A-Rod is retiring this Friday

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Sampo Gida

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So basically all the Yankees did was release Arod, or announce plans to do so and pay him what they owe, which provides no LT relief in 2017. They do prevent him from reaching the 714 milestone in 2017 which saves them 6 million on bonus, although it was never a given he reaches that milestone.

The FO position, or coaching position, whatever you call it gets him to commit to the Yankees through 2017. Technically he could still resign and latch on to another team as a player if he desired, but given the good old boy network of MLB which black balled Bonds, thats probably not happening w/o the consent of the Yankees, and they know it, as does Arod most likely. This is the key thing for the Yankees, since they don't want to look foolish if Arod starts hitting like 2016 while they pay all but the league minimum.

By getting him out by Friday instead of at the end of the season, they avoid the risk he actually starts hitting again, not to mention dealing with all the questions about his lack of playing time. The free roster spot for 2016 does not seem all that important as you have September call ups and they have already waived the white flag. With the Scranton shuttle they could just go with 1 less RP'er in the pen to make room for a position player.

All Arod agreed to, since he could not control being released or not, was to agree to sign the FO deal that takes effect after being released. he probably knows that keeps him from playing until 2018 (although as mentioned before, not technically so). Seeing as he was being humiliated sitting on the bench while guys like Hicks got AB's, even when he was available to PH, and that nothing looked like it would change for the rest of his time with the Yankees, it was probably an easy call.

For the record, after coming off the DL for an oblique injury, he actually batted 275 (w/o power) from June 1-July 1. After that, he started losing playing time and this caused him to hit 108 from July 3-Aug 6. There was possibly some discussions going on around this time that served as a distraction as well

I don't see Arod playing another game after Friday for anyone else, even in 2018. Maybe he gets a ST invite from some team to see what he can do, but at his age limited to DH only, its hard to see him winning a roster spot.

So Hal basically wrote off a bad asset as so many companies do, no genius there since it was not producing and keeping him harmed the team. It was a sunk cost. His one smart move was getting Arod to sign that FO agreement in attempt to avoid making the Yankees foolish if by some chance he was not cooked. Thats more PR and brand management than anything. Smart move if it works, but it does not actually help make the team better.
 

jon abbey

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So basically all the Yankees did was release Arod, or announce plans to do so and pay him what they owe, which provides no LT relief in 2017. They do prevent him from reaching the 714 milestone in 2017 which saves them 6 million on bonus, although it was never a given he reaches that milestone.

The FO position, or coaching position, whatever you call it gets him to commit to the Yankees through 2017. Technically he could still resign and latch on to another team as a player if he desired, but given the good old boy network of MLB which black balled Bonds, thats probably not happening w/o the consent of the Yankees, and they know it, as does Arod most likely. This is the key thing for the Yankees, since they don't want to look foolish if Arod starts hitting like 2016 while they pay all but the league minimum.

By getting him out by Friday instead of at the end of the season, they avoid the risk he actually starts hitting again, not to mention dealing with all the questions about his lack of playing time. The free roster spot for 2016 does not seem all that important as you have September call ups and they have already waived the white flag. With the Scranton shuttle they could just go with 1 less RP'er in the pen to make room for a position player.

All Arod agreed to, since he could not control being released or not, was to agree to sign the FO deal that takes effect after being released. he probably knows that keeps him from playing until 2018 (although as mentioned before, not technically so). Seeing as he was being humiliated sitting on the bench while guys like Hicks got AB's, even when he was available to PH, and that nothing looked like it would change for the rest of his time with the Yankees, it was probably an easy call.

For the record, after coming off the DL for an oblique injury, he actually batted 275 (w/o power) from June 1-July 1. After that, he started losing playing time and this caused him to hit 108 from July 3-Aug 6. There was possibly some discussions going on around this time that served as a distraction as well

I don't see Arod playing another game after Friday for anyone else, even in 2018. Maybe he gets a ST invite from some team to see what he can do, but at his age limited to DH only, its hard to see him winning a roster spot.

So Hal basically wrote off a bad asset as so many companies do, no genius there since it was not producing and keeping him harmed the team. It was a sunk cost. His one smart move was getting Arod to sign that FO agreement in attempt to avoid making the Yankees foolish if by some chance he was not cooked. Thats more PR and brand management than anything. Smart move if it works, but it does not actually help make the team better.
A lot of words, but very little of this is right. Cashman said afterwards that A-Rod is basically free to do whatever he wants, play elsewhere, broadcast, whatever he wants. I think the advisory position is just if he wants to do that, and he can opt out at any point. As for "it does not actually help make the team better", addition by subtraction, Austin or Judge will now be on the roster and the other one close behind. That doesn't guarantee their success, but a roster spot is the first step.
 

jon abbey

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Here's a quote backing up my first point:

"Reality, or what passed for it during this late morning fantasia, is the Yankees could care less what Rodriguez does after he is officially released following his pinstriped finale Friday.

Cashman, who paid his respects to A-Rod during his portion of the gabfest, including praising him as a tremendous evaluator of baseball talent, said as much when asked if Rodriguez was free to join another team, or enter a new profession, immediately after he is released.

"He does have the ability to do that, or go into broadcasting," Cashman said. "…. He can do anything he wants.""

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/a-rod-retirement-plan-charade-article-1.2741929
 

terrynever

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A-Rod's mere presence on the roster as a DH who can't run, field or hit has left the team playing short handed for months and blocked a young prospect like Judge from coming up and getting major league at-bats in 2016. His lack of basic baseball skills tied Girardi's hands when he needed a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner or even a defensive replacement. On Saturday, the Yankees become a 25-man team again. They will be better because the bench is deeper and Judge or Austin, or both, will get a chance to further their development in a lost season, by Yankee standards.
 

jon abbey

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For the record, after coming off the DL for an oblique injury, he actually batted 275 (w/o power) from June 1-July 1. l
Even in this cherrypicked period, he had a .629 OPS. He had a .678 OPS after August 1 last year, a .609 OPS in 234 PAs this year, and his awful hitting out of the DH spot was a big reason why NY collapsed down the stretch last year and had such a lousy offense this year. You're not talking about a small sample size, 450 PAs since last August 1 with an OPS well under .700. That's just not acceptable for a guy who cannot play the field when there are guys like Austin, leading the IL in OPS at 1.054 (in a pitcher's league), waiting for a chance.
 

jon abbey

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A-Rod's mere presence on the roster as a DH who can't run, field or hit has left the team playing short handed for months and blocked a young prospect like Judge from coming up and getting major league at-bats in 2016. His lack of basic baseball skills tied Girardi's hands when he needed a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner or even a defensive replacement. On Saturday, the Yankees become a 25-man team again. They will be better because the bench is deeper and Judge or Austin, or both, will get a chance to further their development in a lost season, by Yankee standards.
Yes, exactly. This is written by someone who actually follows the Yankees day to day, unlike (obviously) my man Sempo.
 

Toe Nash

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Yeah I agree with jon abbey here. Seems absolutely defensible as a baseball move. Red Sox fans are just not used to a manager who tries to use all 25 players on the roster...

He was blocking Judge and now that they have traded off their tradeable pieces and aren't going for it this year, you take a long look at Judge and get him a head start on next year.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Traded to the Yankees before the 2004 season and opted out during Game 4 of the 2007 World Series *fuck you very much Mr. Rodriguez!*, and then re-signed as a free agent back with the Yankees. So technically yes, he was a free agent signing
Read the original post. "At least until he turned 28 and signed with the Yankees". So no, he technically was not a free agent signing. He was a trade acquisition. Five years later he was a free agent signing. But that's not what the landmark the poster said turned him against ARod.
 

reggiecleveland

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My favorite thing about Arod is how Yankee fans disavow Arod, but still include 2009 in the "count da ringz" completely ignoring how he put the team on his HGH infused back and carried them to the title.
 

darnedsox

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I don't know, FO should absolutely plan some kind of send off. Can't stand the creep, but I do pity him - just because the yankee FO is suspect in humiliating him, Sox should rub their noses in it some way.
 

BroodsSexton

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I don't know, FO should absolutely plan some kind of send off. Can't stand the creep, but I do pity him - just because the yankee FO is suspect in humiliating him, Sox should rub their noses in it some way.
Introduce him as, and give him a plaque that says:
"The Greatest Yankee of the 1996-2016 Era"
 

snowmanny

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No Yankee since Mickey Mantle put together multiple seasons as good as ARod's best, specifically his MVP years.
 

garlan5

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Introduce him as, and give him a plaque that says:
"The Greatest Yankee of the 1996-2016 Era"
They could show clips or slideshows of Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, and Babe Ruth before presenting it with "After a 20 year tainted career you Arod were so close, but you were the Greatest Yankee of the steroid era"
 

Jnai

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I distinctly remember A-Rod fake pantomiming a "running" motion after the Arroyo-slapping incident. Where is this in the video? I can't find it.
 

Jnai

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The entire game's on You Tube, it's easy enough to find. IIRC he made that motion whilst standing on second base in the midst of the umps huddling.
That's what I thought. I couldn't find it in the video, though. It might have been in a further replay, or maybe the one I saw was truncated.
 

soxhop411

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I cant believe I have to defend A-rod here, but Girardi is handling this A-rod thing extremely poorly, and looking like an ass in doing so. 1. The yankees are out of the playoffs, what bad can come from letting him have one more start in the field? 2. in Mariano's final season Girardi stated that he would try and let him get a few innings in the OF, which is a position he has never played. 3. If the yankees really wanted him gone, why are they giving him a FO/Coaching position where he can continue to be a "bad influence" on the younger players. 4. If this is how they were going to treat him, what the hell was the point of doing this farewell thing, They should have just cut him last week then do this farse
 

jon abbey

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There are no good answers with A-Rod, thankfully after tomorrow night there will be no more questions and we can all move on, except for whatever sad organization rolls the dice with him in Sept. or spring training.
 

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IF A-Rod could physically play in the field, the Yankees would have let him do it several weeks ago when he volunteered to practice before games for several days at first base. The results were not good and the experiment ended quietly. If he couldn't play first base, stands to reason he can't play third base either.

He did look comfortable at the plate last night against 98-mph heat. It would be pure A-Rod to go deep tonight and tomorrow night. Girardi could be criticized for cutting his ABs at DH but after a slump that lasted from last July thru this June, you can't blame the organization for turning the page and donating $27M to Alex's retirement fund.
 

jon abbey

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Yep, as one of the Yankee beat writers tweeted, I doubt CC would have been thrilled to have A-Rod attempting to play D behind him.
 

jon abbey

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Starting time tomorrow pushed back to 7:35 so they can honor this washed-up douche who's not even really retiring.
 

terrynever

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Yep, as one of the Yankee beat writers tweeted, I doubt CC would have been thrilled to have A-Rod attempting to play D behind him.
Has CC looked at his own defense in the video room? A-Rod hasn't fallen off the pitching rubber yet.

Yanks might give CC a similar early retirement next summer.

Republicans looking into giving Trump $27M to go away, too.
 

Murderer's Crow

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My favorite thing about Arod is how Yankee fans disavow Arod, but still include 2009 in the "count da ringz" completely ignoring how he put the team on his HGH infused back and carried them to the title.
I hate to start any sort of argument here but why does this kind of commentary consistently have so many legs? Do you still include 04 and 07 in your championship bragging right conversations? It's ridiculous to look at any team over the past 30 years and cherry pick which teams won from steroids and which did not. And most fans I know don't disavow Arod, 99% of the fans I know have been over it for a long time and actually think the team treats him unfairly. The guy has been on the Yankees for more than a decade and most fans are disengaged from old Arod drama.
 

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I kind of love how they're not bending over backwards to make His Centaurness happy, it's easy to forget what a giant dick he was in 2013. Less than 48 hours to go!!!
Crow this is why the argument has legs. You need to read more carefully, it is not just the presence of a juicer that has been confirmed as juicing during the championship run (unlike any 04, 07 Sox, I get yankee fans want to equate Oriz's "mention" to a series of failed tests, Clemens level coverup, etc) it is the hate Yankee fans have for the guy that carried them to the title.

I will type this slowly.
I expect as a Yankee fan you feel Ortiz is a juicer, but see the Sox fans love that he brought a title and was a big part of the greatest comeback/choke ever.

Yankee fans hate Arod despite the fact he carried them to the title.

Even simpler.
Yankee Fan:I fucking hate Arod! Hey you suck ma dick 2009!!!!!! muthafuckers!!!!!!!! Seriously 2009 makes up for the asswhipping we took in 04!!!! o4 doesn't hurt no mo! 2009!!!!! cocksukas!!!!! Also fuck Arod he never did nothing!!!!! We have totally forgot about 2004 even though it is the most singularly memorable single series in major professional sports!!!!! No 09 it is not a hollow obviously purchased title, in that Texeira, CC, Arod, have been shitty for around 200million wasted, 2009 fuckin rocked!!!!! An Arod sucks!


Sox Fan: Papi Papi! Papi! He won it for us. Schilling is a fucking twat, but game 6 was awesome! But seriously 04 is a gift that never stops giving.
 
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jon abbey

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2009 was an outlier, A-Rod has been a choker in clutch situations for most of his career (please don't make me argue this), whereas Ortiz couldn't have been more clutch throughout his entire Sox career.

I can't wait to lock this thread in 36 hours or so.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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I can't find this info anywhere: are the Yankees paying him the balance due on the remainder of his playing contract?

I can't imagine they've want to play him $50 million or so for not playing and just coaching, but at the same time I can't imagine ARod leaving such a sum on the table given that was the deal the team willingly although begrudgingly signed him to after the 2007 season.
 

jon abbey

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I can't find this info anywhere: are the Yankees paying him the balance due on the remainder of his playing contract?

I can't imagine they've want to play him $50 million or so for not playing and just coaching, but at the same time I can't imagine ARod leaving such a sum on the table given that was the deal the team willingly although begrudgingly signed him to after the 2007 season.
Yes, they're paying him the full amount. It's only ('only') around $27M, 1 1/3 seasons at $21M per.
 

jon abbey

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Also, the coaching thing is just a fallback in case no one wants to give him a shot to play. He's going home after tomorrow and won't be back with the team until spring training at the earliest.
 

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I blame 2004 on A-Rod. Totally his fault, as was the Iraq War. A-Rod told Cheney about the chemical weapons stockpile.
 

reggiecleveland

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Also analogies:

Black Guy: I love not being a slave, but fuck that William Lloyd Garrison guy!

Brexit no voter: Fuck the germans we don't want to be part of their system. Britain is proud and independent Also screw Winston Churchill.
2009 was an outlier, A-Rod has been a choker in clutch situations for most of his career (please don't make me argue this), whereas Ortiz couldn't have been more clutch throughout his entire Sox career.

I can't wait to lock this thread in 36 hours or so.
He was super clutch in 2009.
 

terrynever

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That was a big RBI for Alex, as Girardi pointed out afterwards. If not for his clutch 50-foot grounder, Sox might have tied game in ninth.
 

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Joe Girardi: "My job description does not entail farewell tours."
Jeter in 2014: Fifth-worst OPS among qualifiers, batted second in 141 of his 145 games"

Didn't see this in here, but these were a couple of tweets over the weekend from Marchand and Rosenthal. Couple that with the above reference about Girardi wanting to get Mariano a few innings in the outfield, and it makes the manager look like a hypocritical douche. I am no ARod fan or defender, and I understand he was never a "true" Yankee (TM), but this seems pretty petty on the part of NY
 

jon abbey

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People keep citing the Mariano thing but that would have been in game 162, and NY was already clinched out of it. This year they are still on the fringes of the race, and A-Rod has literally played three games in the field since 2013. Even he said he totally understood, he just had to ask.
 

terrynever

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A lot of people don't seem to understand that Girardi and his players still think they are in a playoff race. One bad defensive play at the wrong time can lose a game.
 

jon abbey

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Also if Girardi didn't manage like he still had a chance for the playoffs, he should be fired ASAP. That's his job.

A-Rod's quote on this:

“It was a fun request and I don’t have any problem with Joe saying no on that,” Rodriguez said of this week’s events. “I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. He’s probably saving me some embarrassment, so that’s not a bad thing.”
 

terrynever

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Alex always had a duality about him that unintentionally created distractions for the team. He managed to create one this week with his "fun" request to play third base in his farewell tour of two games. That mirthful request forced Girardi to deal with an issue not connected to beating Boston. So when Alex is gone, and replaced by a low maintenance newcomer, Girardi's job is less complicated.

Btw, Joe had a helluva series at Fenway, pressing the right buttons.
 

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Alex always had a duality about him that unintentionally created distractions for the team.
This is a good way to put it. I don't really hate ARod any more. We know he is far, far from being the only cheater in baseball. I'm just super weary of all the 'look at me' antics over the years.

Even though the team is barely competitive, all the improvement of the farm system and cleaning up dead weight on the roster is really promising and bodes well for the future. I also remain confident in the abilities of Girardi and Cashman.

You can never know, but it sure seems like better days are ahead.
 

jon abbey

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Check out @DSzymborski's Tweet:
Pretty idiotic honestly. He was indeed terrible in every way in his final season, but NY really didn't have a competent replacement for him. There's no question he should have been lower in the batting order, but Girardi never had the balls to do it (as I said here at least 50 times that season). But in Jeter's previous year, he made up for his crappy defense by leading all of MLB in hits, it was only in his last post-injury season that he became an overall handicap for the team.

By comparison, A-Rod can't hit anymore (4 for his last 43!!!) and he has played a grand total of 3 games in the field in the last 3 seasons (he was suspended one of those three). As Terry said above, when NY had no 1B because of all the injuries earlier this year, A-Rod tried it in practice and simply couldn't cut it.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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Crow this is why the argument has legs. You need to read more carefully, it is not just the presence of a juicer that has been confirmed as juicing during the championship run (unlike any 04, 07 Sox, I get yankee fans want to equate Oriz's "mention" to a series of failed tests, Clemens level coverup, etc) it is the hate Yankee fans have for the guy that carried them to the title.

I will type this slowly.
I expect as a Yankee fan you feel Ortiz is a juicer, but see the Sox fans love that he brought a title and was a big part of the greatest comeback/choke ever.

Yankee fans hate Arod despite the fact he carried them to the title.

Even simpler.
Yankee Fan:I fucking hate Arod! Hey you suck ma dick 2009!!!!!! muthafuckers!!!!!!!! Seriously 2009 makes up for the asswhipping we took in 04!!!! o4 doesn't hurt no mo! 2009!!!!! cocksukas!!!!! Also fuck Arod he never did nothing!!!!! We have totally forgot about 2004 even though it is the most singularly memorable single series in major professional sports!!!!! No 09 it is not a hollow obviously purchased title, in that Texeira, CC, Arod, have been shitty for around 200million wasted, 2009 fuckin rocked!!!!! An Arod sucks!


Sox Fan: Papi Papi! Papi! He won it for us. Schilling is a fucking twat, but game 6 was awesome! But seriously 04 is a gift that never stops giving.

It's not just about Ortiz, though. Manny Ramirez was suspended for PEDs and if you expect us to believe he was only using in 2009, well, that's ridiculous.
 

jon abbey

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OK, everyone cheated, blah blah blah. Let's keep this to A-Rod in his last remaining hours.
 
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