Alex Rodriguez has a choice at the end of this season, stay in New York, or leave fast enough so that the door doesn't hit his back side on the way out. Either way he is not getting any extra money from the Yankees.
"Alex has a significant contract. The most significant in baseball history," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. "He has a decision to make. It's in his contract. It's a right he's earned."
I suppose he has earned that right to some extent. He did win an MVP, and for all of the frustration with him he is far from wasting as much time and money as Carl Pavano. But the guy just can not preform in clutch situations, and he is no doubt the most over paid and over rated player in all of MLB. I think Yankees GM Brian Cashman agrees with me, even though he could never really say that publicly.
"He's under contract; he can opt out of it if he wants," Cashman said in a telephone interview with The New York Times on Wednesday. "That's really his decision. It has nothing to do with us. There's nothing we can do about it. It's something he negotiated. If it becomes a distraction, it's because it's part of his deal. He controls that and no one else."
It's nice to see Cashman preemptively thwart any public whining for a raise on the part of Rodriguez. It shows that the Yankees have learned from their mistakes and are no longer going to throw money at players who look good on paper but weep when faced with a game winning situation. Of course this new attitude wouldn't be possible if the big boss wasn't getting too old to interfere with the day to day.
Frankly, short of a miraculous turn around I can't see A-Rod staying in New York after this season. I may be contradicting my previous post on the subject, but it is going to take more than a ring for fans to embrace A-Rod. It's going to take consistent performance, a better attitude, and a constant (and honest) show of support and respect for his teammates. So far spring training has been good for A-Rod, but it's a long season.
Side Note:
(Andy Pettitte has back spasms and may miss his next scheduled start. This should be a big cause of concern for us all. I'll monitor the situation and report on it in a post to come in the near future)
"Alex has a significant contract. The most significant in baseball history," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. "He has a decision to make. It's in his contract. It's a right he's earned."
I suppose he has earned that right to some extent. He did win an MVP, and for all of the frustration with him he is far from wasting as much time and money as Carl Pavano. But the guy just can not preform in clutch situations, and he is no doubt the most over paid and over rated player in all of MLB. I think Yankees GM Brian Cashman agrees with me, even though he could never really say that publicly.
"He's under contract; he can opt out of it if he wants," Cashman said in a telephone interview with The New York Times on Wednesday. "That's really his decision. It has nothing to do with us. There's nothing we can do about it. It's something he negotiated. If it becomes a distraction, it's because it's part of his deal. He controls that and no one else."
It's nice to see Cashman preemptively thwart any public whining for a raise on the part of Rodriguez. It shows that the Yankees have learned from their mistakes and are no longer going to throw money at players who look good on paper but weep when faced with a game winning situation. Of course this new attitude wouldn't be possible if the big boss wasn't getting too old to interfere with the day to day.
Frankly, short of a miraculous turn around I can't see A-Rod staying in New York after this season. I may be contradicting my previous post on the subject, but it is going to take more than a ring for fans to embrace A-Rod. It's going to take consistent performance, a better attitude, and a constant (and honest) show of support and respect for his teammates. So far spring training has been good for A-Rod, but it's a long season.
Side Note:
(Andy Pettitte has back spasms and may miss his next scheduled start. This should be a big cause of concern for us all. I'll monitor the situation and report on it in a post to come in the near future)
