After his acquisition in 2004, Alex Rodriguez made a smooth transition from shortstop to full time third baseman for the New York Yankees. Perhaps no one should have been surprised given his natural talents on the field, work ethic, and his desire to succeed. Fluid, brilliant, capable – all were words used to describe his ability to handle the hot corner.
However, lumbering, tentative, and liability may soon become the norm if A-Rod continues to be the Bombers everyday third baseman. With the future of Jorge Posada in question, is now the time for the Yankees to bestow full-time DH duties to Rodriguez?
The Yankees need to weigh the following two factors:
The organization has a tremendous amount of money invested in their current deal with Rodriquez. Signed through 2017, the Yankees are committed to him long-term. The 14-time all-star will earn $30 million in 2012 and well over $100 million in the subsequent five years of his deal.
This is hardly chump change even to the New York Yankees. But certainly 16 HRs and 62 RBI (even though he only had 428 ABs in 2011) or $2 million earned per home run was not what the organization envisioned when he was resigned to a 10-year deal in 2008.
The other consideration is A-rod’s health. A cranky hip and other assorted injuries lead a total of just 99 games played in 2011. This was his lowest tally since the 1995 campaign with Seattle. It continues a disturbing trend, given he hasn’t played in more than 138 games between 2008 and this past year. At age 36, he is too young for such a staggering decline.
He may not come cheap, however, 33-year old, free agent Arias Ramirez appears to be the perfect fit at third base for the Yankees. While he has battled a history of injuries himself, Ramirez belted 26 HRs and drove in 93 runs in 149 games for the floundering 2011 Chicago Cubs. He carries a lifetime .284 BA with 315 career HRs but is average defensively. Nonetheless, his glove could still represent a significant upgrade over a broken-down Alex Rodriguez.
Competition for Ramirez will be tough as the Phillies are expected to make a substantial bid for his services.
Regardless, the Yankees need to protect the massive investment known as A-Rod. Choosing not to protect Rodriguez would be irresponsible – both financially and to the long term success of the Yankees.
References: Baseball-reference.com
Yahoo Sports
MLB Trade Rumors.com