I am a doctor, and an “irregularity” on any image, particularly if the image was of one part of the body and the “irregularity” was on another, is vague and fairly meaningless.

The only way to decide who needs to be held accountable for this, is to see the medical reports from the radiologist and the orthopedist. If either thought it was prudent last spring to image his hip or that it warranted further examination, that’s one thing. But as likely as anything else, a radiologist could have noted it because he saw something that was ill-defined, and everyone else dismissed it.

My disposition towards Cashman has become more and more sour with every passing year, but knowing how things like this happen, it is extremely difficult, without the details of the entire case, to hang him here.

“You explain to the player what his condition is, show him the MRI, have him counsult with experts, and educate him on the situation. And, then you persuade him to do the right thing for him AND the team, but having the situation addressed during the off-season, when the downtime would enable recovery, etc.”
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There was no “condition” in October. He played, without pain, through some “stiffness”. The MRI showed “irregularities” which a not very tiny percentages of all MRI for athletes do, especially after a long season.

Since he played reasonably well, and there was no specific ailment or condition that warranted doing anything significant, there was no reason to chase down a shadow of a doubt, and every reason to think that with the winter to rest, the stiffness would resolve itself.

A-Rod insists there was no pain. In this situation, the GM can make one of two assumptions.

1) The player is lying. (Admittedly, the NOW looks like a much more likely scenario than it would’ve back in October.) In this event, there is nothing Cashman can say or do, as he has nothing specific to point to except irregularities.

2) The player is telling the truth. In this case, it is far more likely that it is seasonal wear and tear, and again, nothing the GM can or should do about it.

A GM can’t force a player to chase down every minor ailment. The idea that Long noticing A-Rod’s swing had changed is also not that significant, because that probably happens to a number of players every year as they adjust their playing styles to minor aches and pains; aches and pains that heal themselves in the offseason.

In the absence of solid medical evidence of a real problem, or the player complaining of more significant symptoms, or the player telling anyone in management or in the team’s medical department that he was unable to play, there is no real reason for anyone to do anything.

(I have read in several places that a large percentage of MRI show “irregularities”; without being able to specifically diagnose a problem, there’s simply nothing sensible to do.)

In the event, the Yanks are saying that several specialists have told them they think A-Rod can get through the season as he is, after rest and rehab.

I doubt it, but then, I’m not a doctor. We’ll see.

It would require a trade, but I’m wondering how much it would take to get him
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Given that he’s blocked by Casey Blake, probably not much. Dodgers need pitching.

Jon Heyman’s latest column goes through a list of potential low-cost replacements for A-Rod. One name that I found intriguing was Blake Dewitt from the Dodgers. It would require a trade, but I’m wondering how much it would take to get him. Anyone else have any feelings on Dewitt?

**The condition was so minor, Cashman said, that Rodriguez did not seek treatment from team trainers last season.**

Anyway, point is, if Rodriguez says he can go, if the doctors say he can go, then what’s the problem?

If anything, take issue with the team doctors

Bottom line, if there’s something going on with one of his “assets,” it’s Cashman’s job to make sure he’s in the loop and keeps his finger on the pulse – alebit minor or not – that’s his job.
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BC: Hey Alex, Cash here, where are you?
AR: In the gym
BC: How’s the hip?
AR: Fine, squatting 500 now
BC: Ok, let us know if something’s up.

I believe A-Rod’s WARP was at a 7.1 in 2008, which was still considered a down year for his standards. Sample sizes apart, the Yanks saw something they liked in Ransom and are deciding (at this point) to give him a shot.

Also, I don’t think Ray Durham has played a game at 3b in his professional career. Grudzy has only played about 30 of them. They are in their late 30′s and in decline, maybe now isn’t the time to throw them at the hot corner.

Listen, I see your point. However, if there was something that Ray Durham, Grudzy, or any of those guys you listed could do better than Ransom, they would have been signed. The Yanks aren’t poor, if they saw a substantial difference in talent they would have dumped Ransom for one of these guys, but they haven’t. That says something.

Yes, it does. Every win counts with the competition in the division. If losing Alex for Ransom costs you 4 wins, but losing him for Durham costs you three, isnt the couple a million bucks you pay for them worth it? And yes, Ransom is younger, but there is little evidence that he is better. He’s 32, not 25, he’s not likely to be better than what he has been, a 4A player.

I don’t think he’s that good, I made sure to say multiple times it’s a very small sample size so don’t expect that kind of contribution. Even if for some reason Grudz or Durham perform better than Ransom, which they very well can, it brings us back to our original point…how would they even be a viable option for filling in for A-Rod?

They aren’t, and nobody available can be. Grudz and Durham are so deep into decline that you’re better off giving the job to a younger, better athlete in Ransom. A-Rod’s value is so high that nobody reasonably available can replace him, unless you want to trade away some high prospects for a guy that’s only going to replace A-Rod for a half season. Does that seem worth it?