A-Rod shunned Yankees at the end
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The Daily News has an interesting tidbit. Hank and Hal Steinbrenner each placed calls to A-Rod to express their desire to have him return to the team and he didn’t bother to return their calls.
Hank Steinbrenner also said (again) that the team would not pursue Rodriguez as a free agent. So that is that. If the Yankees changed their minds now, they would look like fools.
The agents for Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera should hold tight. Their clients will become part owners at this rate.
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on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 2:55 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
It would be awesome if he signed with Texas! Maybe Hicks also wants to give out the first 300 million dollar contract ever.
He’s probably going to Boston or the Cubs. My guess would be the Cubs.
Excellent article by Buster Olney:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3084735
Boston fans want NOTHING to do with A-Rod. What a way to ruin a WS by bringing that creep in for $300 million. No Way! I say the Cubs, Giants, and Angels will throw huge money at this clown so he can stink in the clutch for them too.
Mo and Po aren’t going to get anymore money. The Yankees are going to get GREAT PR because of A-Rod. Everyone hates A-Rod so they will be behind the Yankees in this divorce.
dirtbag
I’ve always supported A-Rod, but no more! How trashy is he to announce this during the last game of the World Series! The Yankees better stick to their guns and not go after him…or better yet, they should make a very public offer to him of 0.5 million per year.
New York, I think we have our new Sheffield!
Its going to be an AL team so he can DH later on. Probably Angels is my guess.
call me crazy but, alberto gonzales at third base would be delightful…
The ten days aren’t up yet. A deal can still be reached.
Screw getting a deal. He’s turned his back on us, we should match his move. He’s dead to me, and should be to everyone who truly loves the pinstripes.
Go Yankees.
Well, at least we know the real reason. We won without him before and we will win without him again.
Go Yankees!!!
The only thing that see that the Yankees did wrong was announcing to the world and reiterating ad nauseum (via Hank Steinbrenner) that they would not pursue Alex in free agency.
That was something that the Yankees could have done in private with Alex and his representation.
This past year was a great one for the whole Alex, Yankee, fans love triangle. But that’s what it is, in the past.
Lord help the rest of baseball, for “Hell has no wrath like the Yankees scorned”. For better or worse, 25 guys will don the pinstripes in April. They’ll have a new skipper and a renewed committment to each other as guys who want to be there. They’ll have some young blood mixed with the old
guard. As painful as it’s going to be, it was time to turn a new page.
You know what’s funny? The rest of the sports world laughed at us when we said that A-rod wasn’t a true Yankee. They couldn’t understand what we were saying. “What do you mean he’s not a real Yankee? He hit 54 homeruns and drove in 150 runs.” You can’t explain it, it’s just something that you know as a Yankee fan.
Today’s Front Covers
http://tinyurl.com/yqo9gt
Adiós, ARod & La La Joe
Mike & Mike are railing on A-rod’s announcement during the World Series. Golic’s railing on Hank, too.
“Boras said he and Rodriguez are still open to negotiating with the Yankees but that Rodriguez wants to know “what is meant by transition and patience” — a reference to statements made Wednesday by Hank Steinbrenner, a team executive and son of owner George Steinbrenner.
“(Rodriguez) wants to know what the status and philosophy of ownership are,” Boras said, “and what the direction is for the future.”
If A-rod wanted these answers he should’ve returned the Yankees’ calls. Duh. 21st century here.
Who cares where A-Rod goes, just don’t bring him back to the Yankees.
Is there some other team that Mo, Posada, and Pettitte are playing for next year, odds are that none, let alone one of them will be on the team he signs with. Their situations have nothing to do with his. Why can’t people tell the truth instead of making up BS excuses. I hope Tampa Bay is the High bidder for this mercinary, and I hope he never sees a .500 season let alone the playoffs again.
Does anyone else smell “Tampering” ?
my gut says they bolted, without even hearing our offer, cuz another deal in place.
It’s a shame. Maybe he doesn’t care, but he’s about to become a very lonely man. It didn’t have to end this way. He could have owned the greatest city in the world – another DiMaggio.
I hope he goes to Boston, He’ll tear the heart out of that team.
A-Rod didn’t return the calls because it is Boras’ strategy to separate the client from the team, break those emotional bonds that might get in the way of the math, or, as Boras put it, making a purely economic decision. In other words, it’s all about the money. All the rest, including A-Rod’s love for NY or the unsettled nature of the Yankees is pure, unadulterated horsecrap.
But when it comes to purely economic decisions, maybe Stamford economics major Mike Mussina could be of some help. Economists are fond of breaking up time into the long run and the short run. What happens in the short run defines the long run, becomes the long run. Yet, the short run’s peaks and valleys are usually lost over time making the long run a truer picture of a thing’s value over time.
So, don’t fret, it’s just a short run problem. As for A-Rod’s value over the long run, Selena Roberts’ take in the NY Times today is apt. She writes of A-Rod: “He isn’t worth the angst. A-Rod is almost a winning addition to any team like a three-leaf clover is almost lucky.” Pulling an econ minor in college myself, let me present a purely quantitative analysis. Number of WS won with A-Rod: Zero.
And one other thing. Regarding claims of making a purely economic decision, remember what famous economist, John Maynard Keynes once said: “In the long run, we’re all dead.” It may be about the money in the short run, but in the end it’s about who you are. And A-Rod… we economists know who you are.
I hope they don’t go after Lowell. Let’s trade for Miguel Cabrera.
I think there was a deal already in place. Like SJ says, A. Rod wouldn’t opt out unless he had something better to opt to.
If there was a deal already in place, I doubt it was with Boston.
Hard to believe the front office would be negotiating a contract with A. Rod while the team was battling (hardly) for a World Series title.
My guess in the Giants or the Cubs. Probably the Giants.
They need someone to fill that park since Bonds is gone.
That’s another thing…Please Yankees, do not sign Bonds.
See ya A-Rod! Yeah, he REALLY wanted to be a Yankee for life. He REALLY had unfinished business here. Blah blah blah. The man and his midget had other ideas. Let’s move on. Bring in ERIC DUNCAN, LOL!
I can’t believe it – Peter Gammons is saying the Texas Rangers are interested in signing ARod. AGAIN!
VOIII-
Boston is so lucky, Big Papi and Beckett have the worst agents in the world.
Papi makes less then Drew!
Gagne makes twice as much as Beckett!
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.c.....d-sox.html
I agree with you Dr. Acula, and this story will continue to play out in the coming days and weeks. Tampering indeed. This will only get more interesting. I’m intrigued by Bowa and Mel in Seattle. But they surely don’t have the money, has to be Chicago and Lou.
OK…now having slept on it I am ok with this.
Look we did not have a huge bopper on the championship teams in the 90s. We had a collection of players and solid pitching.
We can’t replace his bat (in regular season). What we need is a guy that can pick it and will play with his heart (see Brosius). I think Girardi will get alot out of guys. I wanted Donnie but now I think Girardi is better suited to this situation. I don’t want Cabrera either he’s a DH in 2 years.
Its not over…its just starting again.
A-Rod did us all a favor by opting out early – now the Yankees can concentrate on signing their free agents – I think Mo, Jorge and Andy all will be on board very soon. Alex is and always was a major distraction. The Giants are a perfect fit for him – the fan base showered Bonds with adulation in spite of his reputation, so they’ll really love A-Rod. Big talent, small man!
ThatWasMe-
Bowa is not gone yet. He made it abundantly clear that he LOVES being a Yankee and he wants to stay. I’m sure Giradi will ask Larry to stay.
* “ARod doesn’t understand the privilege of being a Yankee” ~ Hank Steinbrenner.
ThatWasMe-
Bowa is not gone yet. He made it abundantly clear that he LOVES being a Yankee and he wants to stay. I’m sure Giradi will ask Larry to stay.
* “ARod doesn’t understand the privilege of being a Yankee” – Hank Steinbrenner.
The Dodgers might become a good landing place for a few ex Yanks. A friend from SoCal told me yesterday that the Torre buzz has been swelling in LA for the past week. Mattingly’s son Preston is in the Dodgers organization so him joining Joe as bench coach might be attractive to him if he doesn’t get the Yanks job. Bill Mueller was filling in temporarily as hitting coach but wants to go back to the front office so Kevin Long, who makes his home out west off season, would also have a place to land. Dodgers have rotated 1st and 3rd basemen all season so would a Nomar at 1st and A-Rod at 3rd be such a stretch.
The Dodgers think the Angels get too much attention in the SoCal market and what better splash for them to make than a very high profile manager and infielder.
It would be a weird twist if A-Rod who was never seen as one of Joe’s guys and not a true Yankee like Donnie baseball ended up reunited with the 2 of them in LA.
If the rumors are correct and Girardi is the new manager. Posada will likely follow A-Rod out the door. If this happens then the Yankees need to focus on 09, They will gain some valuable draft picks for the loss’s of A-Rod and Posada. I would add Mo to that list as we will not need a 12 million dollar a year closer on a team going no-where next season. The Yankees should do what they have been doing and draft high risk , high reward prospects. Keep investing in the foriegn players and come to the table after next season with a lot of money to spend on a decent crop of free agents. Even in this scenario the Yankees will field a respectable team next year that will push for a wildcard spot. They will probably miss the play-offs in 08 but I think it will be the last time for many seasons that they will not play in October. They have a strong young core of pitching and Cano and Melky are still very young. There will not be enough help available this off-season to put the Yankees over the top, so lets retool for 09 and beyond…
As the rats abandon ship!
“As the rats abandon ship!”
indeed…. and thank god the smell was getting unbarable
I’ll have to say that Arod really had me fooled with all of his talk about finally feeling at home in New York and feeling special about wearing pinstripes. But he’s gone now and he did a great job of burning the bridge between himself and Yankee fans. There is no way he can come back now.
A Yankee day in infamy.
Here’s an idea — let’s offer ARod a one-year, $27 million dollar contract, with an incentive clause that makes it $28 million if they make the playoffs, $29 million if they make the ALCS, and $30 million if they make the World Series.
Finally a quote from Hank that I can agree with!
Cash and Steins – Please DO NOT go after Arod.
This is what Peter Gammons said last night on the ESPN post-game:
“A sad commentary� on the type of person Arod is, that he would choose to upstage the world series and the story of a starter who’s survived cancer to win the world series. And Gammons said: “this coming from a player who has never made it to the world series himself. This maybe a buyers beware.�
This is what Buster Olney wrote on ESPN.com:
“The way this played out could not have been more apropos, because A-Rod needs to be bigger than the game; he needs to be more important than the Red Sox or the Rockies or any other team, or any other player. He is one of the greatest players in history at compiling statistics, the greatest ever at compiling wealth, and his next employer will have to buy into that. The World Series can’t matter as much as A-Rod.
Arod once famously said he didn’t understand the reason why people hated like him, “maybe because I’m biracial, I’m good looking, or I make the most money…”
Isn’t the reason obvious?
If Posada leaves, then have a combo of Molina and Castro. I’d take that. They won’t equate in terms of Posada’s production, but they handle pitchers better than Posada. What about Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies?
Alex proved what many people think, that he only cares about one person. Himself. I hate the red soxs as much as any other Yankee fan, but for him to announce it during the world series just proves the point.
It sounds as though Hank and co. are taking a hardline stance on Alex and will not negoitiate with him. It is funny listening to Boras go on and on, about how he didn’t know the direction the Yankees were going in. Really Scott, so why didn’t you return the Yankees phone calls? Or listen to what they had to say? You say in one breath that you don’t know what the Yankees are doing and thats why he opted out, than in the next that you would like to negotiate with the Yankees. What gives? Do you also forget that you have 10 days from the end of the world series to opt out? You don’t think some of the “issues” would be resolved?
I cannot wait until you return to Yankee Stadium in another uniform. I will be there to boo you, like you’ve never been booed before. If you think Boston fans were rude, than you haven’t seen anything yet.
Good bye and bad luck! Thanks for the great regular seasons.
Is the $21 million that Texas owed the Yankees really that big of a deal? It seems to me that they’ll still make an offer.
* Arod once famously said he didn’t understand the reason why people hated like him, “maybe because I’m biracial, I’m good looking, or I make the most money…�
Isn’t the reason obvious?
Is he really that stupid? And isn’t he part Dominican American? Since when is that being bi-racial? He tries to act like an intelligent person, when he just comes off sounding like a fool.
I personally think this is by far the best thing that could have happened to the NY Yankees. Arod is a childish, selfish and unreliable both in life and production when it matters most……….Never been to a World Series and has never been able to carry a team any more in the off season that a even the most mediocre talent in Baseball. $30 mil can be applied to many needs………..Parience will right the ship. One word to summarize His character…………….disingenuous – lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: His excuse was rather disingenuous.
see ya AROD…over paid bum, doubt the sox will go after him, their lineup is clicking on all cylinders…moreno will go BK trying to pay him
Anyone who thinks this is a good thing is an idiot. Without A-Rod we won’t sniff the playoffs next season. Looks like things really worked out for Torre as the new manager is going to be the one to end the playoff streak.
It is a matter of principle. And yes even for the “big bad Yankees” 21 million is alot of money. Maybe if Alex wants to return with a pay cut of 21 million the Yankees will take him back.
I cannot see the Yankees going back on their word. They are the ones that will look like fools. No agent will ever buy into their bluff.
Don’t know if this is true since I didn’t watch the WS. But I heard that the few hundred Red Sox fans at the game, started to chant “don’t sign arod”.
Jennifer: “Thanks for the great regular seasons.”
No Kidding!
Arod could be the next Joe DiMaggio or the next Barry Bonds. He chose Barry Bonds. What more do you need to know about the man?
Well I liked and supported A Rod throughout his time in pinstripes. I’m actually glad Boras announced it during the world series, anything that takes away from the Red Sox is ok with me. Sad times in Yankeeland, kinda like the 80’s all over again. Managerial chaos, free agents not wanting to be here. I guess it really is a transition year.
I wonder how much the Torre blow off influenced this decision?
B – I rather we don’t make the Playoffs next year than to be plagued for next 10 years by a player who thinks he’s bigger than the New York Yankees.
“I wonder how much the Torre blow off influenced this decision?”
I don’t think it had any role. Boras was always going to opt out. He always brings his players to free agency when the option is there.
*Anyone who thinks this is a good thing is an idiot. Without A-Rod we won’t sniff the playoffs next season. Looks like things really worked out for Torre as the new manager is going to be the one to end the playoff streak.*
It does not really matter, with him all we ever did was 1st round and out. The man, and i use term loosely still has yet to prove he is “clutch” in post season
So many things are running through my mind. One is that several weeks ago I had a feeling that one of the reasons ARod played so well this season was because he had already (in the spring) made up his mind to opt out, and so no longer felt any pressure to perform in NY. If that is so, then every single word he uttered this season was a bald-faced lie. I think this is what bothers me most. If you know you’re going to leave, don’t string people along.
Another thing that struck me is: Talk about a sucker punch! The WS ISN’T EVEN OVER and his agent made the announcement. He leaves a freakin’ voicemail on Brian Cashman’s answering machine. What, he couldn’t wait 8 to 12 hours, after 4 apparently miserable years, to actually speak with Cashman? I am more than a little bewildered that it’s not okay for the Yankees(or any team, for that matter) to make an announcement about hiring a new manager during the World Series, but it is 100% okay for a player of ARod’s stature to make a major announcement about his contract, basically telling MLB, I’m now available to the highest bidder, WHILE THE GAME IS STILL ACTUALLY BEING PLAYED???? Talk about thinking you are more important than the game, more important than anyone else in the game. What contempt! I think he should be sanctioned – he and his agent should be sanctioned – by MLB for THAT farce.
And then, to add insult to injury, he does not even sit down and listen to the Yankees’ proposal? The story I read indicated that the “reason� he opted out was because he couldn’t be sure who the closer and catcher were going to be next season. Well, it seems to me if that were true he could have waited a few days to see where that was going, since it was clear those issues on the Yankees’ plate for this week. And he could have met with Cashman and discussed those concerns. No, it’s pretty clear he never had any intention of staying in New York.
Another thing occurred to me. I had read during the week somewhere that ARod was not particularly fond of Joe Girardi being named manager. I noted in what I read that it was not mentioned that ARod was concerned that there was no manager in place. So, I’m thinking that ARod and Boras had information about the next manager and it was not to his liking. Excuse me. Maybe.
Anyway, I was a fan of ARod. I liked him and felt he got unfair treatment by a lot of fans here in New York. I should not be surprised that he opted out. And yet, I’m stunned. I guess I was hoping he was sincere in what he’d said this past season. I feel I’ve been duped. I feel used.
I would not be surprised to learn of a deal for ARod coming quickly from someone else, and if I’m the Yankees, I go to all lengths to find out if the deal was in place before it was “legal� to do so. And I make Boras and ARod suffer. I will never be convinced that a deal was not already in place for J.D. Drew last season, and that it had a tie-in with Matsuzaka some how. I do not trust Boras as far as I could throw him (and I’m a tiny person, so, not too far!). As for Mr. Alex Rodriguez, well, I hope he’s now on a lifelong search for a home, a place to belong, a WS ring, whatever. And I really, really, really hope that the Yankees do not renege and suddenly decide they’re in the game for ARod. And I hope that he gets nothing near what the Yankees would have offered. But, as I said before, I’m pretty sure Boras is certain ARod’s going to get what he wants from someone else, because otherwise, they don’t make this move.
And finally, I hate that all the people who thought ARod would opt-out were right.
We need a right handed hitting 3B, no question. We must fill the power void from the right side. Beltre would be our best option. We could probably trade for him without losing the farm, he plays solid D, his offensive #s are hindered by Safeco, he has good speed, and he seems to play with fire and a good attitude. Beltre for 3B.
So, for an extra ~5% of lifetime income, Rodriguez has chosen not to have a “hometown team.” No old-timer’s day, no buy-you-drinks-at-the-bar and clap-him-on-the-back, no number retired in the ballpark, no restaurant on central park south. No love from _any_ city… not just new york.
He’ll probably live to 85, 40 years after retiring from baseball. That’s a long time to be flying from your Florida mansion to the celebrity golf tournament and back again.
He is stateless. Why doesn’t he take this to the logical extreme and incorporate himself in bermuda or caymans, and live on a yacht?
Good riddance, I say! Let that jinx go play with Boston.
Wherever Arod goes next, Boston or Chicago or Anaheim, Im sure he’ll have another opt-out clause after a few years. Us Yankee fans will be watching the drama on ESPN and laughing ours heads off. I can’t wait!
Personally, I don’t care that he’s going for more money. I’d do the same thing in his situation. I’m just angry that he (or Boras, I guess) did not even sit down and allow the Yankees to make an offer before the 10 day deadline was over.
Keep layin’ the law down Hank, I love it!! Let’s just hope they mean it – going back on their word would be an atrocity.
I too will miss A-Rod’s regular season achievement. His monstorous, prodigious home runs in July off the likes of Brian Meadows, Danys Baez and Gil Meche will never be duplicated. But something tells me I will not miss him all that much in October.
speaking of which, I don’t understand the rush to compare this to the 80s. If anything, 02-07 were the 80s IMO – overpriced underachievement. I don’t get why everyone is so worried. If anything has been made clear in the past few days with the manager search, it’s that Cashman is still in charge. Most of us have always had faith in him to develop a real team the right way, so why should that change now? The process has just begun and I for one am excited and thinking things are going to continue getting better.
A-Rod opting out is truly symbolic. It’s the end of the “live and die by the 3 run homer” era and the beginning of the “back to basics and everything that makes baseball great” one. And just because he can’t handle playing in NY, what makes everyone think that some hard-nosed infielder with a belly full of guts won’t want to?
We must go for Santana. Just offer the same thing they did to ARod, and we get the best rotation in baseball, as long as Pettitte make his option.
Don’t put the blame on Boras…he might try to influence the players to do what he wants, but in the end he’s not the one making the final decisions.
If Alex wanted to stay with the Yankees even a little bit he would have listened to the Yankees offers, but he didn’t. So good bye…
Dee,
After A-Rod and JD Drew, you have to think that team’s are going to try to take a stance against these opt out clauses in contracts.
Any trades the Yankees make for all these players you are suggesting are going to do the exact opposite of what most of you have been screaming you want. A team that’s younger, cheaper and coming through the Yankees farm system.
If you want to delude yourself by thinking this is the best thing that ever happened to the Yanks, no amount of reason will stop that but a team who is successful relies on its resources for that success. For some teams that’s scouting and the farm. While the Yanks have made strides in that direction, they aren’t there yet. The Yanks resource is money. You part with your strengths and pay out the dollars rather than part with the talent that is not as readily available.
Cashman isn’t going to be acting like a jilted lover today like many of you are. There is little place for emotion in the job of a GM. He’s going to be working on making this the best team he can with the resources he has available to him.
Great player that acts like a 2 bit whore. Too bad, his legacy will never be what it could have been. But its his choice…he sold his soul to the devil named Boras
You guys won’t miss A-Rod in October because without him there won’t be Yankees games in October.
Add Yankee Stadium to another place where ALex will be hated.
Seattle
Texas
Toronto
Yankee Stadium
Boston (assuming they don’t sign him)
I’m sure I missed a few. I hope he enjoys living on the biggest and loneliest island.
hehehe
I love this blog!
Psychotic ramblings from the scorned faithful!
Do you thing money and power corrupts?
Take a stress tab, people. Everything will be better after a good night’s sleep.
B, I hope so.
At least wait until this week to announce it. It was another scumbag Arod move driven by Boras. “We don’t know where the blah blah blah. We still want to talk to the Yankees blah blah blah” The only reason they want the Yankees in on this is to drive up the cost for somebody else. He had no intention of staying with the Yankees. We all hate the Sox but the news hits right as they are on the verge of winning another world series. The guy will have no legacy anywhere. This just proves that he can’t handle the biggest stage. Somebody will throw out that 300 million he wants. I hope the Yankees stay true to what they have said and don’t even think about offering him anything.
Ok so maybe 08 doesn’t look so great at this point, but think about what 09 could potentially be.
His legacy is going to be as one of the top 5 players of all-time, regardless of where he plays. All this hyperbole about him being homeless is a joke.
A-ROD SOLD HIS SPIRIT TO THE DEVIL NAMED MONEY.
My god, I mean he was just looking at a new place to live in New York not two months ago. I was going to cite the quote PA already did of how anywhere else would feel weird except for New York. I guess he was just full of it in the end. I knew we were going to have issues what will no more Joe Torre and Mo, Posada, and Pettitte problems, but now no Arod as well. Things arent looking great at the moment. Hes sealed his fate, hes going to go down in history as a hired gun, the real legends played their careers in pinstripes. Now we have a nice void of right handed power on the team. It wouldnt be as hard to replace the power, but we need a 5 tool infielder now, which isnt the easiest thing to find.I mean theres Miguel Cabrera, but hes an injury/fitness risk, and look how that worked with Damon this year. The bright side is we have millions of dollars to work with and recruit a more balanced team, that being said at least its not a team we need, just a solid infielder.
This is how I feel about all of this. You remember how all those yankee fans booed arod, this is arod booing us. Bastard.
Regardless on how we all feel, this is very bad news for the yanks. Jason Giambi is our powerhitter and wilson betemit is our 3rd baseman. On top of that the red soxs just won the world series. Someone keep an eye on Yogi. We dont want anything to happen to him
B, Barry Bonds will also be one of top 5 players of all time, but does he get respect?
Arod and Bonds will create a new category of players on their own…the asterisk legends.
For the record, I did some math the other day just for the hell of it and if my calculations are correct, if the new 3rd baseman scored 75 runs (as compared to A-Rod’s 143), assuming comparable production from everyone else, the Yankees would still score 900 runs, which would still lead the AL.
900 runs. Sounds like we’re definitely doomed to me!
Alex proved he cannot mentally hack it in NY. If he could he wouldn’t have opted out and used the sorry excuse for not knowing who the next manager his or what the other free agents were doing. He never sat down to listen to what the Yankees had to offer. Please don’t take us for fools anymore. I’m sorry to say that I defended him for the 4 years he was here. I”m sorry I wasted my breath on that sorry piece of garbage. At least be a man about it and admit you couldn’t mentally hack it in NY. Instead of blaming everything and everyone around you.
I don’t think we need a RH 3rd baseman – we need RH players.
Move Cano to 3rd and try for one of the following:
1. Sign Torii Hunter to 3-4 year deal and package Melky for a pitching prospect or bullpen arm
2. Trade for young RH 1st baseman Conor Jackson or AZ
There’s your strength up the middle and youth at the corners, as well as a more balanced lineup.
3B’s we’ve won or made it to the WS with…
Charlie Hayes, Wade Boggs, Scott Brocious, Aaron “Bleeping” Boone.
Just something to think about.
Dee,
The only people that don’t respect what Barry Bonds did in his career aren’t very bright. The man was the best player in baseball even before he decided to do steroids.
“Alex proved he cannot mentally hack it in NY.”
He sure looked mentally unable to handle it while winning his second MVP in NY.
this is sick. The ripple effect of this is bad. This is what you get when you are fan of baseball and the business side kicks you in the groin
IS Aaron Boone a free agent? We could get him on the cheap for a few years.
jen-
It’s worse than you think. Olney says Boras informed Sports Illustrated before he informed C-Money. And he infomed C-Money via TEXT MESSAGE, bring new meaning to the phrase, “cn you hear me now?”
Check this out, from the NYT:
“We have put it in writing and sent it to the Yankees,� Rodriguez’s agent, Scott Boras, said in a +telephone interview.+
Boras had no problems speaking with the Times, but he didn’t bother to call Cash.
Big sigh….
I’ve been meaning to start a Yankee blog for a while now. However, I have never had anything move me enough to push me into actually doing it. A-Rod’s decision to opt out finally did that for me. I hope some of you can visit, leave comments/ suggestions. The site can accessed either by clicking on my name above, or going to hate-arod.blogspot.com. Thanks, looking forward to hearing some of your ideas and thoughts.
Can we please complete the makeover now by canning Michael Kay and John Sterling?
Bad rationalizations
Yankee fans will Boo him: He survived Yankee fans booing in 2006, he’ll survive it in 2008 and beyond.
He”l be hated in NY now: He already was except when he hit a game winning homerun.
He’s childish and selfish: That describes 99% of professional athletes.
He’s only in it for the money: How many of you would do your jobs for free.
His legacy is tarnished: They’ll be sure to put that on his HOF plague.
Someone brought up Adrian Beltre. I’d like to say that I agree with trading for him. The bad thing is that he gets pull happy to a fault. But he does usually and almost always heats up after the All Star break. It’s a tough call, but I like his glove. Ultimately though, I want Jeter to move over to third or first. I’m quite sure he recognizes his shortcomings at short. Hopefully, he sees the light and request to move to third or first.
Just because of what happened last night, I can’t see Rodriguez going to Boston. If he was going to sign with Boston he wouldn’t have made his announcement last night and tried to overshadow what they were doing.
I hope his name surfaces in the Mitchell report!
Theres no doubting that Arod is the best player in the game today, but what does that count for if we dont win? With Arod we have gotten past the first round once, prior to him we won 4 world series and 6 pennants in 8 years. Fairwell Arod, go for the money and just live your life somehwere else having never experienced the joy of winning.
I had been hoping he would come back, bujt as this news sinks in, i am truly not disturbed by it the way i was with the whole torre situation. Arod is defenitly going to go to the national league because he is too fragile to have to come back into yankee stadium on a regular basis, although i would love to boo him and make him cry.
See ya, and take your stippers and dirty wife with you.
I hope he signs with some American League team. Cause when He comes back to the stadium, even for the all star game, I will make it rain holy h3ll on this guy. He is gonna get booed like nobody has been booed before. Arod is dead to me.
Of course he’ll be remembered as one of the greats.
But look at the top 20 hitters of all time. They all have a primary team association, a place where they would be cheered on their return after retirement. A-Rod won’t have that.
In fact, he would be actively booed in SEA, TEX, NYY, probably BOS, etc. If he showed up.
If you’re going to retire as the greatest, wouldn’t you want to be loved by at least one team fanbase?
Boras is a self absorbed ahole!
ROY SMALLEY – I just said that to someone at work!! lol
Doreen:
Hell hath no fury, eh ; )
Can you imagine the conversation between best friends Jeter and Po last night on hearing that the big phony opted out? I don’t know how much Spanish Jeter understands, but my guess is that Po called A-Rod a “marty cohen” more than a few times. I bet Po signs quickly now, anxious to get going with the new team minus Rod. Maybe Mo too.
As for Jeter, now everybody knows why his relationship with Rod cooled and stayed cool. Everyone blamed Jetes last year for not warming up to that snake, and for not doing more reaching out to him as the Captain. What a masterful act of manipulation this whole past season has been on the part of Rod the Reptile. Some fans forgot that of all the people on that team, no one knew the real A-Rod as well as Jeter. If Jeter had a problem with Rod, it was based on experience, not jealousy.
The Spring Training Confession, that A-Rod and Jeter were not BFF anymore bothered me at the time, because it had always been “everything’s fine.” But then, A-Rod unilaterally decided to out himself and it really looked like there was no advance heads up to Jeter that Rod was going to spill his guts. (A team player would have told Jeter in advance so they could decide how best to “handle” the story). But Rod took the low road and appeared to blindside Jetes, making himself look like a big man and the Captain look like a peevish little jerk. Classic A-Rod, just like the timing of his announcement.
And I’d love to have heard Cash’s actual reaction. (What’s the over-under on how many “mf”s he cut loose?)
If some of you think the booing of Arod caused him to leave, you are living in a dreamworld.
Ever since he was 17 years old, he has done what Scott has told him to do. Its just the way it is.
Leaving? It was his option and he chose it. HOW he left? That’s about as bad a way to do it as you can. Amazingly unprofessional and completly disprespectful to the game.
He chose the ONLY way to make the Yankees look like good guys in this debacle. In that regard, the Steinbrenner’s should thank him. They did all they could and he really disrespected them. Can’t have a guy do that on your team. You lose the entire team.
Honestly, he can’t tell Hank and Hal Steinbrenner (and Cashman for that matter) personally? He has to upstage the WS? That’s just dumb because all it does is seperate himself from his new teammates, as someone trying to be bigger than the game.
NOBODY is bigger than the game and NOBODY is bigger than the Yankees. Not even Arod.
Bottom line, Dustin Pedroia has more post-season RBI’s in one post-season than Arod has had the last 3 years combined. Folks may discount that as “meaningless”. However, when you are paying someone the equivalent of some small countries GNP, that factors into it to me.
Short term, its unfortunate. However, 2008 is HARDLY over since it hasn’t even started yet. Anybody crying that tune needs to find a new team to root for because you sure as hell aren’t Yankee fans if you believe that.
This gives the new manager some breathing room, the locker room some relaxation, and, as Pete correctly states, opens up new opportunities for the Yankees.
I have always felt this would be his last year in NY. I knew he was going to opt out and I knew the Yankees were serious about not negotiating with him if he did. I had my doubts (although I hoped I was wrong) he would be his own man for once and actually do what he wanted to do. In the end though, he did what he always has done in his baseball career. Do what Scott tells him to do.
In a way, its a shame. He is an unbelievable talent who just can’t seem to do things the right way. There is always drama, often at inappropriate times, and he always seems to be on the short end (often of his own doing) of the PR stick.
Seems to me he, is a man without a baseball home. Now, he starts over again.
The Yankees will surivive and move on. Arod’s legacy? Will be interesting to see how that plays out over the years. Right now, its not a positive one, regardless of how Scott wants to spin it.
Maybe he didn’t return their calls because he forgot to pay his phone bill. Maybe he was busy and forgot about it.
B:
Yeah, and I suppose the Yankee lineup had absolutely nothing to do with A’Rod’s success. Playing the contrarian like you do is getting pretty tiresome, my friend.
Joba & Melky for David Wright.
One can dream..
this is pretty unfortunate. seems to me like he was just plain tired of the circus that is NY and flipped them the bird on his way out. he probably made this decision the minute that SI story came out last year or the minute the post put him with the stripper on the cover.
i understand the anger and resentment.
what i don’t understand is this “good, i’m glad!!! we don’t need him!” sour grapes nonsense.
the yankees just lost their only right handed power threat, and there is nothing on the market.
the yankees can’t just “trade for Miguel Cabrera” unless you are ok with losing Joba/Phil AND Wang.
the 2008 Yankees are pretty much f*cked unless cashman starts getting really creative right now.
i am ok with that. i will still watch every game next season just to watch Phil and Joba develop. hopefully they can work more arms from the system into the bullpen. i will still go to the old stadium every chance i get next year.
but i’m not going to sit here and pretend that giving Shelley Duncan more ABs is going to replace A-Rod.
Kim Jones was hosting on WFAN this morning and said that ARod had decided to leave two months ago and had told some people. She also said that he has a deal in place with another team.
if you make the assumption that the yankees are an organization in disarray at the top and have been for at least a year, it is easy to predict the problems of this team. one of the benefits that you get from having watched the yankees closely since the mid fifties is a second sense about when things are well with them. things are not well with them. when bernie was discarded like yesterday’s trash, it was apparent that something was very much amiss.
that’s when i knew the yankees had lost their focus. scott boras has away of snapping people back into reality. in a way this opting out is the best thing that could happen top the yankees. it is a wake up call. are the yankees dead? no. if they make the right moves they could be right back to being the best team and the best organization in no time.
the first thing the yankees have to do is have hank and hal get rid of hank and hal and put someone who knows what they are doing in charge of the yankees.
if this doesn’t happen, and hank and hal stay in charge expect one negative surprise after another in a downward spiral and freefall.
the new york marketplace will not put up will hank’s dunderheadedness. he’s so out of touch with the big business that baseball has become he will be exposed each and every day until he becomes the laughingstock of baseball. there is no chance he will succeed in this global fastpaced baseball world.
boras vs. hank= goodbye hank.
This is whats so bizzare about baseball, the red soxs are 8-0 in their last 8 games in the world series and are 8-6 in their last 14 LCS games. BUT they could have easily been 1-8 in that series if the yankees and indians won their next game. What does that mean? Joe Torre doesnt manage for the yankees and arod opts out.
Baseball is a Bizzare sport. we can debate it all we want, but if the yankees and indians would have won 2 more games, today would have been a different day. Maybe Arod opts out, maybe he doesnt. Maybe Joe Torre leaves, maybe he doesnt. But at the very least the redsoxs dont win two world series in 3 years.
To think that all is well in the yankee universe. Its really not as rosey as some might paint it. We lost 5 wins last night
murphydog,
A-Rod was successful in Texas surrounded by little talent. I don’t think the Yankees lineup was responsible for much of his success.
I am certainly not the expert negotiator that Boras is, but if ARod getting maximum dollars while still looking good was the goal, why didn’t he take a sit down with the Yankees. Ask them for their best offer and then announce that he thought ARod could get more. How could this announcement during the World Series ever turn out well? A-Rod comes out looking like A-Jerk. The only teams that I can see giving him anywhere near the money the Yankees were offering as of yesterday (let alone 300/10) are the Cubbies and the Angels — and even they cannot like the way he and his handler did things…
The worst part is how A-Rod lied over and over again about wanting to stay a Yankee and “this place feels like home”. If he had just come out and said “You know, I gave NY a shot, but it’s just not working for me.” I could have respected him. It’s the lying that makes him a sorry excuse for a human being. And you can’t blame Boras for that. He’s just doing his job. In the end, it’s A-Fraud’s decision to make. In my opinion, he made the wrong one. If he thought that he was unpopular now, he ain’t seen nothing yet.
My early predictions are Angels, Giants, Cubs or Dodgers. Some people say the Mets, but where are the Mets going to play him? Last time I checked, they had a good 3B and SS. If they move Wright to 1B, it would work, but how unfair is that to Wright?
SJ:
2008 is hardly over, I agree. The lockeroom can finally breathe easy (well, it’s the Yankees, so it’s never easy). But in a strange way next season will be easier because both Torre and Rod are gone. Losing Torre was a shame in some ways, but not having to constantly wonder if he will be fired is going to be a relief for the players. Losing A-Rod is the emotional equivalent of having a tumor excised. I don’t think there is one guy on that team who is down about having to get a new 3d baseman.
Snake-Rod really has icewater in his veins. I don’t want to over state it, but an exit like that, orchestrated and calculated, borders on the sociopathic. He reminds me of some characters I dealt with in my prior life: bright, articulate, charismatic and all serving time for burglary.
man, what a morning. i went to bed early and woke up to the red sox as champs and a rod as the most hated man in sports.
i live in San Francisco. He’d fit in perfect out here. This city has a way of ignoring every place else and embracing someone who just hits the ball hard.
what a joke. i hate the guy
I hope the highest bid for A-Rod’s services turns out to be like $10 mil a year and no one offers him more money.
I know that is not going to happen, but it sure would be funny
Dicarding Bernie, although sad, was a good sign. Look how the red sox let Pedro go. How’d that work out. Sometimes it is time to move on.
B:
Define success. If it’s about personal numbers at the expense of the team, then I apologize. You’re right.
SJ: You put that WONDERFULLY!
“What does that mean? Joe Torre doesnt manage for the yankees and arod opts out.”
i’m sorry, but if you think A-Rod wouldn’t have opted out no matter what, i have to strongly disagree.
i think it was VERY likely he decided before the season even started.
I can’t believe I am agreeing with the guys on the fan. Sad sad day. LOL
Nobody is going to replace A-Rod’s production. It still isn’t the end of the world, as Manny would say. People are upset because A-Rod kept saying how much he loves New York and all that other crap about having unfinished business here. Then he opts out without even meeting with the Yankees. That is rather f-ed up.
There is most likely another deal in place I would agree.
murphydog,
How are A-Rod’s personal numbers at the expense of the team? Sure he didn’t get the Yankees to the playoffs by himself, but he was the largest contributor and without his efforts we wouldn’t have came close. He’s irreplaceable and unless some type of miracle happens, we have zero chance at the division next year.
Fran, that is interesting, what Kim Jones said about ARod telling some people about 2 months ago. Very interesting that the people he chose to tell were apparently very trustworthy, since nothing leaked. I am more incensed about the circumstances of opting out than the actual opt-out. It would not and does not surprise me if a deal is already in place. That seems almost a given. But if it is true, then something needs to be done about Boras. He may be good at what he does, but do we really want to admire someone who rides roughshod all over both the written and unwritten rules of baseball?
This has not been a good year for the Yankee family. From not getting the Dice-K contract, to Bobby Murcer’s illness, to Phil Rizzuto dying, to the sloppy handling of both Mo’s and Posado’s contracts (I think they should have negotiated with both of them pre-season, given their contributions to this team, and the fact that there’s really no one out there to replace them), the sloppy way they handled Joe Torre’s departure (whatever you want to call it and whether or not you think it was time for him to go anyway), and the agonizing amount of time they’re taking to name a new manager (even though I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing). It just seems like a lot of things haven’t gone very well in the last year. Oh! And how could I forget the freakin’ bugs!
Next year could only be better, right? Right?
.
Boras is too smart to opt out without at least one other team ready to bid on A-Rod.
hmmmmm….keep reading my post
A-Rod = A-Bum. Nothing more to say.
The Yankees will be fine next year. The year after A-Rod shunned Seattle, the Mariners won 116 games. It was a team effort. (The other big names, Randy Johnson and Griffey, had already fled too.) He is still booed every time he comes here.
Boras talks to teams all the time and he may have an indication that a few teams are in, but there is no deal in place. Boras wants the bidding to go to insane levels. My prediction, A Rod signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 7 years, $231M to play for the new Dodger manager, Joe Torre.
I still think our team’s success next year will have much more to do with how our 5 young pitchers (Hughes, Joba, IPK, Ohlendorf, Veras) perform and whether or not Pettite, Mo, and Viz are back and effective.
Let’s put this in perspective. We’re losing our cleanup hitter and our 3b.
BUT, we can easily replace his production. Last season we played with no offensive production at 1b. If we get a 3b who hits 25 HR and drives in 90 and get a 1b who can do the same, we’re actually a more productive offense than we were with Arod.
I know 25 HR hitting 3b do not grow on trees, but I fully expect the Yankees to go find one, not to mention go find an offensive replacement at 1b.
Even though you’d hate to see them deal with Boras, Carlos Pena would go a big way towards replacing a lot of the power we’re losing. He would enable us to get a 3b who didn’t have to be a cleanup hitter.
As for the timing of the announcement, I think that the timing actually has a lot to do with Boston.
I think over the weekend Boras learned what the Red Sox were prepared to offer Arod if he opted out and knowing there are guaranteed dollars there that would exceed what the Yankees were discussing made Arod and Boras jump.
In some weird way, I think they thought they were rewarding the Red Sox by announcing he was leaving the Yankees (possibly for them) on the eve of their World Series championship. It was akin to letting the Red Sox front office know, “we’re yours!”
They didn’t realize the backlash about the timing that is going to happen. This is because Arod and Boras will always think he’s bigger than the game itself. They think Arod going to Boston is the big win for Boston, not the World Series sweep.
I could be wrong, but I think that Boston has a history with Boras and these opt out assurances. I think the fact that Boras was in Colorado for the WS makes it entirely possible that he and the Red Sox had back channel negotiations.
Arod wasn’t going to leave the Yankees for an NL team. He’s a future DH someday. He’s leaving the Yankees for an AL team. The only AL teams who could take him are Boston, Anaheim and maybe Detroit and Baltimore. I don’t buy Texas making a 2nd run at him for one second. Some AL team told Boras and Arod that there is $300 million + out there waiting for him if he opts out.
He’ll get the money. When his career is over, I’m not sure what it’s all going to mean, but his PR image has taken another huge hit for the timing of this move. If it’s Boston, I think Arod thinks he was showing excitement and appreciation to Boston ownership with the timing. He just never gets it and there’s part of me that is happy that the circus is leaving town.
Let’s get back to winning championships and keep sports on the back page, rather than the front page.
F Arod. I gave him the benefit of the doubt since day one. This was a BS move and he is a scum bag for doing it. During the 2006 season, I took a Sharpie marker to a white plain T and wrote “Stop booing A-rod” and I GOT YELLED AT. I have always supported him.
This little money grubbing scumbag piece of S. I sincerely hope he goes to another team, hits 76-whatever homeruns and then tears his ACL and then get into a wrestling match with Magic Johnson in a ring of barbed wire.
Good Riddance.
Little Chip in Seattle,
They won 116 by replacing A-Rod with Ichiro and a roided up Brett Boone. That’s not going to happen for the Yankees.
So this ia what playing hardball means….I get it now Boras,below the belt.
Feel good yankees you’ve been unburdened of this head case. Since Arod is for sale ,Caveat Emptor as the saying goes, (let the buyer beware!)
I don’t think this has ANYTHING to do with any percieved “disorganization” at the top. That’s just Scott’s BS.
Bottom line, he has a deal in place with another team (I think its the Giants) and its for more money than Boras feels the Yankees would pay him.
Its about the money. Its ALWAYS about the money. When you think its not, remember, its ALWAYS about the money.
He went to Texas for the money. He left his “second father” (his words) in Lou Piniella for the money. He left a place he “loved” (again, his words) in NY, for the money.
Its about the money. The rest is just window dressing.
Think about it for a moment. How are the Yankees in such “disarray”? They have the best young pitching in the game. They still have Derek Jeter. They now have a TON of money to spend AND a new stadium (that will generate OVER 100 million bucks MORE per year to their bottom line) coming up in another year.
If that’s “disarray”, sign me up for it.
Its a team in transition. Nothing wrong with that because the time had come for transition to take place. The Red Sox didn’t make the playoffs last year and won the WS this year.
A year ago, I heard the same stuff (they are in trouble) about them.
That doesn’t discount what Arod is as a player. As good as he is, it also didn’t guarantee any post-season success.
You just deal with it and move on. Just like he did.
From another thread-
Peter T
October 29th, 2007 at 12:12 am
The Yankees are allowed to offer arbitration because A-Rod voided the deal. Obviously, they will and get the draft picks. The timing of this is really interesting to me. I have to believe that it was more than coincidence that Boras delivered this news on the night the Red Sox were going for the sweep.
-Could work out in a lot of great ways for us. Think of how we got Joba from Tom Gordon leaving. Maybe we’ll sign Babe Ruth 2 from A rod leaving…
I just don’t get it. A-Rod may have a deal with another team in place, but is really going to get that much more from them?
If the Yankees offer was going to be in the neighborhood of 240 million for 8 yrs., how much more is he going to get from someone else. 10 million? 15 million? That comes to about half a season of pay checks. Is it really worth taking that risk for what, for him, is such little money? I still think this might be a negotiating tactic. It wouldn’t be official until MLB is notified, not the Yankees.
That said, as much as I’ve defended A-Rod over the years and (mostly) enjoyed watching him play, I no longer care whether he comes back. The Yankees are going to be a good team next year. They should try to trade Damon or Matsui for someone who offers pretty much the same thing from the right side at 1B or 3B, and they’re still going to score a bunch of runs. Spend the extra money on strengthening the bullpen (there are a couple of — I hate to say it — Japanese relief pitchers who are FA this year, and if the Yankees could one of them I think they might well contend again next year. Go back to be a great pitching and defensive team, and trade for the Justice’s and Fielder’s to get us over the top if we’re still in it at the trade deadline. The important thing is not to panic and trade a bunch of the young guys for no good reason.
You know, wherever ARod ends up, people will know he’s a phony. But wherever he ends up, he will still hit a lot of homeruns, drive in a lot of runs, score a lot of runs. So wherever he ends up, the fans will have a love/hate relationship with him. His life will really not change, no matter where he plays. Too bad, because I think had he stayed here, at least the love would probably have out-ranked the hate.
The person above who posted that ARod has icewater in his veins reminded me that on, I think it was Kids On Deck on the YES network, ARod was asked if he wasn’t a baseball player, what would he have been. And his answer was he would have been a trader on Wall Street. I don’t want to offend anyone, but it seems to be, he would have done very well in that capacity. I think ARod knows who he is better than anyone else, but he also knows it’s not socially acceptable to be selfish, and so he has a public persona (albeit not a very successful one, because he is NOT a good actor, after all) that tries to hide that.
He reminds me of that commercial, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful,” just substitute “successful” in place of “beautiful,” and you have Alex. I though he was misunderstood. Now I understand much better.
So, now I want the Yankees to announce their new manager ASAP today, and I want them to offer the farm to Posada and Mo and have them signed up before the end of the week (though I’ll admit it doesn’t look promising with Posada), and then Brian Cashman is certainly going to be earning his paycheck this winter. They need a new 3rd baseman, and they need a cleanup hitter. Because no matter what you say about ARod he is an offensive force that will be impossible to replace in kind, and a pretty good defensive 3rd baseman as well.
If A-Rod signs with any of these teams we will only get their second round pick:
1. Devil Rays
2. Pirates
3. Royals
4. Orioles
5. Giants
6. Marlins
7. Reds
8. White Sox
9. Nationals
10. Astros
11. Rangers
12. Athletics
13. Cardinals
14. Twins
15. Dodgers
Difference with the Red Sox was the young positional players gelling at once. The Yankees best positional prospects are still a long way away. If only the Yankees began their rebuilding a few years earlier, we would be much further along in this process.
In regards to A Rod in particular, it’s not the end of the world because the payroll flexibility, if used correctly, could help rebuild quickly. However, you never get stronger by losing your best players, you just don’t.
SJ: The voice of reason.
But it’s true. I’m not that fussed about it. If you don’t want to play for the Yankees I don’t want you playing for the Yankees.
End of story.
B – ok, so basically we need to pick a needle from a haystack
“hmmmmm….keep reading my post”
i hear ya. hard to read through all this stuff.
Pay-Rod opting out is not H&H’s fault…They could have handled the Torre thing better but they are doing a good job by letting Cashman run the show. If Girardi is managing this team next year, it will show that Cash is truly in charge and will steer the team through the rough seas. The Organization is loaded with young pitching prospects even beyond the big three. Austin Jackson’s Stature is on a meteoric rise as a big time prospect. Tabata and Montero could be superstar quality in a couple of years. Last years draft was pretty strong and this year if the Yankees lose Posada, Arod and Mo they will have a tremendous draft. The days of the old gaurd are gone it is time to usher in a new era and build a new dynasty. If the Yankees do not make the play-offs next year it will not be a tragedy. They need to think long term and big picture. The pieces are in place to do so with a Starting rotation ancored by three kids (under 23), that may be better than Hudson, Mulder and Zito were for the A’s…The whole back to the 80s stuff is ridiculous. the 80s team traded away their young talent for tired old vets. This GM is following the blueprint of his buddy up in Boston. Young hungry players plus a few grizzled veterans who know how to perform when it counts is the way to another championship.
“They should try to trade Damon or Matsui for someone who offers pretty much the same thing from the right side at 1B or 3B, and they’re still going to score a bunch of runs.”
umm, who offers “pretty much the same thing” as A-Rod AND can be had for a 33 year old OFer?
the whole point of this is that there isn’t anyone who “offers pretty much the same thing”.
Have you guys realized that the yankees might not have the highest payroll next year, that distinction might be held by the red soxs. Oh Red Soxs nation, how you have become us and we have become you
B,
there’s no sandwich pick anymore? aka Joba?
I’m excited about 2008! A new manager, our young players and new young pitchers. Who in the world wanted Scotty Brosius when we got him? And look what HE did for us. Paul O’Neill was supposed to be a problem, too and what in the world would we have done without him? Let’s get somebody nobody cares about who loves the game and thinks it’s a privilege to play for the best fans in the world!
Now Jeter can get back to answering questions about the game and not have to forever answer for that immature, egotistical “I’m bigger than the game” EX-YANKEE!!!
Let me get this straight ,Torre fired Big Stein and now Arod fires the Yankees ,in the same year? Is the sky falling too?
I hope that there’s an unspoken agreement among mgmt,that the Yankees will never hire a Boras client,and any player onthe team that has him for an agent is traded.(dream) With the Yankees out of the picture,Boras won’t have leverage to stick to teams anymore.
BORAS is Baaaad for baseball.
I’ve been meaning to start a Yankee blog for a while now. However, I have never had anything move me enough to push me into actually doing it. A-Rod’s decision to opt out finally did that for me. I hope some of you can visit, leave comments/ suggestions. The site can accessed either by clicking on my name above, or going to hate-arod.blogspot.com. Thanks, looking forward to hearing some of your ideas and thoughts.
I am curious — if it ever came to light that there was a deal in place, is that tampering? And what can be done about it? If nothing is done, then it will happen over and over again with other players. Or, maybe the better question is, does tampering happen all the time? And what exactly constitutes tampering? Was it not okay for George Steinbrenner in an off-the-cuff moment say he would love to have Randy Johnson on his team, but it is okay for Scott Boras to place feelers out there for which team would be willing to pay his price for ARod or anyone else (Drew, anyone?)? I really am bothered by that aspect of all this.
The problem with the Yankees having ARod’s money now, or rather, the money they’ll save by not having to pay ARod, is that there are no quality free agents out there, and specifically none that will fill the particular need of the team right now. Impactful moves will probably require trade this winter, and everyone knows what other teams are going to be asking for from the Yankees. And now, more than before Alex opted out, the Yankees need to hold onto their pitching. They are going to lose a lot of offense here. And no, Alex certainly did not help them in October, but to play in October you still have to win a lot of games in the regular season.
SJ44 -
I’m not sure about the Giants, although they certainly can afford Alex now that Barry Bonds is gone. But Barry did not make the difference for them (actually neither Barry) in getting them into the playoffs. I don’t know that Alex will have all that much impact there. Of course, in San Francisco, winning playoffs doesn’t seem to matter as much as hitting balls into McCovery cove, so that may be THE ideal spot for ARod.
Dick Vitale seemed to think Chicago would be ideal, especially if they win a WS with Alex in the fold. Of course you have to make two huge assumptions there. First is that the Cubs ever get to another WS and second that if they get there Alex is productive in the post-season (which he had been before, but not for most of his time with the Yankees). He said Alex would be mega-iconic if he could help the Cubs win a World Series.
VOIII,
You’re right it’s a sandwich pick after the first round and a second round pick if one of those 15 teams signs A-Rod.
i think if A-Rod signed with any of those 15 teams, the Yankees would get 2 sandwich picks.
if he signs with any of the other 14 teams, the yanks will get a first round pick and a sandwich pick.
I’m having fun today…………I really am relieved that Arod is is gone. People want to win so badly that they are willing to turn a blind eye to what is directly in front of them. I think a true champion should be honest and dignified………..What do you have with Arod………..Boobs in Toronto……….The wifes T-Shirt at the Stadium……..Greed bordering on avarice……….Lies to NY fans…….See Petes’ post above…….Talent during the reular season..YES……….during the post season……..NO. I’ll feel better rooting for a bunch of kids who have a chance to mature and hopefully thrive and achieve. This is a great day for true fans and not so great for the city where Arod lands…….Grow up people……Winning at any cost can have a huge downside.
Fact is that the yankees were built around offense in the past several years.
Fact is that giambi, matsui, posada and jeter are getting older. Jeter hit 12 homeruns last years and Arod was the cornerstone of that offense.
Our pitching is young and to be honest with you, nobody, NOBODY knows how they are going to bounce back next year.
Lets not get excited about next year. Next year might be very hard for us. And if the yankees want to rebuild, they are going to rebuild the yankee way, so watch out for young players to be traded.
Who knows what will happen next year. But, its going to be a very intersting year…lets hope for the best
Fran, did you say Kim Jones said Arod has a deal in place? If so, that’s major tampering. What is this source that Kim Jones is getting her info from?
“I hope that there’s an unspoken agreement among mgmt,that the Yankees will never hire a Boras client,and any player onthe team that has him for an agent is traded.”
i hope there isn’t since he usually represents the best players.
The Yankees are walking a thin line right now.
They have no solid first basebmen, no third basemen, rookie pitchers, choices to make on Posada, Rivera and Abreu..
The Yankees are trying to rebuild while also remaining a threat to win it all..
This isn’t easy to do..
To all morons, and there are a lot of you out there, it may not be a good thing that A-Rod is gone right now, but don’t you agree that the Yankees will do all that they can to beef up their team and push even HARDER ( if that is possible ) to win the WS without that jerk ? Don’t be surprised if the Yankees push BIG TIME not only to sign Lowell or another big name 3B, but to go for Santana and any other big impact pitcher right away. It will be the sweetest of victories to win in all in 2008 without this azzhole, while he collects his blood money from another team that is stupid enought to believe that A-FRAUD brings anything to the table, other than a huge regular season and a BIG FAT NOTHING in the playoffs…..Ba-Bye, Mr. Money Bags, take you and your vulgar t-shirt wearing wife AND your stripper girfriend AND your drama OUTTA TOWN and DON’T COME BACK…..EVER !
B:
We disagree.
If we really knew the exact formula for WS success, nobody would watch baseball because it would not be the unpredictable, always surprising game it is. Do I know that A-Rod is really a “cooler,” a “can’t win the big game guy”? No. Because no one can say exactly what it takes to win and thus what precisely causes some great individual players to miss out on the WS.
My view is based on a variation of the “sum of the parts is greater than the whole” argument. The 2007 Yankees were an unbalanced team with mediocre to adequate pitching. A-Rod’s extreme numbers prove the distortion and unbalanced nature of the team. At the end of the day, even with A-Rod’s numbers, they didn’t get to the WS. Is it an accident that no A-Rod team has won it all, despite his incredible personal achievements at every stop in his journey? Has he really just been unlucky with every MLB team he has joined?
The 90s Dynasty Yankees had no A-Rod equivalent, but they had solid pitching and a balanced offense whose members complemented each other well, and a solid defense. In many ways it was a no-name team whose “stars” only emerged in retrospect, forged by team success instead of individual achievement. The Yankees seem to have no choice but to revert to the successful formula next year.
We’ll see how A-Rod does with his new team.
ESPN thinks Arod will go to either S.F. or Detroit.
SO mad Im posting this again.
F Arod. I gave him the benefit of the doubt since day one. This was a BS move and he is a scum bag for doing it. During the 2006 season, I took a Sharpie marker to a white plain T and wrote “Stop booing A-rod� and I GOT YELLED AT. I have always supported him.
This little money grubbing scumbag piece of S. I sincerely hope he goes to another team, hits 76-whatever homeruns and then tears his ACL and then get into a wrestling match with Magic Johnson in a ring of barbed wire.
Good Riddance.
Sure hope the Yankees remember what got us in this mess,the need to gobble up high price players. These imports come and never produce to the level that brought them here.We get them after their glory days.Please don’t trade the young guys for older vets,no mas! no mas!
“Lets not get excited about next year. Next year might be very hard for us. And if the yankees want to rebuild, they are going to rebuild the yankee way, so watch out for young players to be traded. ”
i agree with the first half of this statement, but not the second half. well, not entirely. they may trade some young players, but not the blue chippers.
Phil and Joba are not going anywhere.
they aren’t going to start trading blue chippers for veterans.
2008 might be very painful, but the Yankees realize they HAVE to adapt and they have to pay the piper for the glut of the last 7 years. that will come in 2008.
but i am VERY confident the yankees hold onto their top young talent.
the best thing i have read on the internet today:
“Im opting out of being a arod fan”
i hope so hmmmmmm. Lets see what happens
I see ARod going to the Cubs to play SS, keeping Ramierez at third. No one will pay him what Boras wants.ARod wants to be the best SS in the history of the game and, I think, is a few home runs away from Ripken’s SS record.
Posada is gone as he doesn’t like Girardi. I see him going to the Mets or Phillies. He’ll want to stay close to NYC.
Rivera will also leave. I see the Phillies making him a huge offer, as well they should. Move Myers back to the rotation (Hamels and Myers is a great 1-2 punch).
Pretty much the same thing as Damon or Matsui. I think there might be one or two guys out there who can do that.
Soon after the Yankees signed A Rod, my future in laws wanted to buy me a Yankee related present. They bought me a signed A Rod ball accompanied by the picture of his introductory press conference with Torre and a “smiling” Jeter in the background looking over his shoulder.
It is enshrined with these words: Alex Rodriguez-#13, Third Baseman, NY Yankees, Youngest ever to hit 300 HR’s “The Curse Continues”
The Boston curse not only ended soon after, it seems to have taken residence in the Bronx. I’ll keep the ball, but I think I need to throw out picture and words very quickly.
Pretty much the same thing as Damon or Matsui. I think there might be one or two guys out there who can do that.
sorry, i misunderstood. that makes sense.
Just hink how mwny time I had to defend calling him a Mercenary and a hireling.Oh how I wish it weren’t true.
The yankees have been played.
When Curt Flood with the Cardinals(in the 70’s) wanted to oppose his contract, Flood took the Cards to court and won.This was the birth of free agency. Look what free agency has done to the game of baseball,Boras and Arod,yuk!
I think SF would be perfect for A-Rod. That whole City is upside down. Putting aside all the other interesting aspects of life in the SF, the latest is that their mayor, Gavin Newsom, wants to have zones where addicts can bring their illegal drugs, get free needles and shoot up without being “hassled” by the cops. Funny, I thought SF already had such a place: Barry Bond’s locker.
How about this one: City by the Bay-Rod
I can’t wait to see Jeter’s statement on A Rod leaving. I also wonder if in the future when the Yankees brawl with A Rod’s team, Jeter would take the opportunity to deck A Rod instead of doing the fake wrestling match thing they used to do.
I have an A-Rod Jersey. What should I do with it? Burn it? Bury it? Take the name off the back?(yes, it’s not authentic) or put in the attic?
SJ is right about the Giants. Barry Zito’s agent is Scott Boras. San Francisco is not NYC. Most of the fans are transplants, with little tradition. They’re not the 10th man on the field. That’s why the gave Bonds so much slack. No 3rd and 4th generation fans to deal with. No hassles. ARod will love it.
Kim Jones said she had a source who told her but she did not reveal that.
wiggum fan, maybe so, from the Phillies for Tom Gordon the two drafts picks we received we got Joba and Ian Kennedy. Consider what we could have for the loss of those three you mention. By the way, there is obviously some collusion issues going on with Arod, this is going to be sweet to watch play out in the very near futre.
I’m going to say “I told you so” about ARod, because I did – several times and nobody listened. Believe me the Yankees are better off without him.
If I told you we could have Chone Figgins for (2b or 3b) and Carlos Pena for 1b, while resigning Mo, Posada and getting Pettite back would you sign up for that right now? Maybe even keep Abreu around 1 more season and pick up his option?
I would sign up for that right now. If, for some reason, Arod is going to Anaheim, Chone Figgins is very available. Putting him at 2b (and Cano at 3b) or putting Chone at 3b and getting Pena who is a bopper who can field his position very well would be a coup for us. We’d make up the run differential we’re losing with Arod and I also think adding Shelley to the OF/DH mix is going to help our power numbers.
I’m not saying this is going to happen, I’m just saying that this team will be a contender next season with just a few moves.
With Arod’s money off the books, there is more money to spend on other players.
Give me Pena at 1b and Figgins at 3b (and leading off) and I’ll take my chances.
I liked Arod. I can’t understand how the money is worth more than knowing he’d be a Yankee for life, have a monument and finally have a home and become a Yankee legend, but all of that means nothing to this guy and if it is that meaningless to him, we don’t want him on this team.
Not to mention walking away from the Yankees as they are about to have the best young pitching in the game for the next 5-10 years is just idiotic. If you don’t think the Yankees are going to take the dollars saved by using homegrown pitching to go get the likes of Johan, Peavey, Joe Nathan, etc. in the future, you’re nuts.
ItalianGreco-
Stuff it full of dollar bills and torch at the All-Star Game (Yankee Stadium). You’ll make ever front page in the country. You’ll could be another Jeffrey Maier!!
Dr Acula, ESPN says Arod to Detroit? Didn’t they take a 25 million check from revenue sharing last season? SF maybe, but the Tigers don’t have the cash.
Jeff NJ:
Jeter will not have a (public) statement on A-Rod’s departure, other than to wish him luck.
yea San Fran really needs another selfish money grubbing, homerun hitting, superstar who can woo their fans with dingers but win no championships
Dr. Acula
That is a great idea. First I need a ticket, then the money to burn. Lets start a “Burn A-Rod’s Jersey” fund..HAHA
Arrivederci ! Adiós ! Sayonara ! Au revoir ! Auf Wiedersehen ! Vaarwel ! Adeus ! Αντίο !
Those that will miss A-Rod, the line forms to the left. Those that won’t miss A-Rod, there are 26 lines to the right for each letter in the alphabet. Please line up behind the letter that corresponds to the first letter in your last name.
Of course, in reality, the Yankees are losing the AL MVP, their best slugger, their most feared hitter. And a guy who during his 4 year tenure with the team, has seen the Yankees make the playoffs 4 times, and win exactly ONE post-season series. Am I saying that’s all his fault ? Of course not !!! But, he certainly wasn’t a shining star on a dreary evening during those post seasons either. The pressure always seemed to get to him, whether it was hitting his 500th home run, or whether it was coming to the plate in October. And in New York, you have to relish the pressure, not become psychologically overwhelmed by it.
A-Rod will get his money – Angels, Giants, Cubs, Mets, perhaps even the Rangers again. But he’d be best suited playing on a team that will give him his October’s off. As Peter Gammons said last night, “Buyer Beware.”
Now all we need to do is show Jason Giambi the door, and suddenly, we have a fully likeable team again!
wiggum fan relax.. and who told you jorge does not like girardi????
Mariano will stay a yankee….
if all these guys left like some of you whiners think the yanks would save a ton of money and can start with there foundation the right way……..
Detroit spends money. Their payroll ranks 9th and they have *FIVE* Boras clients on the roster.
None of the Yankee players should comment on Alex. They should pretend like he was never here. When someone asks what do you think about Alex leaving, they should answer what?
I think the Yankees need to call Kim Jones in and find out what she knows. Build the case now for when he signs with another team, and file charges. What would the fall out be if tampering is found?
My daughter used to get this advice from me, about dealing with difficult cousins and playmates. She recycled it to me regarding A-Rod: “Daddy, just ignore him.” (Smart kid, takes after her mother).
Isn’t it something how one injury to Aaron Boone changed the entire dynamic? After the 2003 postseason the Yankees were fully content to let Boone be their everyday 3rd Baseman. They would have had no use for A-Rod. But then Boone tears his knee up playing basketball, and next thing you know, Rodriguez is coming to New York in a trade for Alfonso Soriano. I just wonder how things would have turned out if Boone never gets injured. It’s counterproductive for me to say “what if,” but it does make me wonder. Just something to think about.
“I would sign up for that right now. If, for some reason, Arod is going to Anaheim, Chone Figgins is very available. Putting him at 2b (and Cano at 3b) or putting Chone at 3b and getting Pena who is a bopper who can field his position very well would be a coup for us. We’d make up the run differential we’re losing with Arod and I also think adding Shelley to the OF/DH mix is going to help our power numbers. ”
Pena is not a free agent.
all the yanks need next season:
Pettitte
Wang
Chamberlain
Hughes
Kennedy
the youngest starting rotation in the majors.
Miller-
You hit it right on the nose. Have you spent time in the bay area? I’m not joking.
I just wonder how things would have turned out if Boone never gets injured.
or if he gets that run home in the 10th inning of game 4 of the WS….
Hey…….Just thinking………..ARod finally had His name mentioned during a World Series………..and He did it the way He does everything……… selfish and self serving.
I’m scared of Carlos Pena. Was his breakout season a fluke or is he a late bloomer? I think it’s worth the game instead of taking on a very large contract like Dunn, Sexson, or Helton. Personally, I’d have Shelley playing first with Andy Phillips backing him up.
J-Dawg-
that’s okay. I do the same. I wanted to snag Manny when Boston put him on waivers in 2003. I wanted Manny cuz he knocks the cover off the ball at ‘da House and I wanted Vlad. Instead we got Sheffield and and that two-timing AMerc.
3 cheers for SJ44 posts. The voice of reason, indeed!
Dr. Acula:
Have been to San Fran a few times and to the stadium twice. Never have I seen a fans so disinterested in winning while going bezerk over a homerun. It really is quite something. And if the Giants ownership were smart, they would stay away from A-rod.
Just seems like common sense, doesnt it?
My bad. Pena is arbitration eligible. I thought he was a free agent since he signed as a free agent with Tampa in the off season and didn’t get a multiyear deal.
What about the rumors earlier about A-Rod going to the Cubs?
I see this as a “rallying cry” of sorts now that the dirtbag is gone. It brings up the energy level and provides a new start with a new manager, 3rd baseman, etc. I supported him big time the past 4 yrs but no more. Wait till he comes to bat at Yankee stadium as an opposing player–he thinks we were harsh on him when he WAS a Yankee–watch out now! Hope he chokes on his $$$. His legacy will be known as a money monger and not so much for his talent. Think about it though—we won 4 World Series WITHOUT him–so good riddance.
The Giardi/Posada rumors are being posted on numerous forums and I think it was the Post. Not sure, but I did read it.
I think the only way we’ll never know if collusion is found is if ARod signs with someone immediately.
What happens to Mussina if Pettite comes back?
If Posada goes, he goes. It is better to get rid of someone a year early than keep them for an extra year. Remember Bernie last year and the distraction in spring training. Posada’s year was a fluke.
What are the arbitration rules? Is it possible for ARod to find out what he’ll make on the open market and, if he doesn’t like it, accept arbitration? Can anyone imagine that scenario? Returning for a one-year arbitration award?!?!?!
My thoughts on what happened lately:
1. Many of Yankees’ troubles can be attributed approximately 60% to old Steinbrenner (Giambi, …), 20% to Cashman (Pavano, …) and 20% to Joe Torres.
2. Baseball environment was quite different from decades ago. There are many very rich owners and even more bigger fools enjoying ever increasing cash in-flow and shelling out even more cash for big contracts. With luxurious tax, Yankees just can’t buy World Series by throwing money at expensive free agents.
3. Baseball is a fickle thing. The more realistic goal is to win 3 World Series titles every 10 years.
4. There are many ways to achieve this goal. One of them is rich man’s version of money ball (old money ball: statistics based decision, no long term contracts, build from within, etc. plus international signing, high draft signing bonus, etc.) which is what Cashman is doing.
5. To complete the transition to the new paradigm, there are quite many challenges: 1) the biggest one is how the 2nd generation Steinbrenner will shape up, 2) the manager, Torres out, Girardi in, 3) re-sign Posada and Mo without too long-term deals, and bring back Pettitte. A-Rod is gone probably due to Cashman unwilling to meet the total 12 year, 30M plus each year demand, 4) sign some free agents to fill the big holes.
6. If Yankees can execute items 2), 3), and 4) well, they have a good chance to go to next year’s playoff among contenders Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, Chiefs and others.
7. If Yankees does not execute well but still with smart ownership, GM, and manager, they can shorten the transition period to 1 to 2 years. First, the in-house pitchers will have time to mature and some of them will be available for position player trades. The Yankees will not have enough time to grow enough position players but there will be more free agents to choose from in the next two years.
8. If the ownership will not allow Cashman’s plan to pan out, then Yankees will likely repeat what happed during last few years. Really not much Yankees fans can do but tough it out.
The Yankees will be fine w/o A Rod, was he ever a true Yankee anyway? Statistically he is awesome, he has yet to prove he is a winner on the big stage. The Yanks will be on top again, they need to return to the team concept. A Rod was always in Jeter’s shadow & he hated it. Girardi, if he is the choice for manager will bring back a more aggressive type of winning baseball, plus with all the young stellar pitching the Yanks have, that have all the makings to win it all soon, maybe a year or two down the line.
Change is always good but hard to initially accept, I am looking forward to the Yankees of the future. This just puts all the championships of the last 10 years into perspective. Sometimes you need to hit bottom to rise up, though the Yankees never really hit the bottom or even close. At least they have been in the thick of it for the last 12 years, that’s a lot more than fans of other teams can say.
Carlos Pena isn’t a free agent until after 2009.
Popular opinion says the new Gm is Joe G . Does he ans Arod have bad blood between them,just wondering? Iguess a week of Boras did his work on Arod.Money is ok but,the “love
of money is the root of all evil,it’s a powerfull evil when you let it own you.
Here’s the arbitration rules draft pick compensation…
Free Agency Arbitration
Free Agency arbitration is different from the reserve-clause arbitration. When a player reaches free agency, there is a cutoff date at which the team can offer or not offer arbitration to its free agents. If it offers arbitration to a player, it extends the negotiating window. If it does not offer arbitration, the player cannot sign with that team until May 31. If a player is offered arbitration, he can choose to accept it, which will result in a one year contract decided by Shyam Das if not settled outside ahead of time. If the player declines to accept, he cannot sign with that team until the aforementioned May 31.
[edit]
Compensation
The 2006 CBA changed the draft pick compensation for free agents substantially, including the elimination of “Type C” free agents. The current compensation system is as follows:
If a free agent is offered arbitration by Team 1 and instead signs with Team 2, then Team 1 may receive some form of compensation. The compensation is determined by the player – free agents are categorized as Type A, Type B, or nothing at all, and the players are ranked within these categories.
If the free agent is Type B, Team 1 receives what is known as a “sandwich pick” in the following year’s amateur player draft. After round 1 (30 selections) in the draft, Team 1 will receive an extra pick. For more info on sandwich picks, please see the section on the amateur draft.
If the free agent is Type A, then:
* If Team 2 has one of the last fifteen draft picks in round 1, Team 1 will receive Team 2’s first round draft pick and a sandwich pick after the first round of the draft.
* If Team 2 has one of the first fifteen draft picks in round 1, that pick is protected, and Team 1 would instead receive Team 2’s second round pick and a sandwich pick after the first round of the draft.
* If Team 2 signs two Type A free agents, one from Team 1 and one from another team, the team whose free agent ranks highest by major league baseball would receive Team 2’s first round pick (or second round pick if the first round pick is protected), and the other team would receive Team 2’s pick for the second round (or third round if the first pick is protected). Both teams would still receive a sandwich pick after the first round.
* Once a team has acquired a draft pick by losing a Type A free agent, it cannot lose said pick by signing other Type A free agents; the only picks a team may lose are the ones which it had before the free agency period began.
Carlos Pena is under contract with TB. They are extremely difficult to make a deal with so that will not happen. There are better second base options out there then Chone Figgins…Posada has stated that he is uncomfortible with Girardi, so we can probably kiss him good-bye. If Po goes I have a feeling so will Mo. It is time for a new direction and some new younger more aggressive personnel. The makings of a Dynasty are in the system but are a couple of Years away. The Yankees will need to be patient and keep to the plan that Cashman has implemented. While I agree with the earlier post that stated we don’t know how the 3 kids will bounce back. I have never seen so much potential in 3 young arms in one organization. Joba may have better stuff than anyone in the game. Hughes is a real stud and Kennedy may be a young version of Moose. Wang is still young and has great stuff. A new pitching coach will get him straightened out. His arm slot is most likely the culprit in his bad Sept., that’s why his pitches were up. So I firmly believe the Yankees rotation will be a top 3 in MLB for many years. That is what wins, with clutch hitting of course and the loss of A-Rod does NOT negatively impact that area.
“The Yankees will be fine w/o A Rod, was he ever a true Yankee anyway?”
True Yankee? I can’t believe people believe this stuff.
So my 9 year old daughter asked me this morning what she should do with her Rodriguez Yankee jersey? Good question – The weather IS starting to get colder here in NY and we’ll be ready to start up the fireplace soon . . .
Anyway, as surprised as I was at the announcement, I guess in the end I’m really not that surprised. As Pete so nicely put it, ARod turned out to be the biggest phony there is. I feel had. We stood and cheered for him all season long, thinking we’d make a difference. Thinking that at the end of the day, his “love” for NY would outweigh the draw of even more money.
There’s been a lot of comments here about ARod being so ego-maniacal, how he drew attention to himself – maybe in the end the Yankees will be a better team for it. Sometimes you have to take the poison out of the team for the rest of the players to come together and play as a team. Let’s hope. I for one am looking forward to 2008, no matter who is on the field. I’ll be in my seats. I’ll be watching YES. So take that ARod. Take that Boras.
I live in San Francisco & don’t believe A Rod is coming here. Sure the Giants could afford him, but they are so far off from having any type of offense, it would be pointless for him. That have a decent pitching staff with a couple of future studs & thats it. If he truly wants to just cash in, which I do think he is all about, then he will be here. I think either the Tigers, Angels & the Cubs will sign him. I think the Giants will just be used to up the ante.
First, let me say I am not surpised. Michael Kay may be surpirsed since he has all the inside scoop on A-Rod, but not me.
Second, I HOPE that the Yankees hold true and DO NOT negotiate with this guy. He had a great year this year but a lot of his number prior to this year have come at meaningless times.
Third, not sure if anyone knows this or not but Chone Figgins name was mentioned. Any chance the Yankees could get him? Think he would be a good stop-gap until another 3B man comes along.
Can you imagine the reception ARod will get if (a) the Yankees cave and re-sign him or (2) when he returns to Yankee Stadium next year, especially if it is with an NL team at the All Star game!!!!!!
Have to run, my branding iron is just about ready….
Lori -
It’s true — I’ll be watching YES every game, just the same as before ARod, and just the same as during ARod. I am a Yankees fan. I’ll tell you though, it’s going to be tougher and tougher to root for individuals on a team. They come and go, they don’t have the same ties to a team that the fan base does.
One thing that the last couple of weeks has clearly shown me, though, is that there are no impeccable sources for sports news!
And, the World Series is almost a non-event. It was not all that easy to get the score this morning!
It takes some large Cajones’ to snub your nose at the number 1 baseball market. I hope Arod goes to some small mkt team,where he is the big fish in a small pond,and we never hear from him again.I also hope when the fog he’s in about needing more money haunts him forever.
MY next wish is for Boras to be on the LA freeway(scary place)and experience transmission failure during rush hour,and do us all a favor….the baseball world will be better off.Arod will crack up but that’s ok too.
B-
I believe in that “True Yankee” stuff as well as plenty of other Yankee fans.
Besides, you referred to yourself as we, meaning you are part of the Yankees in a previous post, when you are on the payroll, please let me know & I will issue you an apology.
SJ44,
You are right. It is always THE MONEY. Remember Deep Throat “Follow the Money”. Lets forget A-Rod,and move on.
Buddy Biancalana,
Are you 12?
I feel “had” too. I cheered like crazy for Arod. I would yell at other fans at the stadium in my section who would boo Arod because it seemed like it was the thing to do. I would always say to them “why aren’t you booing Giambi? Why aren’t booing Mussina? They haven’t won us a championship either?”.
I really thought that it was the perfect fit for Arod here in Yankee land and I feel duped.
I’m angry. There is nothing like being at Yankee stadium when there is all the juice of a big game or a playoff game going on in the house. Not to mention, it is an honor to wear the pinstripes and get a monument in the stadium someday.
Arod is actually leaving at a time when he bridged a lot of the distance between himself and Jeter in the fans heart. I felt he was truly embraced this year, not only by the city but also by the team. I saw him having fun in the dugout. I can’t imagine living a life where you constantly have to start over with a new city, new team, new fans, etc. Obviously, that doesn’t matter to him, but to normal people it just seems nuts.
I hope the Yankees stick to their pledge and don’t get into the bidding because I do not think there is a Yankee fan out there who will ever believe the press conference where Arod tells NY how he just couldn’t leave them and called Hank/Hal personally to get the deal done and come back home. None of us will buy that and I think all the booing he exorcised this past season will return with a vengeance if he somehow ended up on the team again.
A friend of mine always said that Arod is a “compiler”. He just wants his stats, he wants the most money. He judges himself not as part of a team, but instead as where he ranks in the game.
Maybe someone should give him a copy of Scrooged or A Christmas Carol this holiday season. Having the most with no attachments doesn’t always work out for people in the end.
Someone said earlier he’s got 40+ years of a life to live after baseball. Something tells me we’ll be seeing a 50 something Arod on ESPN someday talking about his regret at opting out and not staying a Yankee and tears drip down his sallow cheeks.
He’ll have more money than anyone else who played the game, but I think he’ll be missing out on what he gave up when he looks back on his career.
“2008 might be very painful, but the Yankees realize they HAVE to adapt and they have to pay the piper for the glut of the last 7 years. that will come in 2008.”
girardi pulled out allmost a .500 record with an almost all rookie lineup and pitching staff so if he’s the manager with all that the yankees still have plus the young talent, the yankees could surprise i the short run.
but be clear about one thing:hank is a neanderthal dunderhead who will consistantly play out the cards in the wrong way. santana is a prime example of a future trade where things could go wrong. under the inevitable pressure that will build on hank as he is exposed , he will be tempted to make a santana like trade. more than likely whoever is in charge of the twins will eat him for lunch with the wrong young players going to the twins.
this pattern of getting eaten for lunch will go on and on.
the sooner people on this blog and elsewhere see it , the sooner there’ll be some understanding of what’s going on and maybe change at the top.
my premise is that baseball is a really big business now and the yankees can’t be run like it was ten years ago. hank will never be a world class businessman. he is in way over his head. this isn’t quiet ocala where he can slowly develop a horse to run in the kentucky derby. he’s on the other side of the table from scott boras who is flat out brilliant and cutting edge. boras is as up to date with the new global baseball world as any man alive. whatever anyone things of him, boras is in tune with the marketplace and the future. he has no trouble sitting at the table of the new baseball world and competing with anyone with no problem. hank is a dinosaur in over his head.
one thing we absolutely agree on and that is that arod is a great player who should have been the centerpiece of the team for the next 5-7 years. i don’y blame arod for opting out . i wouldn’t work for hank steinbrenner either. he’s not saying he’s done with the yankees. he’s saying that he wants options and choices. boras has made it clear they’ll still negotiate with the yankees.
hank is the intractible one” saying my way or the highway”. that ain’t gonna fly in the new baseball world where players have choices.
Sure losing a player of Arods caliber will hurt…But let him go, he is a Mercenary,HE DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE A YANKEE LEGEND.We will win without him as we have done before. THE YANKEES ARE THE YANKEES.Im sure something is gonna happen in the market and we are gonna be fine.We have good pitching and good prospects.Yankee pride,always there.GO YANKEES
“Think about it for a moment. How are the Yankees in such “disarrayâ€?? They have the best young pitching in the game. They still have Derek Jeter. They now have a TON of money to spend AND a new stadium (that will generate OVER 100 million bucks MORE per year to their bottom line) coming up in another year.
If that’s “disarrayâ€?, sign me up for it.”
sj44-
i agree with all the good stuff you say. if you were signed up and running it, yeah there’d be no problem. the problem is that hank is running it with all these good assets you speak of. he can and will muck it up. you underestimate how in over his head this guy is.
Raul,touche!
I’m glad we agree he’s (Arod) a mercenary for hire!
Arod has ruined his legacy,because of greed.
It will be nice to see the Yankees weren’t the only fools to fall far his superstar, act. Please someone hire him.
Whenever you have a player that needs this much attention, let him go or it will effectively erode the whole teams spirit.
I see lots of comments here wondering why AROD would opt out for an extra couple of million a year, a small difference percentagewise. Is it possible Boras knows he can get a longer deal on the open market? If the Yankees were offering, say, five years at a certain rate and another team seven at a similar rate, that’s a 40% increase in potentially guaranteed salary, regardless of whether his ACLs last.
Thanks SJ44, once again the voice or reason. Keep posting will ya?
I was upset last night, but after sleeping on this, it feels like a huge weight was just lifted off the Yankees. No more drama, no more booing (well some)….lets just go after some quality guys that shut up and play ball. AND THINK ABOUT THE MONEY CASHMAN HAS TO SPEND NOW.
“His legacy is going to be as one of the top 5 players of all-time, regardless of where he plays. ”
There is obviously a ton of passion on this board, but top 5, I don’t think so. You must have post season success to make that list.
Well, who cares about ARod anyway. Sleeping Beauty was sleeping for the last 3 years we had him. All of a sudden,
Sleeping Beauty woke up and finally played like a real
Yankee should be playing. He is also a big hipicrite. Don’t know if I spelled that right or not but ARod was thrilled to become a Yankee in 2003. Then when he was not playing the way he should have, Jeter and all the rest of us could not stand him anymore. Bye Bye AROD and good ridence to you to.