What This Means for A-Rod and the New York Yankees

What a year 2013 was, and 2014 is off to an… ok start. So far it’s been filled with free agency watch, Hall of Fame announcements, but today marks one of the biggest days in baseball history, as well as an end to an era.

Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for the entire 2014 season, including the playoffs. This makes A-Rod have the largest non-life suspension in MLB history.

You might think the 162-game suspension is a little harsh, but the suspension is actually a cut from before. The three-time AL MVP was given a 211-game penalty by Commissioner Bud Selig on August 5^th, occurring right after the MLB investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic, which was accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez still has $61 million left on his contract, but he’ll be 39 when he has a chance to return. Each game A-Rod is suspended is worth about $154,000.

A-Rod is still planning on suing Bud Selig and the MLB, but it’ll be very tough for him to win this case.

I’m not going to argue on whether the suspension is too harsh or too lenient or just right. The suspension has happened and there is nothing we can do about it. But a year suspension is something to talk about.

What does this mean for the New York Yankees? Well they save $25 million for a player that played just 44 games in 2013, and 265 games over the past three years. During that time, A-Rod batted .269/.356/.441 with 41 homers and 138 RBI’s. Fine numbers, but when you’re paying $25 million a year, it’s not worth it.

This does put a huge hole in the Yankees lineup, though. The Yankees were one of the worst teams in the 3B position last year, and with A-Rod gone, it remains as a tough spot for them to fill. They have Kelly Johnson, Dean Anna, and Eduardo Nunez on the roster who could play third, but all three of them do not have 3B as their dominant position. Anna has never played in the Major Leagues, either.

What they could do is sign veterans Mark Reynolds or Michael Young to a one-year deal. Reynolds played 36 games with the Yankees in 2013.

Also remember that they also lost Robinson Cano this year, so now their two former power hitters are gone.

But for the future, I think this will benefit New York in the long run. Look at the Boston Red Sox. After trading three of their highest paid players that were playing poorly in 2012 (Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford), they were able to save up salary space to acquire guys like Koji Uehara, Mike Napoli, and Shane Victorino, and end up winning the world series.

 

That $86 million that’s still on A-Rod’s contract could go a long way if they spread out the wealth and don’t put all their eggs in one basket. This being said, I think that A-Rod will retire sometime in the next two years because of this suspension. He will be 40 soon, and does not have the MVP talent that he once had before.

Yankee fans, I know that it is always the goal to win the title. After all, it is the Yankees. But this suspension brings up a lot of money deals that can get the Yankees back into winning mode. There’s no more Rodriguez or Mariano Rivera, but there is still money for the future.

Now about the Hall of Fame. It’s almost obvious that A-Rod won’t be in Cooperstown anytime, but with the PED era almost over, it’s a good time to talk about it. For this year’s Hall of Fame voting, one voter from Los Angeles said that he refused to vote for anyone in the steroid era. That meant that he refused to vote for the three that were elected this year, and rightfully so, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas.

That’s ridiculous. How can you do that to players who didn’t take steroids and were unbelievable? Maddux is one of the greatest pitchers ever, and Frank Thomas was on track to be one of the greatest hitters to ever play. When you look at Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and others that did use steroids, they obviously do not deserve to get it. But the others should.

Why do I mention this? Because believe it or not, Bonds, Clemens, and (our story for today) Alex Rodriguez had their chance to be in Cooperstown.

Before Bonds’ alleged PED use (arguably in 2000), Bonds had three MVP’s, was on track to finish top-5 all time in steals, and still probably finish with 500 home runs. Clemens had four ERA-titles, two Cy Young Awards, and an MVP title before even going to Toronto.

And for Alex Rodriguez, if he remained a Seattle Mariner and not take PED’s, he too would most likely be in Cooperstown. A-Rod batted .309/.374/.561 with 189 home runs in seven years with Seattle, and two of those years he played less than 50 games (his first two years at age 18 and 19).

One of A-Rod’s former teammates, Ken Griffey Jr., will be on the Hall-of-Fame ballot in two years, and will most likely be in on the first ballot.

It’s just something to notice about PED users. A lot of them would probably be in Cooperstown if they did not use PED’s at all because of their great young performances. And with Alex Rodriguez and the Hall of Fame, it’s a good time to discuss.

A-Rod being suspended is crushing for the Yankees historically. But you can’t erase the past, only create the future. That’s what New York should focus on.

By the way, if you’re viewing my blog for the first time, make sure you check out my posts from 2013 here. Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com with any questions/comments/concerns.

-Evan Boyd