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Sunday, February 15, 2004

ARod to the Yankees 

Alex Rodriguez heading to the Yankees for 2B stud hitter Alfonso Soriano is all but assured. Here's a list of 10 outcomes of this trade.

1) The Rangers are going to be paying $43 million of Rodriguez's salary over the remaining seven years: $3 million in 2004, $6 million each in 2005 and 2006, $7 million in 2007, $8 million in 2009 and $6 million in 2010. Wow!

2) Mariners bloggers will bemoan the trade as guaranteeing the M's finish in 4th place this year.

3) The Yankees have gotten ARod for a 7 year, $112 million contract. For this year, they've essentially added $11M to this year's payroll to upgrade from Soriano's (290/338/525) to ARod's (298/396/600). But they are still getting ARod for less than what they are paying Derek Jeter.

4) The Texas Rangers just unloaded their own Kazuhiro Sasaki contract and may very suddenly become players in the Greg Maddux sweepstakes.

5) If the Yankees move ARod to 3rd and keep the range-deficient Jeter at SS, it means that the Yankees management is making a big mistake and the Yankees infield defense will still suck despite owning a Gold Glove shortstop.

6) They've moved their gaping hole from 3rd base to 2nd base. Still no word as to how that will fill that hole. Miguel Cairo? Is Bret Boone available?

7) The Yankees will now have Jeter and ARod competing for the media spotlight of New York, or they may just pair up and be the next Doublemint Twins.

8) Red Sox just got one-upped again. I'm going to boldly predict that the AL West will provide the Wild Card this year, so either the Yankees or the Red Sox are gonna have a legion of upset fans, and I'm gonna have a big smile on my face.

9) Mariner fans will have renewed zeal for booing ARod when he show up in Yankee pinstripes.

10) Mariner bloggers will use this as a reason to post about why Bill Bavasi should be fired.

Great trade for the Rangers, while the Yankees one-up the Red Sox, so its good for them. The Yankees should be trying to get the best player at every position, as a payroll of $200 million is still less than what their own network gets for them. Unfortunately for them, they had to give up one of the top-hitting 2B to get the premiere shortstop in baseball. So, who's available at 2B.

For the Rangers, they turn ARod's $24+ M contract into a Jeff Cirillo type throwaway of $7M each year and get Alfonso Soriano and maybe (I haven't read this anywhere I'm just conjecturing that they can convince Greggie to come to the AL) Greg Maddux. Should make them more competitive.

But the big winner of this deal is ARod, who now has a realistic chance to play for the World Series every year AND improves his chances at winning additional MVP trophies on the way to the Hall of Fame. Congrats, ARod.


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