. Their bad self is so negative.
Last nite I got BANNED at Surviving Grady after an hour and thirty-eight minutes (HA! – as if that will keep me out).
http://tinyurl.com/24ps2k
They need to go to school on how to bust chops; garden variety insults are so stale.
Mel- I couldn’t help but laugh at Buster on that one. He said that A-Rod would dramatically increase it but give them a bat to go along with their young talent. The scenario is ludicrous to me. But who knows? A-Rod would definitely stand out, though. He would be the most high profile Number 13 in the state of Florida since the great Dan Marino! On a side note, the Dolphins could definitely use Dan at this point. 0-6 and about to get worse!!
I guess if the Yankee’s final offer is take it or leave it, then ARod really does have to decide if he really wants to remain a Yankee. He will have to decide if he wants to end his career in a city that can be unbelievably supportive, but also unbelievably demanding. He seemed up to it this last year. You know, it may come down to what his wife is comfortable with. Does SHE want to see herself or her husband on the front pages of tabloids for the next 5 to 10 years, or whatever the length of the contract is. I mean, even Derek Jeter is page 6 fodder in the Post, and he’s supposedly the town favorite. Albeit, he is a bachelor and a lot of the stories reak of “wow, I wish I was him.” But the point is, it’s really not going to be “just” about the money. He’s having to do a lot of soul searching. Plus, there’s no guarantee that the next place he goes won’t be just as demanding given the salary he’s likely to be getting.
Catya – fortunately for Alex, your humble opinion and mine are completely irrelevant.
He is an athlete – their career life spans no matter how much Boras likes to extrapolate are short. It is a BUSINESS. Whatever must be done to maximize that time period will be done.
Again, Posada and Mo – where is this talk about them? Money is a deciding factor in every athletes decision – there is no room to call them names for it.
mel sorry to contradict you. the Yankees pay about 16 mil/yrly for Arod, texas pays 9 mil per year. about I think 80 mil for the contract. check cot’s
Mel –
I’m rambling. I know. Sorry.
I, too, hope that the melodrama doesn’t go through the winter!
Matt,
??? If A-rod opts out, that $250 million dollar contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. It’s null and void and no one will owe A-rod anything. The Yankees feel “Why should we pay you $21 million when we can have Texas cover it?” It’s only business. I don’t care how much money you have no one’s going to absorb that if someone else is already on the hook for it.
mel,
I was teased by some non Yankees fan when the Yankees were getting Arod. They said the Yankees were crazy to pay 25mil a yr for a player.Then it was announced that texas was picking up part of the salary per year.
yeah a baseball players career is short BUT AROD will make over $600 mill in his career, even a lunatic must feel that is a bit excessive!!!!!!!!!
Arod is a great player but he is a emotional child and a fool.. Golly telling daddy boras to take a contract for $250 mill over 10 yrs. is scary, he should get a real job and learn how normal people live……..
Strap up, Doreen. This is just the beginning.
1. Joe
2. Alex
3. Po
4. Mo
5. Minky/Molina
6. Convincing Andy to pick up his option
Before you know it, March will be here, and we’ll be ready to start again.
Hopefully, the Sox lose so we don’t have to hear how they’re the best team in baseball. They can say they went one more round than us, but they came in 3rd in the division last year so they shouldn’t be crowing.
Catya,
Thanks.
Fth,
It’s still greed anyway you slice.Your’re right!!!
Mel -
I think I want to take a winter-long vacation and when I get back in March/April everything will be done! Of course, I don’t have access to ARod money (not to mention the responsibilities of life) so that’s not going to happen. Plus, I’m too curious and I’m hooked on this blog, so the chances of all this happening without me looking on are not too good.
Dr Acula ,
I knew you’d like it! Did you see the wanted for aiding a abetting pictures of Trot Nixon and Curt Schilling on the poster?
They really talk bad about their players!!!! poor Gagme gets no sympathy .
if he opts out, ill say thanks for the memories and good luck to you.
if an extension for tens of millions isnt enough to keep you interested in a team you said you love playing for, then farewell and dont let the door hit you on the way out.
Maybe there comes a time when money is no longer the driving motivation….Maybe playing the remainder of one’s career with the same team and with the same players becomes more important…Maybe establishing one’s legacy with the greatest team in sports history does really matter….Maybe just maybe A-Rod is no longer the 26 year old kid that was lead to Texas by his agent who was just as concerned in building his own leagcy at the expense of his client….Back in Spring Training I thought there was a 50-50 chance of his staying pending on the season he would have and how the fans would accept him in his 4th season in Pinstripes……I just think that #13 has found a home in Yankee pinstripes, and he’s no longer a 26 year old kid anymore….Maybe he’s A-Rod the Man, AND HE STAYS……
Alex and Boras have a plan and soon it will all unfold. I agree with most here though, Cashman’s stance is the right way to approach this. If he opts out, so be it.
Allow me to expand the discussion beyond Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez though. What will the Yankees pitching make up be next year? I for one think they’re making a mistake, at least at this stage, moving Chamberlin into the starting rotation. Here you have a guy who has the potential to be a monster out of the bullpen, I’m talking throwback style, ala Gossage, Fingers, Sutter. Someone who can throw two or three innings, maybe 100 to 130 innings a year. I’m a firm believer in conditioning a pitchers arm to withstand a certain workload. Now obviously I’m not a doctor or trainer, so I could be totally wrong in that assumption, but it seemed to work back in the day. Gossage himself intimated to this idea in an article sometime back.
With Chamberlin in the bullpen, you’ve got a starting staff of Wang, Hughes, Pettite, Kennedy, Mussina, and potentially Clemens if he comes back. I know what you’re thinking…Clemens. Well he has to be in the discussion. If he comes back maybe they have a 6 man rotation, I don’t know. It gives them flexibility.
I believe you may be able to fill the bullpen from within…quite frankly, there isn’t much choice, what’s out there.
On another note, one really needs to begin to address Jeter at shortstop, maybe a move to firstbase wouldn’t be a bad idea for him. After watching the range of some of the others shortstops out there lately, Jeter seems a bit lacking. Just another thought for discussion.
I’ll take questions from the audience now.
Earlier in the season I was chastised about my anti Alex opinions. Now that you all have seen the season of greed and self satisfaction with travelling strippers maybe you will understand my reasons.
We CAN win without Alex, We HAVE won without Alex, We WILL win without Alex.
WE HAVE NOT WON WITH ALEX.
Since A-Rod is under contract UNTIL he opts out…isn’t it illegal for Boras to be in contact with other teams to establish a free agent value? Isn’t that tampering?
Dr. Acula – I love the “Well, uh at least we WON our division!” comments.
I love role reversals.
And if they blow the pennant, it really doesn’t matter that they won the East or made it farther than the Yanks, they still failed at the ultimate prize.
There are no consolation prizes in the postseason. Yeah, pennants are nice, but it pales to the title.
^^^ Forgot to change my name, I am in no way a super expert.
Annie Savoy with the high hard one…..Yikes
When it comes to what Arod will do,”We shall see, what We shall see”!
I hope he stays,but a week at Boras’s pad ,Under his greedy inculcations, filling his head with “I’m the greatest”Who knows what Arod will do.
I can’t believe there is even a debate about this. The yankees HAVE to resign A-Rod. Can you imagine where they would have finished this season without him? Neck and neck with Baltimore.
Annie Savoy,
I wish Dr Acula could find the article in one of the sports mags about Arod, when he came here.It said he was poison on any team he was on .You will never win with him,and teams do much better when he leaves. I passed it off as bunk. Annie we haven’t won since he’s been on the team,have we?
Things that make you say, hmmm!!
“Earlier in the season I was chastised about my anti Alex opinions. Now that you all have seen the season of greed and self satisfaction with travelling strippers maybe you will understand my reasons. ”
Are you for real?
I didn’t see a season of “greed”. I saw a season of huge HR after HR leading the Yankees to win after win.
what does the stripper have to do with anything?
who are you, the Pope?
go away, you are an idiot.
CGramazio
I’m kind of torn on the question of Joba in the pen. If Mariano doesn’t come back, it’s a situation that’s going to resolve itself, because other than Joba there is no one in the Yankee organization who has proven they can be an effective closer. So, until and unless they get one to replace Mariano, Joba is it. Joba himself said that right now he has no preference except to know in advance so that he can prepare himself mentally either way.
He could be awesome, though as the number 1 guy in the rotation, a true #1 guy that the Yankees haven’t had. The rest of the staff would fall into place behind him. One thing for sure is that this spring training will have a lot of testing going on of all the unknowns. And even if Mariano comes back, they may need a guy, a second, if you will, who could also close out some of the games if Mariano has too many back-to-back-to back opportunities, or too many 4-out outings. (He is getting on in years — though I laugh at the fact that someone in his late 30′s is spoken of as though we should get the walker ready).
Beyond that, I don’t know. Except it is at least exciting to have all these variables, all these young talented young men who seem to be up to the challenge.
It’s an interesting thing you bring up, having relief pitchers a la Gossage, Lyle and Rollie Fingers, that would come in with men on base in the 5th, 6th or whatever innings and then finish the game. I don’t know how you go back to that unless you start conditioning guys in the minor leagues. But I’m just conjecturing. I know nothing.
I notice Boras always refers to him as “Alex.” Scott’s made ridiculous analogies and predictions over the years, most recently comparing 2 other Yankees’ situations to the 3B. It will not sell. First of all, it diminishes the other players.Make your insulting points without insulting other Yankee players–bad form. Boras and his heirs and assigns can continue to call him “Alex,” all day if they wish.
I hope the spankees re-sign ARod. He helps NY get bounced out of the playoffs every year….
…yeah a baseball players career is short BUT AROD will make over $600 mill in his career, even a lunatic must feel that is a bit excessive!!!!!!!!!
Arod is a great player but he is a emotional child and a fool.. Golly telling daddy boras to take a contract for $250 mill over 10 yrs. is scary, he should get a real job and learn how normal people live……..
HA! Jealous much?? Alex may not have had a ‘real job’ but he watched his mother have a couple of them and he lived the ‘normal people life’ for the fist 17 years of his life. What is so wrong with Alex wanting to get the most of his baseball talent (awards, championships or financially). I can guarantee you I can find someone in the world who thinks YOU make too much money for what you do….its all relative.
I wish Dr Acula could find the article in one of the sports mags about Arod, when he came here.It said he was poison on any team he was on .You will never win with him,and teams do much better when he leaves. I passed it off as bunk. Annie we haven’t won since he’s been on the team,have we?
Things that make you say, hmmm!!
LOL umm newsflash: the Yankees weren’t WINNING anymore BEFORE he came. How many championships, playoff spots have Seattle or Texas won since he left…..that logic doesn’t make any since. Not to mention there hasn’t been a single peep about Alex being anything but a good teammate in this past year and if it weren’t for his big season the Yankees may not have even seen October play!
I notice Boras always refers to him as “Alex.�
What’s so strange about that? It’s his NAME!!! LOL Boras isn’t a ‘fan’ and isn’t a teammate, he works for Alex so why wouldn’t he refer to him by his given name or a nickname that he prefers?
mel
one more for your list…
7. Deciding whether to pick up Abreu’s option or not.
At first glance it might seem to be a no brainer as Bobby seems tailor-made for the 3 spot ahead of Arod but we seriously have to consider using that money ($16M?) to go after Aaron Rowland. He’s young enough where a 5-6 year deal won’t leave us with an aging outfielder, he doesn’t mind running into walls, and we likely won’t see an OF prospect (not even Tabata) becoming a regular Yankee stadium fixture for two years. An outfield of Rowan (CF), Melky (RF), and Damon (LF) would give us a lot of range in the outfield. In two years, Damon is replaced by Tabata (or whoever). Just food for thought.
Fan27,
Yankees had 4 WS rings before Arod came,remember? His greatness has never won a WS!!! So what’s your point?
Fan27,
Yankees had 4 WS rings before Arod came,remember? His greatness has never won a WS!!! So what’s “your “point?
“Yankees had 4 WS rings before Arod came,remember? His greatness has never won a WS!!! So what’s your point?”
wow, one thing obviously implies another.
i guess mattingly was a loser who the yankees should have traded. they won the year he left. it’s obvious who was holding them back.
Hmmmm,what does mattingly have to do with this conversation?
Yankees had 4 WS rings before Arod came,remember? His greatness has never won a WS!!! So what’s your point?
My POINT is that from 2001-2003 BEFORE Alex came the team didn’t win a series so how can you say that because Alex is on the team they can’t/won’t win anything? Then how do you explain those 3 years? The logic that because Alex hasn’t won anything with the team YET means that they never will. You do realize that when they do WIN another WS there were be SEVERAL people on the team that had never won a ring before. The comment was made that the teams Alex left improved….but neither team has made it to the WS since he left so that has no revelance on Alex being on the team and winning a ring either. My POINT was that logic is seriously flawed!
……Alex came the team didn’t win a series so how…..
S/B didn’t win a WORLD series
It is sure nice to see some people are finally starting to make some sense on this blog. We sure could use another RF who isn’t afraid to play a little defense.
It is also time to start thinking about Jeter playing 1st and taking care of tht problem. His defense lacked this year wheather from injury or not was definitely a step slower. Would also take some pressure off from him.
Leave Joba in the pen. Set up for Mo for 1 more year and them let Mo set up for him for a year.
Fan27, I didn’t say they won’t win ,aAsports writer said that when he came , the yankees won’t win with him on the team. I hope Arod stays, and get some Bling Bling.”
So Far the writer is correct.imho
I didn’t say you said it I’m just saying to whoever came up with logic that it doesn’t make sense.
We have not won since he’s been here. If he wants to play games, then let him leave and god help him when he comes back to NY to play in a different uniform.
I believe ARod and his svengali like agent,Boras,have a deal in place with the Cubs.The reason Lou went to Chicago in the first place,was his awareness of Arod’s contract,the mutual feeling between them,the Cubs sudden spending,and the knowledge the Cubs would go after Arod.The fact that the Cubs made a decent jump in the standings only helps them.