A Rod to Miami?

Re: The ARod question

Yes. But projecting a 40-70 point OPS improvement from a 37-year-old hitter is a dangerous game, resting him with the DH or not.

He's not going to be cut this offseason or anything, but he's closing in on where it's worth the discussion.

 

Re: The ARod question

Agree that there is no way he's not the Yankees third baseman/DH through the end of the 2013 season, barring injury or the bottom completely falling out where he turns into Adam Dunn with no power. (And I don't there is any way that happens. He can still feast on average pitching -- like most major leaguers, to just to be clear -- in the regular season and hit .250-.265 and walk enough times where he'll worth having in the line-up.) Or impossible to bench, considering the controversy it would spark. But his power is just evaporating. Look at his slugging percentage this year. It was 41st in the American League. He's even lost his gap power.

 

Re: The ARod question

What makes you think baseball doesn't run on that kind of stupidity anymore? Pujols and Fielder both got 10-year deals last off-season. Fielder is likely to weigh 350 pounds by the eighth year of that deal, and Pujols is going to be "42" by the end of his deal if you believe he is "32" now. The Phillies signed a frickin' 31-year-old closer for four years. And the Dodgers are just getting revved up and will undoubtedly be itchy to make a big splash. The extra years are how to make the big splash.

Those extra tack-on years are how the rich teams continue to win the bidding. I think it might change in the future because of what has happened recently and especially with A-Rod, but I don't think teams have moved away wholesale from longer contracts.

 

Re: The ARod question

I think teams are less willing to eat other teams mistakes on "old" players, now that we know players won't age like Bonds did. I mean, what's a realistic destination for A-Rod right now? The Dodgers might have been until they totally blew their wad on other old, over-the-hill players. The Red Sox aren't an option, even though they give out stupid contracts. The Cubs aren't an option, since Epstein seems desperate to not repeat his mistakes. The Angels already have big contracts where they've made mistakes.

You need a combination of two things to move A-Rod's contract: A relatively rich team that is also arrogant and foolish.

How many of them are out there right now?

I don't disagree that the rich teams still have a big advantage in that they can give 31-year-olds contracts with an eighth, ninth or 10th year, but no one is so dumb anymore than they're going to predict a 37-year-old will return to form coming off the worst season he's had since he was 19. You give out those 10-year deals because you decide you're simply going to pay a premium on the first five years of the contract, where you're going to get all your production. Why pay the same price for the back end, when you assume all the risk with very few benefits?

 

Re: The ARod question

I agree, but the great unanswered question is what anyone is going to do with those last five years. Do you just eat the money outright or do you live with the declining player? When the Yankees won in 2009, I think one reason was that they were finally able to clear Giambi out of the lineup after years where he had just been a sinkhole.

If I'm the player, I don't walk away for anything less than 98 cents on the dollar.

 

Re: The ARod question

The player should never agree to getting a nickel less (and I actually don't believe it's allowed under the CBA; there are even rules about how much money you can take, right?)

It all makes for some interesting food for thought, especially with news breaking that A-Rod is not in the line-up today for the Yankees. In a do-or-die game, Girardi is sitting him. Wow.

 

Re: The ARod question

A-Rod benched today for Eric Chavez.

 

Re: The ARod question

Remains as useless as tits on a bull to any team with enough talent and ambition to expect to play into October -- because that's when the dear boy checks out. No guts, y'know.

He's much more productive in April against trash. Now is when it matters.

 

Re: The ARod question

You're not really surprised. This is real life -- and right now, Mr. Overpaid isn't part of it.

 

Re: The ARod question

lol

 

Re: The ARod question

God damn. This shit is crisis mode for 2012-13 off-season. They're having that conversation RickStain said was off in the distance.

 

Re: The ARod question

If they lose tonight, then the potential for an awesome blowup in the offseason with the need for a scapegoat is off the charts. Could be awesome.