A-Rod packs a lot into 27 days
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Mar 05, 2009 
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It has been quite a month for Alex Rodriguez.
Feb. 7: Sports Illustrated reports that Rodriguez tested positive for steroids and testosterone in 2003. A-Rod goes to the Bahamas and is photographed with assorted groupies.
Feb. 9: Rodriguez admits to using “a substance” while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03. He also falsely accuses Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts of breaking into his home.
Feb. 15: A-Rod calls Roberts to apologize for what he said.
Feb. 17: During a press conference in Tampa, Rodriguez says a cousin supplied him with an anabolic steroid obtained in the Dominican Republic.
Feb. 25: Rodriguez has that cousin, Yuri Sucart, pick him up from a game in Dunedin, Fla.
Feb. 26: The Yankees order Rodriguez to keep Sucart away from ballparks.
March 1: Rodriguez meets with MLB officials investigating his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
March 2: A-Rod joins Dominican team for World Baseball Classic and stages photo op with his ex-wife and two children.
March 3: Rodriguez tells reporters covering the WBC that he would like to have Jose Reyes playing for the Yankees. Some take this as criticism of Derek Jeter.
March 4: Rodriguez flies to Colorado to be examined by a hip specialist for a previously unreported injury.
March 5: The Yankees announce that Rodriguez has a torn labrum in his right hip but will try to play this season before having surgery.
We can only imagine what happens next.
Thanks to everybody for reading today. I think we had some good information on the blog and hopefully it helped you understand what was happening.
Please check out the live video chat tomorrow at 11 a.m.
————
Shameless self-promotion alert: I’ll be on with Scott Ferrall on Howard 101 (Sirius Satellite Radio) at 10:30 p.m. tonight. And I’ll be on WFAN at around 11:05 p.m. tonight.
We are in trouble!!
Pete, granted you’re a big guy, but you’re note “some.”
I feel like Figgins would be the perfect guy to pick up to replace Arod until he’s back. He would be a decent fill in and then Arod’s back he can play multiple positions and has value off the bench as a pinch runner.
Come on. I dont mind the usual Arod talk, but this is a little much. I think we realize what has gone on in the last month with Arod. Its not very kind to shove it down our throats even more now that we have lost him likely for 4 months..
Anyway…Albert Pujols used to be a 3rd baseman correct?
Kennedy, Aceves, and Igawa for Pujols and Jason Motte?
Can Brosius come back?
Ahh, but of the month that Cashman had?
I assume half of the days were spent looking in the mirror and screaming “I WAS RIGHT! WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE RE-SIGNED HIM!”
Anyone else concerned about how A-Rod is taking this? I mean, it’s been a nightmare month for him, after what’s been a difficult last season. I’m a little worried about his mental health. Telling him he can’t play baseball right now is probably taking away the one thing he looked forward to.
i like figgins so that wouldnt be a bad replacement and hes pretty good hitter and get on base and steal bags
“I feel like Figgins would be the perfect guy to pick up to replace Arod until he’s back”
He would be, but the Halos have no reason to want to trade him at this point, especially to a team they’ll be competing with for postseason play.
ya know what, if people didn’t obsess over everything he did, he wouldn’t have seemed to have such a busy month. if you followed me for the past month, you’d have some pretty juicy and sad news on me too. he is no longer treated as a baseball player, he’s treated as a celebrity.
“Kennedy, Aceves, and Igawa for Pujols and Jason Motte?”
Are you actually serious?
Mark Grudzielanek doesnt seem like much of an option, i just checked and the last time he played 3B was 1995. lmao
Are you serious that you thought I was serious?
Seriously?
A-Rod is one player. Even without A-Rod, the Yankees most likely have the highest payroll in baseball. I can’t see using his injury as an excuse if the Yankees don’t play well.
Pete you are becoming a Blogging fiend. Wow no question one of the best in the business. Many teams beat writers could learn a thing or two from you. Electronic media is the wave of the future!!!!
Why so serious?
ooh unreasonable trades. hank steinbrenner for hanley.
The thought of the Yankees getting Manny for Manny Ramirez.
Fair deal to me
The Yanks should listen to A-Rod and trade for Reyes, then slide Jeter over to 3rd.
March 9th: A-Rod will beats up Pete
Jeter is already terrible at SS. You wanna play him at the hot corner?
I know you were semi joking…or at least I hope
March 10th: Carl learns how to spell, beat.
I was serious. And we don’t even have to give up any players. We just give the Mets a signed contract that CC, Joba and Burnett will bean Rollins, Utley and Howard during the inter-league games.
lest we forget at this time last year albert pujols had a serious and very painful elbow injury. he played through the injury and won the mvp and had surgery to fix the problem after the season when many thought he should just have the surgery and try and come back late in the season. granted a-rods injury is of a different nature, but hes a tough guy when it comes to dealing with injury and being on the field. It didnt appear to affect him in spring training, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a-rod went out there and managed to do ok. 75% of a-rod is better than whatever we can get in the trade market.
trackie, 75% of A-Rod may be better than anyone else, but the question is will we even get the 75%?
It’s really too bad that Figgins cannot be had.. Though in some ways, having two scrappy players in one starting lineup would be a blast to watch, it could also be an absolute let down.
I like the idea of getting Grudzamawhatchamacallhim.. He would be a good filler and he has very nice career numbers for a replacement..
Ransom would be nice only because he could probably jump and catch anything within 45 feet of him…
And don’t forget the fall-out from the Torre book a week before the Steroid report.
That is true trackie
Pujols was thought to have in season surgery on many occasions during the season in 2008. But is Arod more willing to play through pain than Pujols?
We had a steroid free day on LoHud…When is the ARod off the field news free day?
Just go get the boli, if Alex wants me to be the mule this season, I will do it.
the only viable options, IMO:
1. Alex plays through the injury (as other players have done in the past)
2. Swallow Scott Rolen’s contract (2yr/$22M) and take him off the Blue Jays hands. They are admittedly going to need to shed salary and this would be perhaps the ONLY way they get rid of this contract. They will not be able to ask for any good prospects in return.
If for some crazy reason the Blue Jays refuse, you have to explore other, much less favorable, options.
Not just this year, but I’m nervous about the rest of A-Rod’s career.
Hip injuries scare me and you have to believe this is going to or has been caused by some arthritic condition.
I just keep thinking about Albert Belle and Bo Jackson.
The problem is that A-Rod’s hip can give out at anytime so you are walking on egg-shells the entire year. Girardi has to rest him a lot. A-Rod himself might be hesitant to run too hard or sacrifice his body in the field, thus hurting us on the field. And Cashman will lose all his leverage if he gets hurt during the season (and if he gets injured after the trade deadline, then we are really screwed).
Nothing good will come from delaying the surgery.
based on what we’ve heard, he wasn’t even in any pain in the games he’s played this spring. if he was in a lot of pain, he likely would not have been playing in that DR game. This leads me to believe he’ll avoid surgery for now, it’s just a question of how quickly the injury gets worse.
Alex should ask Andy how he can heal quicker
CENTRAL CT YANKEE
March 5th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Alex should ask Andy how he can heal quicker
—————————
How original.
Surprised that joke hasn’t been posted 5,678 times today.
The reports I heard on the Michael Kay show today said that Arod was extremely upset about the news that he would have to get surgery (this was before Cashman spoke). The guy is definitely strong willed enough to play through it. One of the reasons he wanted to come back to the Yankees was because he wanted to be the starting 3Bman when the new Yankee Stadium opened.
Bob,
Funny thing is Max Kellerman was saying today how he wants HGH to be available through prescription. Using the reason, “If a substance is out there to allow someone to heal in 5 weeks as opposed to 10 weeks, then why cant it be made legal for those purposes”
Thought it was pretty funny since he had about a 5 minute rant about it
Sorry Bob…don’t have the time to spend all day here…my bad
Utley hit 19 HRs and 49 RBIs in April and May– he was on pace for a ridiculous season.
But he only hit 14 HRs and 55 RBIs in June, July, August, September. He did OK in the postseason– only hit .220 but had a .370 OBP and drove in 9.
Though aside from power, most of his post-all star stats look good (average, doubles, OBP). Let’s hope A-Rod has the same success.
Posada tried to play though his injury last year and look how that turned out.
I would like to see Cashman go after Brandon Inge to play 3b. Not only can he play 3rd but he can also be the 3rd catcher. He hits for power and isn’t an overall bad player. The Yankees have some history of dealing with the Tigers too.
well now that they drained the cyst they are going to test how the tear will affect him (swing etc.), if he does have the surgery the sooner the better.
Riley,
you are wrong. Posada did not have the same injury. Please check your sources.
RGR,
I actually agree with Kellerman.
who draws the line with what drugs are ok and which are not? It’s a corrupt business already (cigarettes are ok?).
brandon inge? the same inge who batted .205 last season? um no. i’d rather have scott rolen and im not even a big fan of his.
Pete’s distaste for A-Rod is borderline obsession.
Correct me if I am wrong but this post makes it sound like A-Rod wants to be hurt for attention. Pretty amazing there is not one positive note in this post
Newspaper writers are not what they used to be. It is quite embarrassing.
I suggest everyone give up this nonsense and check out the Bronx Banter, River Ave Blues or Pinstripe Alley. They will link to anything relevant Pete has to say but you won’t have to deal with the A-Rod stalking.
Pete, Selena Roberts called…she wants your help on bringing down A-Rod
Steve Balboni
March 5th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I would like to see Cashman go after Brandon Inge to play 3b. Not only can he play 3rd but he can also be the 3rd catcher. He hits for power and isn’t an overall bad player. The Yankees have some history of dealing with the Tigers too.
———————
Inge is pretty bad. Plus he’s got a 2 years/$13 mil on his contract.
His numbers the past few years are barely higher than what Ransom’s and Berroa’s project to over a full season.
Pete,
Today was all about a potentially season-ending injury for ARod. I know it’s too much to hope for some compassion from you towards him right now, but any chance you could limit your usual snarky attacks?
For example, the photo op crack? Was that really necssary? No one except a few reality-challenged sportswriters read anything into the Reyes comment other than an awkward compliment. Plus, maybe he had a few other things on his mind at the time, like going to see a hip specialist about a potentially season-ending injury?
Listening to you now on Ferrell.
Tom Hicks must be laughing his ass off. The Rangers probably never thought a team would be dumb enough to take Arod from them, let alone bring him back on a bigger contract! Ever since he’s been here it’s been one thing after another. It’s gotten to the point of being a complete and utter joke.
Now there are alot of people who say that the Yankees will lose consistency in the lineup with Arod out. They will, but here’s the thing; guys will have to step up and play hard. The team won’t be able to rely on one player to hit a big HR, they will have to win with Pitching, Speed, Defense, and timely hitting (working the count). That system worked out pretty well on 4 championship teams.
Getting to the postseason just got harder. We lost our best player for 4 months (assuming he goes ahead with surgery).
I said the AL East was going to come down to injuries and a slow start— looks like both of these things will happen.
Boston Dave,
I agree with him (and you) as well. Honestly, if it can be prescribed for these instances, then why not. But getting them legal enough to be prescribed is the tough part. I just dont get how Cigs (like you said) are a legal drug (which kills millions of people) but something like this that will get you healthy quicker, is illegal. Makes you think…
You gotta have faith,
Alot of Yankee fans loved the pick up of Nick Swisher…What did he bat last year? Im not comparing the 2, im just saying, you cant base everything off of 1 year, and especially not on batting average. Inge isnt a great player, thats a fact, but do we need an allstar at every position?
for those who want Scott Rolen, what do you do with rolen afterwards, once A-Rod returns in July (asuming he has surgery now and returns in 3-4 months). He’s not going to all of a sudden be a bench player and be happy about it. That’s why i mentioned Brandon Inge. Last year was a down year for him, but the three years prior haven’t been that bad. He’s not great, but would accept a lesser role once Alex returns. he’s Brocsious-Lite.
Why are you guys so paranoid? Pete was simply detailing the whirlwind month that A-Rod had, starting with the steroid leak leading up to this. It’s a fact, he didn’t make anything up. Shows you all the stress that A-Rod has been dealing with.
Some of you need to grow some thick skin, for real.
An idea I heard today that I liked was…Jim Edmonds.
No, he cant play 3B, but he can make up for some of the offense that we lose from Arod. He has had an OPS+ of over 100 in 12 of his last 14 seasons. He can play CF instead of Gardner or Melky. He doesnt have to be a full season replacement, as he only averages about 100 games or so.
He also wouldnt cost anything more than money
1. Damon LF
2. Jeter SS
3. Nady RF / Matsui DH
4. Teixeira 1B
5. Nady RF / Matsui DH
6. Edmonds CF
7. Posada C
8. Cano 2B
9. Ransom 3B
that stretches out the lineup, plus gives us another lefty bat
Steve – That’s the problem. Rolen is not going to be happy going to the bench when A-Rod returns. And nobody is taking his awful contract of our hands either. In this economy where Bobby Abreu has to take 5 million, nobody is taking Scott Rolen even if you pay 1\2 his contract.
Rolen has a reputation for becoming disgruntled and wearing out his welcome quite easily.
Come on Jersey Joe, are you really telling me that Pete is objective when it comes to A-Rod?
There are a number of Yankees beat writers that also run a blog and none is dedicated to this much A-Rod bashing.
Career batting averages in April
Damon – .275
Jeter – .307
Teixeria – .259
Rodriguez – .315
Matsui – .267
Posada – .280
Swisher – .250
Nady – .281
Cano – .237
Molina – .222
Melky – .253
Tommy,
To be fair, hes not really “bashing” Arod. He is just talking about him alot. I think when there are updates that hold new info, its great. But I agree that I dont like a post like this. Were all already upset that were going to lose our best player. Do we have to be reminded about the last month that has not only been miserable for Arod, but for Yankee fans too? I mean, none of this is new info.
pete is trashing alex relentlessly on Sirius. no surprise there.
RGR,
of course not, but why trade away a prospect for someone like Inge when you might as well play Ransom at 3B and get about the same production? we dont need an all star at every position just someone who can get the job done defensely and offensively whether they hit home runs or play small ball. but hey if inge comes here and gets the job done then ill be happy to say that i was wrong
We can’t win with speed and defense for a couple of reasons
1. Outside of Gardner and maybe Damon, we have 0 speed. Now that A-Rod is gone, we become even more station to station.
2. The defense outside of 1st base, 2nd base is horrendous, overall (especially if we have to move Damon back to Center to get some offense). We have finished near or at the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency almost every year since 05.
We can’t just change the make-up of our team overnight. We are a power/OBP team and we just lost our biggest power threat. And his replacement is a guy who doesn’t have speed or play good defense (Ransom).
We’re not the Rays who win with speed and defense and have the players to implement that. Our game plan is still power/OBP but when a compromised lineup.
Thanks, Pete.
Outstanding job today.
RGR,
Agreed “bashing” on this post is not necessarily a fair statement but I have not seen many places where A-Rod is portrayed so negatively on a regular basis.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....4755.story
I don’t want to wish harm on anyone, including A-Rod. However this may be a blessing in disguise for the Yankees should an unsuccessful surgery force Alex into an Albert Belle situation (early retirement). I think the Yankees would kiss the earth if they could get out of this contract within the next two years. We forget that Alex has been playing MLB since he was 19-20 yrs old. Griffey started at a similar age and began to break down by 32-33 years of age.
Tommy,
Might not be a blog, but you might wanna listen to Mike Francessa. For a Yankee fan, he has been a pain in the ass to listen to the last few weeks when it comes to Arod.
I think Pete is right in that the Yanks are simply biding some time to increase trade leverage. I don’t think Cash is looking for a utility replacement with little power, offensive ability or unproven talent like a Dallas McPherson, Chone Figgins or Mark Grudzielanek. I think he would want a defensively sound 3rd baseman who offers the ability to hit for power, drive in runs and get on base and can be prepared to do this for the entire season should A-Rod suffer a setback. Adrian Beltre would be the perfect solution and you might be able to get him for an Ian Kennedy plus one of the plethora of reliever prospects thte Yanks have. The Mariners aren’t contending this year and Beltre is a very similar player to Scott Brosius, a guy who actually helped win a World Series.
MikeEff,
Are you suprised? Have you come to expect anything less?
I remember when this blog was a place you could find objective, quality Yankees news.
I know what many will say, I am stil here, reading and commenting but the fact is the site won’t make any money off me since I will never click on any of the ads.
RGR- agreed and another similarity between francessa and LoHud is that both “hosts’ love to belittle their “guests”
MikeEff March 5th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
pete is trashing alex relentlessly on Sirius. no surprise there.
—————–
What did he say?
RGR,
I have listened to Mike for 10+ years and have more or less agreed with most of what he has to say about he Yanks. I love that he gets great interviews but the last month has become very difficult to listen to.
Wow, Pete, I’m worried A-Rod’s going to be real hard to replace. I mean…what WILL you write about now that he’s going to be busy rehabbing and…gasp…might be out a good part of the year if he needs surgery??
YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE TO REAL BASEBALL-RELATED NEWS!
Pete,
Don’t forget what happened with his daughter in early feb.
From Cindy Adams NY Post Feb 9th…
Natasha, his and ex-wife Cynthia’s baby daughter, had been in Miami Children’s Hospital. Staph infection. Where it came from, nobody knows. But so severe she’d been on IV in a serious care unit five days. Both parents were there. At her bedside. Says Cynthia: “In terms of our kids, we work together.” A-Rod was low-profile and attentive.
Mike, thanks for that link
One reason Alex Rodriguez might have decided to wait on surgery to treat the torn labrum in his right hip is that the surgery is not a slam-dunk cure for what ails him. There is no guarantee on the results or timetable for recovery, according to an expert in the field.
“It’s controversial because the results are not as predictable as you’d like them to be,” said Romeo, who is not involved in the Yankees third baseman’s treatment. “A knee replacement or a hip replacement, you can give someone a 90 percent success rate. Hip arthroscopy, depending on the underlying pathology, may not have as high a success rate.”
Let me throw out a name that not many people are mentioning…Adrian Beltre
Neer is so bland.
Then again, most of WFAN is except Beningo and Francessa (and Francessa can get boring very quickly these days without Russo)
Given the choice, wouldn’t it be better for the Yankees if ARod played in the regular season, then sat out the playoffs?
Remember, he’s only our number 8 hitter once October arrives.
Summer brings up a great point. Pete must be really worried that A-Rod might miss some time. Not going to have anything to write about.
Gannett might be in more trouble now that Pete is out of content. Can’t get much worse than $2.11 can it?
Is he trying out to be a co-author with Selena Roberts?
Beltre wont want a backup role when Arod comes back though…
Jim Edmonds + Cody Ransom > Adrian Beltre + Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera
in 2 ways.
1. Jim Edmonds will be cheap, 2-3M for 1 year cheap
2. Jim Edmonds can play CF the entire season, where we’ll be weak all season as opposed to half a season where Beltre will be
Jay,
On the contrary, have you heard Russo with out Mike? It is much worse!
“Then again, most of WFAN is except Beningo and Francessa (and Francessa can get boring very quickly these days without Russo”
the addition of Kim Jones would have been a positive. But WFAN rather give us the stale air that is Mike Francessa
Francessa tries to go against the grain on every topic. Its ironic that hes a Yankee fan
No doubt— I actually find myself listening the most to Michael Kay.
Russo is awful on a National Show… he has to talk about things he has no clue about.
They both ruined their careers… but they are getting paid well.
Beltre would make the most sense, except for the fact that Seattle has no one else capable of hitting a home run.
Have you ever looked at the Seattle lineup? It’s arguably the weakest in the AL. The Royals goof on Seattle’s lineup.
Beltre only has one year left on his contract. I say platoon them lett A-Rod DH more often. Let Beltre hold down 3rd and take pressure of A-Rod’s hip.
Beltre has something to play for as it is a contract year and he would be on a competitor.
Bill Hall has the worst contract in baseball, even worse than A-Rod (ok maybe 2nd to Arod but still).
Yankees should make a move on Brandon Inge without a doubt. And this is for multiple reasons. He can play third and OF. But more importantly with Posada also a question mark behind the plate, the kid can catch. He has enough life in his bat and is a tough nose player. I think he is the best fit for this team and would provide you insurance for two different sore spots. The Tigers also are loaded with some bad deals, the are in Detroit which is getting crushed in the economy. I don’t think you would be forced to give up a ton to get him at all. If Posada was out or could play defensively, Molina and Inge could split catching and Inge could also spell Arod days rest or fill in for an extended period of time at third.
Beltre’s 2004 contract year with the Dodgers:
.334/ 48 HRs /121 RBI
Jay,
Funny you say that. I have found myself listening to Kay as well and I never thought I would say that. He is rough to listen to especially on a 5 HOUR SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
RGR
I don’t think he is a Yankee fan.
Inge is owed 6.3 this year and 6.6 next. A contract I am sure the Tigers would want to lose. Too bad this wasn’t known about a week or so ago. Joe Crede $1.8 mill for a year with the Twins.
tommy- You don’t have the space to DH Alex. Matsui is your dh, with Posada dhing as well.
Tommy,
So where does Matsui go if ARod plays DH? Have a $13M bench player? Thats not smart. Not to mention you still have Swisher who is making $6M on the bench. 2 players worth almost as much as the entire Rays, on your bench? No thanks.
Pete-
Great job on the fan. Although Arod is much closer to Utleys age than Lowells, which you guys seemed to have a bit of a chuckle about. More Neer than you but can’t let that one slide when the whole point is Arods injury is closer to Lowell’s because of age…
Actually, Jim Edmonds probably can’t handle centerfield for the entire season. He’d be awesome as a platoon mate for Nady, if they decide to move Swisher.
If they are going to go out and get somebody, I’d actually prefer Beltre, assuming he’s gettable. He’s in the final year of his contract. If you buy into the idea of the contract-year surge, he’s somebody who has done it before. If A-Rod was out four months, Beltre wouldn’t need to cover past the trading deadline. Once A-Rod comes back, Beltre could most likely be flipped to a contender in the NL missing a piece (LA might find the Casey Blake DeWitt combo unappealing, and Colletti hasn’t met a prospect he wouldn’t flip), or even DFAed, in a worst-case scenario. Also, it keeps Boston from getting him if Lowell doesn’t come back to form.
Jennifer,
Francessa? Yeah he is..Or at least he “says” he is.
I only listen to Kellerman and Kay. If your not with the Yankees, your against them. Anyone in the media that arent Yankee fans, will bash them to no end.
Kay and Kellerman bash the Yankees, but only in spots they deserve it
JohnBlackSox,
Agreed, Seattle does not have much incentive to move their second best player before the season starts. But does their front office really think they have a chance to win this year? Do they expect to resign him? And finally if they can unload his 12 mil and get a couple young arms, why not?
beltre would be perfect if arod was out the whole year,we already have a log jam at DH, no need to make it worse.
“Funny you say that. I have found myself listening to Kay as well”
the same. Never used to like Michael Kay (radio or TV). However, he has grown on me the past 1 year.
Kellerman and Kay are awesome. Tierney is pretty good too.
I find myself listening to WFAN less and less.
Can Bubba Crosy play 3rd haha. Maybe we can reel him in since he sounds pissed that the A’s got Cabrera..
Ah, nevermind, Beane would probably want Brackman and Montero for him…
Can Nady dabble at 3rd? Not fulltime, but share time with Ransom, and let Swish play RF..That wouldnt be awful
RGR,
That is a great point. But is it more important to have Matusi in the lineup or A-Rod? What if they can move Nady and when A-Rod plays 3rd have an outfield of, Matusi, Damon and Swisher. I know that is a borderline awful defensive outfield, but would you rather have a better defensive outfield or A-Rod in the line up for 150+ games
Please tell me if I am just talking out of my ass!
This injury is the first real A-Rod news since news that he failed a steroid test in 2003. The rest has all been media B.S.
“Francessa tries to go against the grain on every topic. Its ironic that hes a Yankee fan”
Francessa is a Nate McClouth fan. And not a Yankee fan. He admitted this on his latest show.
I used to hate Kay… but Francessa for 5 hours is unbearable unless he is discussing a hot topic. When he just starts taking calls, it becomes kind of painful. Now I’ve grown to like Kay… his show is much better than Francessa’s.
“I used to hate Kay… but Francessa for 5 hours is unbearable unless he is discussing a hot topic. When he just starts taking calls, it becomes kind of painful. Now I’ve grown to like Kay… his show is much better than Francessa’s”
yup
Eric,
I have been asking for a long time if Pete has been trying to get a job for TMZ. We might be right since TMZ seems to be doing a lot better than Gannett.
R-Tek,
Kellerman is the most underrated of all NYC talk radio but you are wrong about Tireny. He is terrible!
The issue with Beltre is what to do with him when A-Rod gets back.
Thats the problem with these guys like Beltre and Rolen with no trade clauses… why would they agree to waive their NTC to come here when they know they are back to the bench when A-Rod comes back?
A guy like Beltre wants a big payday after this year, he isin’t going to voluntarily sit on the bench for the last 2 months of the season.
He might do it if the Yankees quietly promise to trade or waive him once A-Rod is back and productive again.
Kellerman is smart and thinks outside the box. He uses stats and is well-informed in everything he talks about. He is very interesting to listen to, you never get bored.
I find myself listening to WFAN less and less.
=====================================================
Same here.
Kellerman’s show on 1050 has grown on me. I can honestly say I enjoy it now.
Benigno is one of my fav’s on WFAN, but Evan Roberts makes my ears cry, so I usually avoid that station from 10-1 (though if one of Benigno’s teams have a horrible loss, he is a must listen).
Then I usually listen to Francesa for an hour to get a giggle and then switch to Kay at 2pm
I still can’t take Kellerman seriously after his ATH days, and I’m surprised his voice works for radio. I’m not in the area, so I don’t know first hand, but my dad is pretty impressed by him.
Then the question becomes… if we have a great record with a Beltre or Rolen at 3rd and the offense is clicking and we have great chemistry, do we disrupt that and force A-Rod back in the lineup like we did with Matsui/Sheffield in 2006?
Tommy,
I would much rather have Matsui in the lineup than Beltre if and when ARod came back. But the thing is, Beltre would likely be a pain in the a$$ if the Yankees made him ride the bench.
4 x 4,
You are misunderstanding my reasoning for trading for Beltre. I would say if we could get Beltre they would be able to get a full season out of A-Rod as he would be able to DH much more of the time.
I dont think we are going to get a full year out of A-Rod unless he get substantial time at DH. I can’t see any way he is able to play though October with the injury he has. Keep in mind the World Series goes into the first week of November this year.
In that case, Beltre will get a full season playing for a contender on a contract year. That sounds pretty good to me!
Matusi is irrelevant to me at this point.
Yeah Kellerman’s def my current favorite right now. I’m always cracking up listening to him. Kay is pretty good too. I still like Benigno and Roberts even tho theyre met fanboys. Francessa is such a bore…Russo needs to come back to free radio, I miss him.
Yeah, Roberts ruins that show. He tries to be smarter than he really is and tries to be funny when he really isin’t. Beningo is great though.
Francessa for an hour is good, then he starts to lose it.
Oh Tommy, I agree with you. But I don’t think they would discard Matsui like that. A-Rod at DH would be perfect.
The other thing with Beltre is that we’re assuming all hands are healthy when A-Rod gets back. Jeter, Matsui, and Damon are all still old. Decent chance one of them goes down, too.
unlike most of talk radio, Kellerman is very talented/knowledgeable. A little conceited tho.
Nick,
Agreed on most of the Kellerman points. My only knock is that he uses stats wayyyyyyyy to much of the time. He pulls stats out that I have never heard of.
I am a Giant’s guy so I have a tought time with Beningo and Roberts
These are only the things we know about. There’s probably more.
And it is only the beginning…
I have to think that even is this injury isn’t steroid related, it has to be indicative of what is to come. By the time ARod hits 37 or so, he’s likely to have a lot more injuries ahead of him.
ARod’s contract may yet make Zito’s look like a bargain.
A post for the “Pete is obsessed with A-Rod” crowd
Title= Pete Packs A Lot Into 27 Days
Feb 6th- Pete breaks into MLB Player’s Union Headquarters and searched for any documents that read “A-Rod”, find positive steroid test.
Feb 8th- Pete breaks into A-Rod’s home, leaves business card for one Selena Roberts.
Feb 14th- Pete calls A-Rod from a pay phone, tells him annonymously that the person who broke into his house is actually Derek Jeter.
Feb 24th- Pete kills the real Yuri Sucart, calls A-Rod up on Yuri’s cell phone and asks, “Want to do lunch tomorrow? Bring Swish along.”
March 1- Pete kills MLB officials, poses as them at meeting with Arod. While there, Pete cleaverly steals Arod’s cell phone, calls his ex wife and tells her, “Bring the kids to the stadium tomorrow, I’d love to see them. Leave the FU shirt at home, please.”
March 2- After ex-wife and kids show up, ARod gets a call on Yuri Sucart’s phone- “Yuri” tells him Jeter was the one who called his ex and arranged for the photo op.
March 3- Pete stabs his ARod vodoo doll in the hip with a giant sewing needle.
The worse is when Evan Roberts starts talking about his “love life”. His “dates” are probably blow up dolls.
I’m not a Jets fan, but after a Jets loss-Benigno is a must listen. His rants are priceless.
Thats why I’m a Kellerman guy— he’s the only Yankees/Giants/Knicks guys.
There really are not many Giants fans in the media, most of them are Jets.
And Tierney is good for anything except NFL talk, his Jets bias is unreal.
Who has more at risk if Arod doesn’t play in 2009 –
Joe Girardi or Selena Roberts?
RGR,
I agree it would be tough for the team to eat Matusi’s $13 mil. That being said, with the route the yanks are going I think they need to do everything they can to get Alex to DH as much as possible. I don’t see any way he can play through October withought Dh’ing 80+ games.
The Yanks have a lot riding on this season. Do they worry abotu Matusi or worry about keeping Alex in the lineup on a daily basis?
Anyone remember Pete Franklin on WFAN?
S.A, – Beningo is must listen after a bad Jets or Mets loss, especially Jets.
Well Played Rusty John. That wins comment of the day in my book!
ZMan-definitely
DT,
Good questions. Think the publication date will change again>
R-Tek,
Kellerman has the most biased and best G-Men talk there is on the radio. Hearing him say that “big blue, big blue, big blue” is an excellent point will keep me listening.
So does Longoria get the nod at the All-Star game now?
The best part about Kellerman is that he is a homer but he doesn’t even care. He takes pride in pumping up the Yanks and Giants.
It’ll be a blast if we get Beltre and then the other 103 names come out.
Clare –
yes, I think they’ll hold off the book if Arod has surgery soon. It won’t have as much bang for the buck.
I’ve said all along – it will take a big story to move the media off the Arod-PED stuff. (just like Torre’s book is now old news)
I just didn’t think that new big story would involve Arod as well!
two things:
1. If ARod has this surgery, he’d be back by September at the earliest.
2. If where Scott Rolen plays in 2010 is the only reason not to trade for him, where do I sign? Stop searching for the holy grail of capable 3b on March 5th. There is no perfect solution. Rolen, all things considered, is the best replacement available as of right now. Beltre is a horrible option because he’d cost a small ransom and isn’t that good.
“So does Longoria get the nod at the All-Star game now?”
He would have even if Arod played the whole season. No way anyone other than little kids who dont know better, and Yankee fans would vote for Arod. Maybe Dominicans, but not many
I will be surprised if Arod ever starts an ASG again after the steroid fiasco…Though Barry Bonds did, so maybe im overreacting
I remember Pete Franklin – ugh. I hated him, but I couldn’t help tuning him in.
Phil,
Who gives a damn about the other 103 names?
BREAKING NEWS: BASEBALL PLAYERS TOOK STEROIDS
Remember the days when we were all complaining about Joe Torre and the book…I wish those days would return, and the days between then and now would disappear
ARod’s gonna play through it.
Good stuff Kevin….Maybe he stays if he’s having an outstanding walk year and A-rod just keeps rehabbing…The question is what will Seattle want….Maybe we can swap Matsiu if he ok’s a trade… A swap of soon to be FA, same salaries….
Phil – I was just thinking about something like that. His 2004 is very suspicious
Hit 48 HRs that year but has not even come close to 30 in any other year
Drove in 121 in 04 but has only driven in more than 90 in one other season (07).
Hit .334 in 04 and has not even come close to .300 in any other year.
Tommy,
I certainly don’t, ya little fan o’Francesa, but the media, who missed the story when it was going in front of them sure can’t shut up about it once they “find” one.
Boston Dave,
I don’t think Scott Rolen is an option for the simple rason that you barely ever see trades within the division.
Japanese ownership would probably like that, problem is they just brought in Junior Griffey, and their top two prospects that need run are a left fielder and a catcher who will probably need to DH some. I think Jack Z is smart enough not to block their development by bringing in Matsui.
If Seattle’s in a paring payroll mode though, Beltre could be cheap.
RGR,
A-Rod has a lot of seasons left. I would not bet against him starting an all-star game in the near future.
Tommy,
I care about the other 103. 2 reasons.
1. Its not fair to Arod. Why is he the only one that has to be outed? Why is he treated any different from those players (money aside)? How is that fair?
2. Its not fair to the players that ARE innocent. Were can point fingers at guys like Ortiz, Schilling, Beltre etc. But what if they arent one of the names? Is it ok for us to keep assuming and pointing fingers at them, and the only ones that know they didnt do it is themselves. Its not really fair to point fingers, but until that list is outed, fingers WILL be pointed. Its nature.
Morris,
If you had been watching for it back in `03 you would have noticed that Beltre’s and Beltran’s heads were HUGE in their walk years. Go to youtube and watch Beltran on the Astros if you want a laugh some time.
I could totally see Roberts’ delaying the book to time it to when A-Rod returns from surgery. She could say there are some publishing problems or something. Clearly she is on a witch hunt against him and it will be unsuccessful if the book is released while A-Rod isin’t even with the team.
Tommy,
true… but Rolen is in an awful contract right now. The Blue Jays are faced with either trading him to the Yankees or keeping him for 2 seasons.
Ordinarily, yes, they’d prefer not to trade a guy in division. But the Blue Jays would rather give Scott Rolen away and save $22M than keep him. Nobody else is going to be able to take that contract away from them aside from NY and they are well aware of that.
I just hope the front office has the money to pay for a 3B. I do believe that is a factor for the Yankees at this moment. Otherwise, I would go Beltre or Blalock. Either costs significant money. Further, we don’t really know if such players are reasonably available. No wonder the team wants to see if AROD can possibly play. So do I.
Bob Mac,
more important than money, Beltre would cost some top prospects as well.
Blalock might be easier to pry away but I still think Rolen is going to be the easiest to get.
A simple “we’ll take Rolen and his $22M contract” would get a trade done. The Yanks give Toronto a no-name prospect. done deal. The Blue Jays need to cut payroll and this will be their ONLY chance to get rid of Rolen’s bad contract.
Safeco is much larger than Dodger Stadium….Both A-Rod and JR. split because of it’s vastness….
Does anyone know the pitching for yanks and tigers tomorrow night… On the road to Tampa now
RGR,
I somewhat agree with both points. But the tests were suposed to be anonymous. I know it is unfair that A-Rod was outed, but I would argure it is quite an invasion of privacy to release the other names just because one was released.
Agreed, it is unfair to clean players but I am very biased. I am the biggest Jeter fan there is and as long as people think he is clean I am happy. I know that is completely irrational but thats me.
I think we should fortify the CF position first by getting Cameron. That way, there is less pressure to acquire a good 3B.
I really think you guys are jumping the gun here by naming all these players to replace A-Rod. There’s a pretty good chance A-Rod is going to play though this, and won’t miss much time. Remember, he’s been playing though this for a while now, without treatment. With treatment, one would think he could get through this, especially when he hasn’t felt any pain.
BG,
Sabathia, then idk
BG – Sabathia goes for the Yankees tomorrow night against Zach Miner of Detroit
7 * 7,
The bok was supposed to come out in May and they bumped it up to mid april right around the home opener. I highly doubt that is concindential. If this gets moved again I will hate her more than I already do. Not that it means anything to anyone.
I think Cashman is fine with Ransom and will play it by ear, hoping A-Rod can stay healthy.
From reading that Newsday article about this procedure, I’m starting to think it isin’t a smokescreen and A-Rod may indeed try and play through it.
I think Justin Leone might be better than Cody Ransom.
But what happens to Rolen after this year when A-Rod is healthy. That is why I think beltre is so perfect, he only has one year left and has something to play for.
Boston Dave,
Yes beltre would cost prospects but all the talk is that the Yankees have the pieces to make a move for a bat mid season without destroying the farm. While this is not mid season i would say we need to make a trade now.
How much power will GM’s have if A-Rod is forced to have surgey mid season. Make a trade now when they are not as desperate.
Sean Ryan,
I would agree for the most part if it wasn’t March. I think if it is mid sason we could expect him to get though it. I think asking him to play from April to November with a torn Labrum might be a bit much. Look at utley and lowell’s stats at the end of the year
I am in no way an expert, just a fan hearing terrible news today but I think A-Rod needs substantial time as Dh this year
Tommy,
I believe someone earlier said Lowell played through this injury for years, he always kept putting the surgery off until this season, when it was unbearable.
If ARod doesn’t play the rest of the season that is 27.5 Mil invested in him this year. So, if Arod lose one more season after this in the next 8 years(which has a great chance since he will be 42 by then) then it is 27.5 mil more.
Carl Pavano may not be the biggest Cashman signing after all. Great job Cash.
Once I played in baseball, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I played in baseball; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a laybrum?
Once I built a stadium, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a stadium, now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a laybrum?
Selena Roberts’ book about A-rod is 5 weeks from hitting the shelves
Got me on that, I thought i read somewhere that he had a tough time with a similar injury but you are probaby right.
On a side note, good night all. Too late on the east coast for me.
I do want to leave with a final note. I would suggest everyone not to click on any ads on this page. Pete’s negativity towards A-Rod is relentless. He has not posted one positive thing about him and while I will agree that Alex loves attention his negativity towards him is absurd.
It is no wonder that Gannett is down to $2.11. Pete you don’t have to try this hard for a spot on Selena Robert’s staff, she will be more than happy to have you when your paper goes under. Congrats on the awards the other day….too bad they don’t pay the bills.
There are some really smart baseball minds here and like I said earlier, I suggest you all check out the Bronx Banter, River Ave Blues and Pinstripe Alley. They will give you all the important Pete Abe updates without all the jealous nonsense.
Goodnight All!
Let’s Go Yankees!!!!!!!
Gannett is hurting because Pete Abe is too negative about Arod? You’re going to organize your Pete Abe boycott on Pete Abe’s blog?
What?
Argh. Post got gobbled. Apologies if it pops up again.
What a month for Alex. Except for the hip thing, everything else is just so tiring.
His teammates probably panicked a bit when they heard the dreaded “s” word (surgery, not steroids). But I can’t help but think their next reaction was “Whew. We can take a breather now.”
Alex is a great, great player, but it must be so exhausting for those associated with the Yankees to tread the water in his wake.
Betsy, don’t open the link b/c you will absolutely hate it. Some of it rings true, but even I have to admit this guy crosses the line. He makes Pete look like one of A-rod’s paramours.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns
Nick in SF, Good to see you back brother…..I put down $ 100.00 with a return of $ 175.00 on the Yanks winning 100 games…..I covered that tonight on UCLA….
Pete,
My last two posts got stuck in the filter. Help?
Well done, PAT M., I hope you got a little piece of the Cal Bears too. Arizona just found a cyst on its tourney dreams and it goes by the name of Jerome Randle.
They’re recapping on ESPN right now!
I’d try Kevin Cash at 3rd.. he has a great arm and has some pop in his bat. I think he is better than Ransom
Anyone who thinks getting Chone Figgins is an option is NUTS!!!
There is NO WAY the Angels get rid of that guy cheap just to help us out. You’re talking about giving up Hughes AND some of our top prospects + money. Figgins is a scrappy player who can play almost any position. He gets on base, he can steal, he can bunt.. he does all of the little things. He’d be a perfect guy to have on this team but his price tag is TOO MUCH.
If we’re going to talk about these scenarios.. why not Albert Pujols?
Eew… Cash’s bat isn’t good enough to play every day at catcher, and you want to stick him at third? Not-a so much-a.
m-
Post your comments in spanish.
E-Gawa… exactly. Same can be said for Beltre, Prado, Blalock etc.
Teams are not going to just get rid of good players to help the Yankees
A guy who can help the team win is hurt and some of you are whining about the contract?
Cashman said the contract is insured so stop worrying about the money and focus on what makes the team better.
Tommy,
I guess it depends on what’s more important to you (if you’re the Yankees) –
1. Eating $6-7M (the amount they’d have to pay if/when they trade Rolen in 2010)
2. Trading 2 of your top 5-8 prospects (trade for Beltre)
I’d rather keep the top prospects.
Nick in SF,,,I have Cal plus 3…Just got back from sitting in my zaccuzzi hot tub…How did we do….Their a sweet 16 team, along with wash, ucla…Arizona St fill fade in the first round…
The only players we can get are players who are not very good that nobody wants like Bill Hall, Chad Tracey etc.
Teams are not going to just get rid of good players to help the Yankees.
——-
That’s certainly true in most seasons but this season is a bit different because of the state of the economy.
A team in the red may find the Yanks to be a godsend because they’d be willing to take on a contract that the team would have a really hard time dumping otherwise.
This could be a win-win for both teams.
PAT M: Cal won by 6. Great game, they trailed by double digits in the first half and by 4 at halftime. Huge, enormous shots by Randle. Arizona needs to beat Stanfurd on Saturday and then win one or two to make the tourney, IMO.
There is NO WAY the Angels will trade us Figgins. Stop posting it. You make yourself sound idiotic by suggesting it.
Unless you want to give up darling boy Phil Hughes, the Angels will do nothing to help the Yankees.
We took their 1b for crying out loud. They are a title contender. They don’t trade someone who would help their rival like Figgins.
It WON’T happen.
The realistic target is someone like Rolen. Toronto knows they can do no better than 4th place right now and will probably end up behind the Orioles. They would dump that salary on the Yankees in a minute.
I also think Mark Teahen is an interesting idea since he can play other positions once Alex comes back. He strikes out a ton though. He offers a little power. He hits lefty and maybe the porch makes him a 20HR guy. Maybe.
Everyone clamoring for Inge? Please stop. He hits around .200 people. He sucks. He doesn’t want to play catcher and can field a little but will hit way worse than Ransom.
Bill Hall could be had. Then there’s always Kouzmanoff in SD who is a decent hitter who can’t field a lick. SD is going nowhere and would trade for good prospects.
Beltre will cost in terms of talented prospects. No doubt about it. He’s a 1 year rental and the cost to get him will hurt.
The guy I would love to see us get is Melvin Mora, but the Orioles will be much like the Angels and not go out of their way to help us. Mora is a good solid player and has talent and has been craving to play on a winner for a long time.
I think the Orioles would hold us up for one of the top young starters and a good reliever for Mora.
The other name that might emerge due to the economy of the game today is Miguel Tejada. If he’d be willing to play 3b for the Yankees, I could see the Astros dumping his salary on the Yankees.
They’re going to do you proud in about two weeks…..My 100 wins suddenly for the Yanks is looking shakey,,,
Dave,
But you’re assuming that Rolen even has a market, even if we pay 1\2 his salary. In this market, far superior players like Hudson and Abreu have to settle for $4-5 million. And Rolen isin’t exactly a desirable commodity, considering the fact that he is always hurt and has a tendency to get disgruntled and wear out his welcome.
Also, this is assuming that Rolen even waives his NTC knowing he will only have the starting job for 4 months and will get traded/benched.
Melvin Mora would be the perfect fit…Nice stick, good leather, hard nose ballplayer, a team guy…..
Tejada would be nice. Don’t know if he would be willing to play 3rd though. And again, just like Beltre– what do we do when A-Rod comes back?
This seems to be a reoccurring problem when coming up with trade possibilities. If we want a good player, we have to figure out what to do with him when A-Rod gets back. We don’t need a guy for the full season, only for 4 months.
Why can’t Cody Ransom play third? Look, other teams are able to compete using guys like this. Why do the Yankees have to have an all-star to fill in for an all-star? I’ll never understand why this team needs a $200 million just to compete.
Angelos will never trade with us. Mora is a FA after this year anyway (actually has a team option, but will probably be gone), so it’s not like he is an albatross contract for them. Same with Figgins. The Angels not helping a playoff rival. He is one of their good players.
Yeah, I’m with Giuseppe Franco on this one. Boston Dave, I don’t think the price tag on Beltre will be nearly that high if the Yanks are picking up his entire salary. The Ms need to shed money.
Beltre is a FA after this year and has Boras as his agent. He’s not going to the bench when A-Rod comes back. And the Ms won’t just take any package for him considering they can get 2 draft picks when he leaves.
He’d be my top choice but there is nothing we can offer Seattle thats better than 2 draft picks. C’mon, Igawa? Edwar? Duncan? Veras?
Ask Toronto and Milwaukee what happens when you bank on getting that first-round pick for your departing veterans. That would require them offering Beltre arbitration, and teams looking to cut costs have proven reluctant to do so, especially if the player would carry a high price tag in arb, as Beltre would.
Kevin,
A very good point on those compensation draft picks.
Unless the economy really turns around within the next 9 months, which is highly unlikely, we’ll see even fewer teams offering arbitration to pending free agents than we saw this past offseason.
A lot of GMs didn’t know what to make of the economic crisis back in November but now it’s pretty clear that the FA market went much farther south than many expected.
I would assume that GMs around the league may be even more cautious dealing with these guys next time around.
This sucks, but it would be 100 times worse if the Yankees let Teixeira go to the Red Sox. They still have enough offense to win with the pitching staff they’ve got. Obviously, there will be more pressure on the bullpen to hold a smaller lead and more pressure on the hitters they do have to get that lead.
I think A-Rod should just have the surgery ASAP and come back in July. Someone said if he had the surgery he’d be out til September, but I don’t know where they got that. Has anyone else read anything like that? Cashman said 4 months. If today is March 6th, 4 months from now is July 6th.
I also don’t think the Yankees should go after a big time player at third base unless he can play multiple positions and not cost them much of anything in prospects.
At the same time, a bottom 3 of Gardner, Ransom, and Molina for almost half of 4 months can’t happen. There are other options, though: CF. Take another look at Damon and Swisher in CF. Revisit the Cameron trade. The economy is getting worse and worse. There may be a chance to take on a solid CF if the Yankees take on a bad contract as well.
Upgrading CF helps the lineup in April when A-Rod is out and makes it that much stronger when he comes back in July. Upgrading at 3B helps the Yankees for a few months and then they’ve got an above average 3B on the bench that won’t see any action.
The good news is that if A-Rod starts the season 4 months late maybe he will have June numbers in October?
Sign Mark Grudzielanek!
Sign Mark Grudzielanek!
it’s not 4 months. If Alex has surgery, they’ll be lucky to have him again this season.
Chase Utley had the surgery in November and people are surprised that he might actually be ready by April (5 months). That is a best case scenario. Most likely it would be 6 months.
Sorry to say, Alex either plays through the pain or sits out 2009 and comes back healthy for 2010.
no 27.
Cashman also said Alex is going to play this season.
It’s gonna be 6 months. I appreciate your optimism but that is all it is.
R-Tek,
I wish you were right about Tejada because I got stuck with him at SS for my fantasy team.
However, Tejada is far from nice. Limited range defensively and offensive #s falling faster than the stock market.
He’s better than nothing but there are better options out there. Scott Rolen probably being the best (in terms of talent, defense – which is very important, and cost of prospects).
Rolen is also a big risk himself.
He has only played more than 115 games a grand total of three times in the last eight seasons.
He’d only be serviceable if he manages to play regularly.
Also, they are stuck with him for the next two seasons – attitude and all – because nobody is going to trade for him during the offseason.
Where have you read anyone say that A-Rod isn’t going to play this year or that it will take 6 months for him to recover?
When it was reported that Utley was going to have the surgery, people said that he would be able to resume baseball activity in 3-4 months and would be fully recovered in 4-6 months. Mike Lowell’s recovery was expected to be 3-4 months, but it was hoped that it would be less.
The problem is, no one knows if A-Rod’s injury is better or worse than either of those guys. I’m glad you appreciate my optimism, but I’m really just going off of what I read. Aren’t you just speculating based on other player’s injuries without knowing the different levels of severity?
crystal ball says alex is going to have the surgery, sooner than later. but it has to wait until a deal is done for another quality 3rd baseman so as to keep alive the idea that the yankees feel no pressure.
no 27,
I believe Utley was said he might resume baseball activities after 4 months. That doesn’t mean playing in games. That just means running, swinging a bat, etc.
They always were just hoping he’d be ready by April with an understanding that there was a real possibility he’d be out until June. The best case scenario was to be ready for opening day (5-6 months).
no. 27,
Alex could conceivably be back and playing by mid-August. I’ll grant you that.
I just don’t see them taking any chances on it. If they elect to go for surgery, it is simply because he has 9 years left on his contract and they don’t want to take any risk whatsoever that he aggravates it.
If they were going to rush him back or even let him play at all, they might as well just let him play all season and have surgery next offseason.
p.s. mid-August IMO is the best case scenario if he has surgery within a week (so not likely)
bardos,
you dont need a crystal ball for that prediction. it’s either that or he plays this season.
yes Rolen is a risk. There are very few players they could trade for or sign that aren’t risks.
That’s the problem if/when you lose your best player and have almost no depth on the left side of the infield.
Unfortunately, the Yankees can write the word “risk” all over 3b this season. It’s going to be there.
this is the beginning of a contract that is turning into a complete disaster.
how can you sign arod for 10 yrs/300 million when he would of taken less,maybe 6 yrs/156 million.
arod came begging back to the yankees & would of taken anything reasonable.
cash said he has insurance on arods contract.
Why not try this? Since Gardener is playing pretty good right now, since like a good 10-12 week solution.
1. Gardner CF
2. Jeter SS
3. Damon LF
4. Teixeira 1B
5. Posada C
6. Matsui DH
7. Nady RF
8. Cano 2B
9. Ransom 3B
IMO most of the players mentioned as possible fill-ins for A-Rod have their plusses and in most cases big minuses. Most of them sound like they would be good replacements to fans because in their hey-day they were great, but most are getting old or just don’t have the game they once did. If we have to trade top prospects or spend a bunch of money to get a question mark at 3rd base, why not go with the young guy (Ransom) already on the squad who most likely has more long-term up-side than any of the potential trade-for/pay for players? all that said, i think the “rest/rehab” approach by Cashman is just a tool to make picking up another player more reasonable and less costly. regardless if he calls any team asking for their 3rd basemen they will know immediately he is desperate and try to take advantage. they would be terrible GMs if they didn’t
ok so Ransom’s not that young, but all of my other points are still on.
heard you on WFAN last night Pete while driving back from jersey. (don’t usually get that station where i live)
it was like you were reading the blog to me. nice.
jeez why don’t you just get it over wits and work for the Post already
Man Pete,
If your bias against ARod was anymore blatant you’d be Steve Phillips during his time ruining the Mets. I loved how you said “some” took Alex’s comments on Reyes as a slight against Jeter…but that was pushed as such by you!
Who would we have to trade in order to get Chone Figgins?