Thursday, October 15, 2015

What If Alex Rodriguez Retires This Winter?


I hate to even bring up things like this because I have a tendency of being right for whatever reason but what would the New York Yankees do if Alex Rodriguez retired this winter rather than returning to the club in 2016? The last time I made one of these “worst case scenario” posts I wondered what the Yankees would do if Robinson Cano walked via free agency and most of the Core Four retired, and they did, so what if lighting strikes twice? Will it be a blessing in disguise for the Yankees or will it be the straw that already broke the camel’s back in 2016?

First and foremost the man jumping up and down the most, well besides former Commissioner of Major League Baseball Bud Selig, if Alex announced his retirement would be Greg Bird. Bird seems like the odd man out in the Bronx right now assuming Mark Teixeira comes back fully and healthy after fracturing a bone in his shin earlier this season. The man jumping up the second highest, but not too high I hope, is Carlos Beltran who could be penciled into the full-time DH position allowing the Yankees the roster flexibility to sign a Justin Upton or another right-handed outfield option. Seeing Alex retire, as much as it would bother me as a fan, may be the best thing to happen to the team as long as Hal Steinbrenner is willing to reinvest that money he is owed.

Speaking of the money owed to Rodriguez for the 2016 and 2017 season, and someone correct me if I’m wrong, the Yankees DH and former third baseman would still be entitled to that money whether he steps foot on the baseball diamond or not. The Yankees have insurance on the contract so they may be able to recoup around 80% of that, I’m honestly not sure how that works exactly, but at minimum the team is eating 20% of a huge amount of money. Hal, using the bottom line as a mindset, would not be able to reinvest that money per se as it would still be on the books for two more seasons.

If Alex were to retire in the winter of 2015 Alex would be able to do it in true Alex fashion, at least prior to 2015. Alex would shock the baseball world, Alex would leave the fans with yet another reason to hate him and he would leave behind a trillion questions and a media circus. It’s unlikely that Alex retires, he has stated in years past that he wants to pass Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds on the all-time home run list, but if he did he would definitely change the whole face of the winter before 2016 and the 2016 New York Yankees.


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