The New York Yankees are stuck paying oft-injured third baseman, Alex Rodriguez a huge truck load of money this coming season (around $22 million), so no matter how annoyed they may be with him, hearing at least the attitude of a determined player, coming from him has to feel slightly better than not.
According to Newsday‘s Steven Marcus, sources connected to A-Rod are boasting Rodriguez’s newfound fire for the game, and proclaiming that even though the Yankees signed Chase Headley to a four-year, $52-million contract to play the same position; Headley will actually be the one chasing the starting position from him.
Here’s more of what the “source” had to say:
“Alex’s mind is that job’s not Headley’s, it’s Alex’s to lose,” the source said. “That’s what he thinks. Alex is going into training camp thinking that he is the starting third baseman, that if there’s a competition, Headley’s got to win it from him. It doesn’t matter about the money, what they signed Headley for. This guy [Rodriguez] can play.” The source [also] said Rodriguez has been working out seven days a week in Florida. “He’s hitting every day, running every day, training really hard,” he said. “He’s been training hard for months. The guy’s cut, ripped. The fact that people think he’s overweight — we all wish we could be that overweight.”
Rodriguez will turn 40 in July, and the Yankees must tolerate (and pay) him for three more LONG seasons, owing him a whopping $61 million. It will be interesting to see if steroid-less, 40 year old A-Rod (just coming off a serious hip operation) will be able to back up the words of whoever is playing his hype man. I’d be willing to bet on Headley to start, but maybe that’s just me.
