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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Joel Sherman: A-Rod HRs help, hurt Yankees

Or as the Bizarro Jo-El once said…“Us hate beauty! Us love ugliness! Home Runs am bad!”

That $30 million seduction looked bad then — to blend immortality with a payday — and worse now for two reasons: 1) The Yankees are trying to get under the $189 million luxury-tax threshold beginning in 2014 to gain the financial benefits that are part of the new collective bargaining agreement. Those $6 million bonuses, if triggered, would count toward the payroll in the season they are earned. 2) The 2009 revelation that Rodriguez used steroids at least during his Ranger years devalued A-Rod, the TV Show, for the Yankees/YES while assuring Rodriguez that the accomplishment is as regretted as celebrated.

You got a preview of, at the least, how little joy and fanfare there will be should Rodriguez keep climbing on the homer list by the minimalist reaction yesterday. It was not long ago that becoming the fifth-leading homer hitter ever would have unleashed a standing ovation, wall-to-wall coverage and the further elevating of a reputation. Instead, when A-Rod took Ervin Santana deep to open the third inning, there was, well, not much.

The home crowd mainly was just pleased Joe Girardi’s strategy, to flip-flop Rodriguez to third and Robinson Cano to cleanup for the foreseeable future, had an instant payoff in stirring the slumping Rodriguez. There was no confetti. No sustained applause. No waiting call of congratulations from Griffey.

...So the Yankees need that good health, need a guy they are paying so much to keep clearing fences. But even with that success there would be bad with the good. For team. For player. Such is life with the Yankees’ version of Alex Rodriguez.

Repoz Posted: April 14, 2012 at 08:03 AM | 15 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Tags: yankees

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   1. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:07 AM (#4106486)
Because when we look back at the general response to Rodriguez's accomplishments before the PED admission, the description that leaps to mind is "joy and goodwill."
   2. SG Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:14 AM (#4106494)
If Rodriguez hits another 31 HRs over the next two years that achieves the 660 HR milestone, which pays him a bonus before the 2014 payroll deadline. Then you don't have to worry about the 715 HRs milestone for another 50 HRs, which probably wouldn't happen until 2016 or later barring a surprising rejuvenation in health. Odds seem pretty to good to me he won't even sniff that 755+ total.

So much ado about nuttin'.
   3. Misirlou is bad, he's nationwide Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:23 AM (#4106499)
Imagine this scenario. In 2016, Rodriguez hits .220/15/46 as DH for a Yankee team which goes 75-87. He finishes the year with 754 HRs. The Yankees are now looking at paying him up to $38 million do do the same at best in 2017. If they release him, I suppose some other team signs him for the minimum and I suppose the Yanks are on the hook for the bonuses if he reaches them for Detroit or whomever. Do they keep him and platoon him? Maybe they can save $12 mil if he's a part time player.

If his decline continues, the Yanks are truly screwed. They have to keep him or risk paying $30 mil for him to get the milestones for some other club. As the Kaiser said of his Austrian allies late in the war, "We are shackled to a corpse."
   4. TerpNats Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:43 AM (#4106506)
If A-Rod was the player he once was, 630 would be a big deal. As it is, his career is on the decline; he's still very good, but not currently great.

I think the reaction to tying or passing Mays will be a bigger deal. Willie's been out of the game longer and is thus more of an icon, and is still beloved in New York for his years with the Giants (and, to a lesser extent, the Mets).
   5. Swedish Chef Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:49 AM (#4106508)
The Yankees are worse off if he doesn't reach the milestones, bet they'll be happy to pay that bonus in exchange for some production.
   6. Jolly Old St. Nick Done Jumped The Ship Posted: April 14, 2012 at 09:58 AM (#4106513)
From the Yankees' POV the best ending for A-Rod would be if he duplicated his 2009 heroics, led the Yanks to another championship, and then died while rescuing a child from a fire during the offseason. That would free up his salary for luring a younger replacement, and just think of the number of commemorative T-shirts they could sell.

Oh, well, a Yankee fan can dream, can't he.....
   7. Best Regards, L.M. Posted: April 14, 2012 at 10:26 AM (#4106522)
The best thing for the Yankees would be for those milestones to completely #### up any possibility of them getting under the luxury tax threshold, so they have to abandon that idea.
   8. Howie Menckel Posted: April 14, 2012 at 10:35 AM (#4106527)

"Mays... beloved in New York for his years with the Giants (and, to a lesser extent, the Mets)."

"lesser" seems like such a feeble word here
   9. RB in NYC (Now Semi-Retired from BBTF) Posted: April 14, 2012 at 11:14 AM (#4106541)
Imagine this scenario. In 2016, Rodriguez hits .220/15/46 as DH for a Yankee team which goes 75-87. He finishes the year with 754 HRs. The Yankees are now looking at paying him up to $38 million do do the same at best in 2017. If they release him, I suppose some other team signs him for the minimum and I suppose the Yanks are on the hook for the bonuses if he reaches them for Detroit or whomever. Do they keep him and platoon him? Maybe they can save $12 mil if he's a part time player.
Or imagine this scenario: It is revealed that Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have been secretly funneling Yankee funds to al-Qaeda and they are sent to the Supermax Facility in Colorado, but refuse to sell the team so every year until they die the team is forced to field a squad composed entirely of players so desperate for a MLB job that they are willing to play for two known traitors! The Yankees lose 120 games a year as the Stadium slowly falls apart, eventually collapsing on Derek Jeter Day, killing all 50,000 in attendance!

Whatever will the Yankees do?

Is there any real reason to believe the Yankees will be noncompetitive in 2016? Or that A-Rod will end up so bad in 2016, but somehow good (and healthy) enough to have hit more than 110 home runs in the four years previous? That's just silliness.
   10. The District Attorney Posted: April 14, 2012 at 12:33 PM (#4106561)
It is revealed that Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have been secretly funneling Yankee funds to al-Qaeda and they are sent to the Supermax Facility in Colorado, but refuse to sell the team so every year until they die the team is forced to field a squad composed entirely of players so desperate for a MLB job that they are willing to play for two known traitors! The Yankees lose 120 games a year as the Stadium slowly falls apart, eventually collapsing on Derek Jeter Day, killing all 50,000 in attendance!
Please continue.
   11. David Nieporent (now, with children) Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:15 PM (#4106576)
From the Yankees' POV the best ending for A-Rod would be if he duplicated his 2009 heroics, led the Yanks to another championship, and then died while rescuing a child from a fire during the offseason.
He almost did.
   12. Jolly Old St. Nick Done Jumped The Ship Posted: April 14, 2012 at 01:47 PM (#4106591)
He almost did.

That's funny, because when I made that comment I was thinking of Cory Booker's heroism, but I had no idea of the name of Booker's security guard. I guess that the wrist slap that "the other A-Rod" gave Booker wasn't enough to deter him from going into the building.
   13. TomH Posted: April 14, 2012 at 02:43 PM (#4106603)
Fact: A-Rod has produced more wins per $ than Jeter, since ARod came to New Yawk.

Yes, this may change in the next few years.....
   14. Bob Evans Posted: April 14, 2012 at 04:47 PM (#4106657)
If his decline continues, the Yanks are truly screwed going to have to spend more money, gosh dash it all.
   15. RMc and His Roster of Rubbish Posted: April 14, 2012 at 08:12 PM (#4106745)
It is revealed that Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have been secretly funneling Yankee funds to al-Qaeda and they are sent to the Supermax Facility in Colorado, but refuse to sell the team so every year until they die the team is forced to field a squad composed entirely of players so desperate for a MLB job that they are willing to play for two known traitors! The Yankees lose 120 games a year as the Stadium slowly falls apart, eventually collapsing on Derek Jeter Day, killing all 50,000 in attendance!

I'm not crying. Just a dust speck in my eye.

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