Alex Rodriguez isn't the most popular choice for a Yankees fan. Heck, who could blame them? A-Rod's career isn't as glorious as half the women that he publicly has dated over the years. When the Yankees signed A-Rod, they knew what they were bargaining for. Rodriguez publicly revealed that he used steroids during his years with the Texas Rangers, causing Yankees fans to become uncertain with their newest 3B addition. Rodriguez has done some good for the Yankees; he helped win the World Series for the Yankees in 2009 (though most of the World Series heroics came from Hideki Matsui) but some good came with a price for the Yankees. A-Rod has struggled in the postseason every year aside from 2009, he's been riddled with injuries and his antics on the field have caused uproars (going back to last postseason when A-Rod asked for a female fans phone number on a baseball). However, what could possibly come next for A-Rod overshadows the good and the upsetting things that he's done in the past.
In Spring Training, there were reports that Alex Rodriguez was tied to the Biogensis reports, reports that said high profile ball players received illegal substances from a Miami clinic. Other names were mentioned such as Robinson Cano (who I've been told is not going to be suspended since his spokeswoman was the one tied, not him), Francisco Cervelli (who is in danger of being suspended 50-games), Ryan Braun (who on a technicality had his ruling overturned after he was suspected of using steroids during the offseason), Melky Cabrera (who already faced a suspension last season), Nelson Cruz and so many others. MLB agreed to look into the reports, leaving fans to wonder what could happen to some of these players.
Yesterday, MLB announced that they were planning on suspending players such as A-Rod, Ryan Braun and about 20 other players that were tied to the Biogensis reports. Rodriguez and Braun would face 100-game suspensions since they had used illegal substances in the past. With 20+ names on the Biogensis reports, why does A-Rod's stick out like a sore thumb? Because of his 10-year contract with the New York Yankees that makes him one of the highest paid players in baseball.
If Rodriguez is proven guilty and MLB suspends him, this would be the ultimate all-time-low for A-R0d, tainting his career to the point of no return, and making him a disgrace to baseball. It's easy for us to automatically assume that A-Rod is guilty given his past, but A-Rod's fate could lie in the hands of the Biogensis reports and Major League Baseball.
I took to Twitter yesterday during the Yankees game, asking fans that if A-Rod was suspended if it would be the end to his career in Yankees pinstripes. Here's what some tweeters had to say:
@dfiregirl4 No. They owe him 130+ mil for the next 4 seasons. He isn't retiring. They are stuck with him.
— Drew (@getcarter_) June 5, 2013
@dfiregirl4 Nope, he is going to serve his 100 suspension and come back. — Mr. Antisocial (@BibiDaBoss) June 5, 2013
@dfiregirl4 I say yes.Right now, I wish ARod would just go away. He's way too much baggage.#Yankees — Felix, Zachary's Dad (@FelixZacharyDad) June 5, 2013
@dfiregirl4 I could only hope, but he is under contract...They wouldnt be able to dump him.
— dan (@highspeeddg) June 5, 2013
@dfiregirl4#Yankees I hope so .. this is embarrassing and I don't care if we eat his contract, he's always more bad news
— monica bhattacharjee (@monahawk217) June 5, 2013
A-Rod is a player that has too much baggage, but the Yankees can't easily get rid of him if he is guilty of using illegal substances once again. As some of the tweets mentioned, A-Rod is under contract and his contract is pretty ironclad to prevent him from losing everything if he decided on cheating again. The Yankees may be stuck with A-Rod's contract for the next four years, but Major League Baseball can decide if A-Rod's contract should be null and void. A-Rod's fate is no longer in the hands of the Yankees, but in the hands of Major League Baseball, meaning that his future and possibly his career is on the line.
Major League Baseball will release more information in the coming days, elaborating on which players will be suspended and which players are off the hook. Looking from the business standpoint and the fan standpoint, both teams are feeling the exact same way when they look at A-Rod; disappointment. They can only hope that A-Rod doesn't fall into a deeper hole.