Davidoff:Yanks & Fans Horrified With 9 More Years Of A-Rod
Posted by Steve Lombardi on November 13th, 2008 · Comments (21)
Via Ken Davidoff -
And while I’ll assert that the Yankees have far greater problems than Alex Rodriguez, the fact that A-Rod has nine years left in pinstripes seems to horrify, rather than excite, the Yankees and their fans.
Me? Well, a year ago – almost to the day – I was already wondering how ugly A-Rod’s contract would look six years from now.
How about you? As a Yankees fan, are you horrified that Alex will be in Yankeeland for the next nine years?
As a Yankees fan, are you horrified that Alex will be in Yankeeland for the next nine years?
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Not at all. Especially in the context of the players I’ve seen in pinstripes over the years.
BTW, as for the alliteration angle, I would’ve gone with “ho’s”
Says who Ken? I’ve always thought having one of the best players in baseball on your team was a good thing.
Says who Ken? I’ve always thought having one of the best players in baseball on your team was a good thing.
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It won’t be when he’s making 25 mil a year in his 40’s.
Unless A-Rod puts up something like a .700 OPS in the last year of his deal, it’s hard to see how a guy making $20 million will actually be a strain on the team…especially considering how many $20 million players there will likely be in 9 years.
A-Rod haters are interesting. They will be absolutely esctatic if A-Rod declines to a point where he is a strain on the team, because, they will have been right! However, if he doesn’t, they’ll be perfectly happy with the Yankees’ success.
I need to know how Ken Davidoff knows and speaks for all Yankees fans. When he breaks the home run record and becomes know as the best player in baseball and will most likely have finally gotten th playoff monkey off his back, what will all of A-Rod haters find to complain about.
Oh wait, I know, he wears his socks too high.
Just pathetic, truly pathetic
You know what I’m horrified about? If moronic Yankee fans actually got their way and A-Rod was off the team. Think of where the Yankees would be the past 5 years, and looking to the near future, without A-Rod. I shudder to think.
AndrewYF, I completely and totally agree
This is assuming A-Rod is a Yankee in 9 years.
Take a look at his contract payouts, its pretty heavily front loaded, at the end of his contract he makes much less then the begining.
I think that was done to make him more tradable down the road.
sonnymooks, realize that A-Rod’s contract is front loaded because his production is by the end of the contract, A-Rod will not be producing at his current rate, that is correct. However, I have a few things to think about:
1 – No team is going to be stupid enough to take a player in his late 30’s to early 40’s and pay him about 20 million.
2 – The Yankees will not even think about trading the eventual all time home run leader.
It won’t be when he’s making 25 mil a year in his 40’s.
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Well he won’t be, unless you count the bonus money he receives for passing historic hr milestones. And while that’s still a ton of money for a 40-year old player, I’m going to bet on A-Rod retaining enough of his offensive skills that the salary, compared to what players are making in 7-8 years, won’t be horrible. Of course, I like A-Rod and appreciate his contributions to the team the past 5 years, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, based on his career performance.
Having A-Rod excites me. Despite his much-publicized struggles with hitting in the clutch (which may or may not be valid), i still make sure to never miss an A-Rod at bat. His skills are extremely fun to watch. I’m happy we have A-Rod…you just hope he ages well and can be somewhat productive into age 42.
I’m with YankCrank. When he was opting out in ‘07 and we were looking at a future with Joe Crede at third, I was not happy. Personally, I’ll take A-Rod and his “gaudy stats” any day.
Says who Ken? I’ve always thought having one of the best players in baseball on your team was a good thing.
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Couldn’t agree more. I don’t really get why the writers hate him too.
You know what I’m horrified about? If moronic Yankee fans actually got their way and A-Rod was off the team. Think of where the Yankees would be the past 5 years, and looking to the near future, without A-Rod. I shudder to think.
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Nobody said they don’t want A-Rod on the team here. I just don’t want him past age 38 or 39 at $20 million or more a season…that’s most likely 3-4 seasons of a not so great A-Rod.
Also, other than Bonds and possibly Manny(which has yet to be seen and probably won’t happen either) what slugger have you seen that hit 25-30 HRs a year(or has been productive in general) from age 38-42?
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he makes it to age 39 and still plays good, but that’s still 3 seasons of not so great A-Rod after that. 7 year contract maybe 8 I would have been fine with.
1 – No team is going to be stupid enough to take a player in his late 30’s to early 40’s and pay him about 20 million.
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So why did we sign him for 10 years then? That means the Yankees are stupid, no?
List of players with more than 100 HRS from age 38 on:
1 Barry Bonds Age 38-42 149 HR/1.192 OPS
2 Darrell Evans Age 38-42 136 HR/ .801 OPS
3 Hank Aaron Age 38-42 116 HR/ .837 OPS
4 Carlton Fisk Age 38-45 109 HR/ .751 OPS
5 Dave Winfield Age 38-43 108 HR/ .790 OPS
6 Ted Williams Age 38-41 103 HR/1.070 OPS
You can probably throw out Bonds and Ted Williams because Bonds was on roids and A-Rod isn’t as good of a hitter as Ted Williams. Throw out Fisk because he played 7 seasons after age 38 or else he wouldn’t be on the list. A-Rod is better than Darrell Evans, so throw him out too.
That leaves me with the most likely comparisons, which are Hank Aaron and Dave Winfield. Since Aaron was better we’ll go with his 116 HR and .837 OPS. Thats pretty much a 20-25 HR/60-70 RBI/.260-.270 average you can expect from ARod over his last 5 years. Also, most of these guys better stats came at age 38 and 39 after that it falls off a cliff in most cases.
Nope, still not horrified.
Sorry.
guess I’m in the minority here…..
Yes, I am horrified by the prospect of another 9 years of ARod. No, I don’t hate him or wish him any ill will. But the contract is too much of a commitment to a player who routinely gets booed in his home stadium and doesn’t exactly shine in pressure situations. The Yankees managed just fine prior to aquiring “the best player in baseball” and would, I suspect, manage OK if he were traded. His numbers are great, there is no dispute, but there’s more to Alex than just numbers. He reminds me a bit of D Winfield who was labeled as “Mr May” by his very owner and only managed to shed his “un-clutch” reputation with a dribbling double down the left field line while playing for the Blue Jays…late in his career. The numbers will always be there for Alex. But how about playoff or WS heroics? Or even contributions? Will he ever even PLAY in a WS?
The faults of the team cannot be laid upon the shoulders of ARod; that would be simplistic and unfair. But he doesn’t seem to fit in, wherever he goes, and 9 more years in NY might not be the best thing for him or the team.
As a Yankees fan, are you horrified that Alex will be in Yankeeland for the next nine years?
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Yup. 9 more yr’s of not hitting when it counts and paying the Drama Queen $30 mill a yr does not thrill me at all.
Yes…having a 40 HR Right handed bat is truly scary.
The only thing more scary than that is waking up to Marisa Miller every morning. AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!