There’s been a lot of talk reverberating around the baseball world about a possible end of Arod’s baseball career.
We’ve seen the sensationalized titles and ‘end of the world-like’ prophecies foretelling a certain demise to Mr. Rodriguez’s baseball tenure. Well, I’m here to say, not so fast. The Yankee’s don’t just conveniently get to part ways with the man they just so happen to owe $114 million to. No, my friends it will in no way be just that easy.
Firstly, let’s examine the situation as a whole starting before the newest drug use controversy even began. Alex was already slated to miss the first five months (at least) of the regular season for the Yankees, due to a hip injury he’s recovering from. Need I even delve into the miserable post season stats he put up during the Yankees humiliating playoff run of 2012? Here’s a groundbreaking bit of news: Arod’s best years have left him the dust. Yeah, groundbreaking…I know.
With the current state of Arod now made clear, it’s time to expose some of the Yankees ‘not so’ well hidden bones in the closet. It’s time to be blunt, the Yankees would literally sell their soul to the devil if it meant they could be rid of the Arod contract. It is like a ghost of the past haunting them at every turn, a symbol of the downside of the George Steinbrenner spending days, and of some very real greed. The problem with the contract is, no one in the Yankees front office gave much credence as to what those back end years would look like. No one figured that the best player in the league would morph into a constant post season bust, admitted PED user and now perceived liar and repeated user. But they have no one to blame but themselves.
The Yankees thumbed their nose at any attempt the league made to curtail the use of steroids amongst players. Not once did the Yankees cry foul, when they signed guys like Jason Giambi and Roger Clemens–both men came in with a wave of suspicion. And now that brings us back to the tale of Arod, what should the Yankees do? Many have hinted that the Yankees are scrambling to void the contract…oh really? How? It took Arod all of a few hours to hire one of the nation’s most ruthless and prominent attorneys in the nation in Roy Black. You really don’t think Arod will fight back?
There’s also the fact that the Yankees have nothing to go on to even think of bringing to a grand jury. All the evidence brought forth by the clinic, while in the court of public opinion is enough to bring him down, is not enough in real court to stick. There’s no paper trail tying back to Arod, no video camera surveillance and of course there’s not even been a positive drug test to fall on. One can’t make the argument that it was the performance enhancing drugs that caused the breakdown of his body, because who’s not to say it’s just old age? For now it remains Yankees word vs Arod’s, and once Arod gets the players association to back him then there’s really no point in waging war.
The only plausible way out for the Yankees and Arod alike is for him to be cut. Yankees write a check out to the tune of $114 million and he’ll be gone with the wind. But wait…this isn’t your dad’s Yankees. The Yankees have been almost startlingly cheap (by their standards) during this off season to avoid the luxury tax for the upcoming season. With a payroll of already $223,302,212 for the 2012 season, they’re not trying to go into their pockets to let him walk away scottfree. That’s not only unrealistic, but it’s dumb from a business standpoint. The Yankees are stuck with Arod.
Let this be a lesson on why putting greed above common sense will be the downfall of those with even the best of intentions. Both the Yankees and Arod will pay the price for this contract. Even when Arod returns from injury his reputation (which finally began to mend after 2009) will go back to being back in the dumps like previous. He will be booed even louder at stadiums, both away and at home, the organization will no longer smile in his face and anything short of a .300 batting average, 30 homer kind of year will cause the NY papers to have field days at his ineffectiveness.
The next 5 years for both Arod and the Yankees will not be fun–more so for Arod, for it is he who needs the Yankees more and not vice versa. Arod is entitled to the money he signed on for, even if he cheated. That’s simply the bottom line. There’s no app to make him disappear no court case and this time it seems not even the Yankees check book. The summer(s) of the Yankees discontent has begun.
