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Signing AROD, on their terms, is a must for the Yankees.

by Gary Armida

News reports out of New York have stated that the Yankees are talking with Alex Rodriguez about a new contract after saying they were not interested once Rodriguez opted out. The reports say that Rodriguez initiated the talks through a friend and that the Steinbrenners have stated that super-agent, Scott Boras is not welcome in the negotiations. While not close to being complete, Yankee officials have stated that things look good right now. Reaction in the New York tabloids and on talk radio has been generally negative-”We don’t want him!”, “We don’t need him!”, “The Yankees need to stay true to their word!”.

New York, brace yourself here. You are 100%, without a doubt, dead wrong on this. If the Yankees can sign Alex Rodriguez on their terms, it must be done. Since when does a player’s personality matter? Let’s face it, AROD is unfairly portrayed because of his salary. He is not Stephon Marbury, Isiah Thomas, or even Barry Bonds. Sure, the way he conducts his business leaves much to be desired. He does measure his worth, it seems, by the value of his contract. Yes, he says stupid things while trying to please every single person. He seems to have an inferiority complex, wishing he could own New York like Derek Jeter. He seems programmed, robotic, and sometimes insincere with his tone.

Absolutely none of that matters. Here’s a big understatement: Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball. He can only help a team. The Yankees would be a better team with him at third next season. You will not find someone who can average 128 runs scored, 44 homeruns, 128 RBI, 23 stolen bases, a .306 BA  and a .967 OPS. That is Alex Rodriguez, the baseball player.

Alex Rodriguez, the person, is also unfairly portrayed. Sure, he has those issues discussed earlier. But, he has never caused a problem in the clubhouse. Never, has he failed to run out a groundball. Never has he failed to try during a game. He is said to be obsessive about being in shape. When he struggled his first year with the Yankees (yes, 36/106 was struggling), he was always said to have been working with Don Mattingly for hours before a game. He has the work ethic of the 25^th man with the talent of a legend. Most importantly, he has never been linked to any story about performance enhancing drugs. In short, while imperfect, Alex Rodriguez is one of the good guys.

“He chokes in October!” You can’t move in New York without hearing those words being uttered. Two things can be said to this. One, although we New Yorkers can often forget this, April through September do count towards getting to October. Take Rodriguez out of the lineup in 2007 and the Yankees do not make the playoffs. Secondly, while he has performed poorly in the previous few postseasons, his 2007 postseason was not a total failure and his career postseason numbers are comparable to others. In 39 postseason games, Rodriguez has hit .279 with 7 homeruns and 17 RBI. Not spectacular, yet not the total failure that he is portrayed to be. Is he Derek Jeter or David Ortiz in the postseason? No. Is he Joe DiMaggio in the postseason? Pretty close as Joe D, regarded as one of the best of all time, hit .271 with 8 homers and 30 RBI in 51 postseason games. While Rodriguez has not performed recently, the same could be said of the entire Yankee team. The point is that the postseason failures are undeniable, but they are grossly exaggerated.

Sure, the Yankees could find a replacement by trade. Miguel Cabrera would be good, but he will cost you at least two of your young prospects. Why not sign the better player and keep your young prospects? Better yet, why not use those prospects and trade for a certain “best pitcher in the game” who is available in Minnesota? Additionally, if Andy Pettitte does not re-sign, those young pitchers will all be needed. Cabrera is a young star, but his defense and rumored less than stellar work ethic will hurt the Yankees. Other alternatives like Joe Crede or Brandon Inge could work, but neither will measure to Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees could look to the free agent market where Mike Lowell is available. Lowell, while a nice player, would be a poor fit for most teams as his performance at Fenway Park far surpasses his work on the road.  

The fact is that this is a win all the way around. The Yankees win as they don’t look like they gave in. Rodriguez came to them and initiated the talks. They declared all of the terms and are progressing towards a deal. The point of building a team is to win. When a team has an opportunity to sign the best player on the market for a “reasonable” amount, it must be done. Rodriguez wins as he will get his money, stay in New York where he has learned to deal with things, will become a Yankee legend, and have a chance to win a championship for years. Yankee fans win as they will be able to cheer for the next 10 years for a player as he surpasses the all-time homerun record and for having a player capable of spectacular things every night.

So, Yankee fans, New York sportswriters, and sports radio hosts, save the dramatic “we will never accept him”. You will all change your tune just like you do with all sports figures. Jason Giambi, once crucified, was accepted when he hit 32 and 37 homeruns in 2005 and 2006 after missing time with “complications”. The talks of banishment died down for those two years. Now, he his shunned once again because he did not perform in 2007. Performance leads to acceptance. Alex Rodriguez had that in 2007. He had so many curtain calls this year. Why? It’s because he had one of the greatest seasons in the history of baseball. If winning baseball games is the goal, Alex Rodriguez, under the present set of circumstances, must be signed.