Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A-Rod Is Gone
Scott Boras has made clear that A-Rod is going to opt out. The Yankees have made clear that if A-Rod does opt-out, they're not going to pursue him. I believe them both. I've seen A-Rod at his best (this season) and worst (last season) and I'll be glad to see him go and use that $30 million a season in a lot more productive ways. We'll never replace those numbers and we don't need to. And as Cashman and the brothers take control, they've been smart about spending big money on the draft (where it amounts to pennies, really) and holding on to prospects. That's the way to build a great team. Swallowing A-Rod at $30 mil a year for ten years is not. That figure doesn't include the high maintainence costs. (Buying A-Rod is like buying a really expensive, luxurious apartment with a mortgage you can just barely afford -- and then realizing you also have to pay a maintainence fee which is almost as much as the rent on your LAST apartment. Suddenly you've got a nice home and a doorman but you feel trapped. God help you if the fridge breaks down.) Since Abreu is the only outfielder that can be dropped (Matsui and Damon are locked in), he's going to go as well. Plus, no more Roger Clemens at $18 mil. That's $64 million to play with right there and really the only one that has to be replaced is third base. Think we can find a decent third baseman...and some pitching...and a young catcher...for $64 mil, which is the payroll for a number of teams? We can lower our payroll and get stronger next year. Now if only there were a way to dump Giambi and his damnable $21 million.
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2 comments:
The current free agent crop stinks, so the Yanks would be hard pressed to spend that money wisely (no more Pavanos, Igawas, Farnsworths please). Also, some portion of that must be earmarked for Jorge and Mo.
Don't forget that if they sign ARod to an extension that means Texas is paying $7mm of his salary for the next 3 seasons, which makes him a bargain compared to some other guys on the team.
I think they are more likely to cut salary in the offseason anyway. That also gives them the flexibility to take on a salary dump in mid-season, a la Abreu.
The only free agents I would find intriguing are:
1. Mike Lowell (originally a Yankee, a great fielder, good bat, good clubhouse guy). Hell, I'd like to sign him even if they do keep ARod; Lowell would be a hell of a first baseman.
2. Kosuke Fukudome (a Japanese RF if they let go of Abreu)
There are also some good mid-level relievers out there.
Check this link for the whole list:
http://www.mlb4u.com/topfa07.php
Fun link. They can't sign A-Rod to an extension because Boras has made absolutely clear they're going to opt-out. I will no object if the Yankees get A-Rod an extension and save the tens of millions that will mean, though I prefer he go. But it's just not an option. There is no way Boras is going to change after his entire career and not get A-Rod to sign the biggest deal ever after the biggest season ever. The Yankees don't need to spend the money; they can hold on to it -- having a payroll so massively larger than most teams is embarrassing to me. Mike Lowell looks intriguing as a third baseman, though he had a career high in errors this season and a career high in batting so I'd expect less from him at the plate and more for him in the field. We dont need a first baseman with Andy Phillips, Doug M, Giambi (who we're stuck with) and Posada, who two years from now will get more first base/DH time as he mentors some unknown catcher.
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