Saturday, May 25, 2013
SB Nation: The Rotation: The worst baseball conversations
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posted 5 hours ago by bobm to athletics, dead horses, definition of mvp, designated hitters, giants, old school, peds, proven closers, regression, territorial rights, war
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The Rotation is a weekly feature here at SB Nation MLB in which we put a question to our vast network of baseball scribes and bring you the answers. This week we ask, What is the worst ongoing conversation in baseball?
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1 2 3 >Corrected for accuracy.
The writer repeats this as if it holds water, when in the sentence preceding this quote the writer gave a very good reason: "He still has five years and $114 million left on his contract."
Aside from all the other possible reasons.
This is not a Palmeiro situation (he was in the last year of his deal and pretty much at the finish line when he walked away), or even a Bonds situation (him returning was contingent on a team offering him a contract).
Yeah, why would Alex quit? He's not that old.
Yes; imagine the gall of the union fighting to protect $100+ million in guaranteed money!
Neither was Albert Belle.
see #9
this is his 2nd hip operation and basically at the time of the first I read that he basically opted for the short cut procedure to get back quicker, but was gonna pay for it later, it's now later.
There is anon-zero chance that contract/PED issues aside he's done any way.
The key question is whether he thinks he can repair his legacy. If he does, then he'll come back.
Let's say he concludes that he cannot repair his legacy, or if he just doesn't want to get face getting booed nightly (even more than before) in every ballpark around the league. He's owed $114M. To take an extreme example, why wouldn't he take $113MM as a settlement?
I think there may well be a range palatable to both the Yankees and AVoid. If $113MM, what about $80MM? $80MM is obviously a huge sum of money to an already rich man--but it also represents an enormous savings to the Yanks.
If he simply has a career-ending condition, why is there this weird public campaign against him about settlements and voiding his deal etc etc?
He might have sources for "hip surgery will likely derail his playing career." I'm fairly certain he doesn't have sources from other organizations that "he may consider a settlement or an outright retirement."
Because the Yankees want out of the contract, but the contract isn't voided just because of career ending injury/medical condition.
Schadenfreude and a centuries-long love of the Icarus myth.
George Costanza
Barring revelations in A-Rod's favor, if A-Rod and the Yankees reach a settlement, I doubt anyone will touch him as a free agent even if he's healthy. He'll be on the Bonds blacklist.
It's all part of the same sentence and the same train of thought.
Right, but Rodriguez won't have anything to gain from a settlement in the event of a career ending injury/medical condition.
Are the Yankees just using the convergence of the hip injury and the drug scandal as the perfect timing to unleash some plan to try to shame Rodriguez into taking a bunch of money to walk away? That doesn't seem like a wise strategy, it would depend on him being extremely discouraged by the injury and/or the scandal. Wouldn't it make more sense to support their player in his rehab until either he can give them some contribution on the field or they can trade him without eating every penny of the contract. He didn't seem like a big enough problem that he urgently needed to be off the team until just now.
Albert Belle, last played in 2002, was paid $13 mil in 2003
Jeff Bagwell, last played in 2005, was paid $19 mil in 2006, was in fact, the highest paid player in the NL that year.
Moo Vaughn, last played in 2003, was paid $17 mil in 2004.
I can't think of anyone paid for 5 more years after suffering a career ending injury (not counting negotiated deferred payments, ala Bobby Bo), but I don't see why it would be different.
What a #### way for a great career to end.
Belle last played in 2000 and was paid to sit around for three years.
Incidentally, I predict A-Rod will playing, for the Yankees, by August. I remember going through most of this same foolishness with Giambi.
Sure he would. Sans a settlement, I imagine he would be contractually required to work himself back into shape and present himself to the team to play baseball. He may not want to do that for the next 5 years. If he wants to say "Hey, I'm not going to go through that, I'm done." he may not be entitled to money in later years.
Yeah, I know that. Don't know how I messed that up.
Wayne Garland was waived five years into a ten-year contract. Wsa he still he paid or did he settle with the Indians?
He has been getting himself into shape a presenting himself to a team to play baseball for 15 years, and I heard nothing about him wanting to retire until this drug story came up. What a coincidence.
I second this prediction.
Plenty of players have served drug suspensions. Have any of them ever had their contracts voided?
Wade BoggsKevin Youkilis era begin!Why? It's just as likely this is nothing but wishcasting from the team, or perhaps even the writer. There is no reason to assign "numerous baseball sources" any particular credibility or standing.
Ha, if you need further proof of what a fabrication this article is. Everyone knows old Bolshevik Bud based the entire financial structure of the CBA around Rodriguez's crippling contract with New York. To have Alex crippled AND on the Yankee payroll? Why he's probably having Smithers click his heels for him right now.
That's basically what Gil Meche decided, though he only had one year left on the contract. He retired rather than go through the process, leaving quite a few million on the table.
One difference, besides the length of time on the contract, was that there was no evidence the Royals were trying to screw over Meche. Considering the crap the Yankees are pulling, I wouldn't expect Arod to be so generous.
I thought that this surgery is on the other hip?
Yeah. I mean two or three people posting in this thread could arguably constitute numerous baseball sources. It's pulled out of Madden's ass and dressed up with vague sourcing to make it sound like something more than worthless.
Yes, left hip this time which supposedly takes more stress for a RHB.
Their dispute with Alan Wiggins was resolved (on strong advice from MLB -- allegedly because they didn't want another arbitration loss on the books) before it got to arbitration by the trade to the Orioles.
After his final positive test he and the Orioles negotiated a buy-out of his contract. Again, the situation was headed to arbitration and the Orioles would probably have lost because there was a private drug testing clause in the contract and a subsequent arbitrator ruled these clauses void. But Wiggins settled for about 90 cents on the dollar which I think reflects the fact that it wasn't a lock he'd win in the arbitration. Plus he got the money then and there and the full arbitration process takes time.
He never should have changed his name from Joey.
What a #### way for a great career to end.
The second sentence is a subjective opinion (*), but there's really nothing wrong with the Yankees: (1) not wanting A-Rod back; (2) wanting to not have to pay him; (3) not being happy with him being caught up in roids yet again; and (4) publicly saying each of (1), (2), and (3).
If there's no way to not have to pay him, they'll pay him.
(*) I personally don't view him has having a great career, anymore than I view Lance Armstrong as having a great career. Why would I?
Lots of teams have albatross contracts, but I don't recall other teams trying to publicly shame the players into walking away (if in fact that is what the Yankees are attempting).
Assuming that the Yankees have insured AROD's contract against career ending injury - the hip is a legitimate injury and if the insurance pays out and AROD is sick of trying to rehab and putting up with all the other crap - then collecting on the insurance is a face-saving way out for everybody...
Maybe, maybe not, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it -- particularly under these facts.
Unless one thinks there's something wrong with shame itself.
This is the big 'if.' Is there any indication that he IS sick of everything besides suspicious anonymous quotes?
You clearly you can believe what you want, but those games did happen, runs were scored, games were won and it all counted. People cheered, have memories, souveniers and so on. You can pretend (like the NCAA does) that none of it ever happened, that it all is gone, but I promise you AROD hit a ton of homers and everything else that followed.
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