The Alex Rodriguez Milestone HR Nugget We Missed

The nugget, a term that Robert Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue taught me, is a little bit of information that is thrown into an article that is sometimes missed or purposely overlooked. On Monday we reported that the New York Yankees were looking to void the home run milestone bonuses associated in a marketing contract that Alex Rodriguez signed with the team in 2007. While writing the article, in between eye rolls anyway, I thought of the circus that Rodriguez was going to bring the team over this but when I jumped on the USA Today this morning I feel like my sarcastic eye rolls may have been directed in the wrong direction. The way the USA Today is wording it and reporting it the team may flat out refuse to pay the money to Rodriguez whether an agreement or termination of the contract comes first.

A team flat out refusing to pay a player the terms of their contract, player contract or marketing contract, would probably not be allowed by the league and the MLB Players Association. Rodriguez’s contract states that each $6 million payment is due within 15 days after the home run milestone in exchange for rights such as Rodriguez’s name and image in licensed goods. The team is arguing that nobody will be lining up to pay for these goods and merchandise, and they are right, and may flat out refuse to pay and break the contract.

This is going to get ugly and this will head to an arbitrator after a grievance is filed. Yay, another summer of the Bronx is Burning Part III.