yes, i actually would. so your argument is that the line-up is so good, the team can afford to lose the best player in baseball in favor of inferior talent? that's what you'd do? wait - i thought it was to win???????? that sucky team won 89 games the year after he left and have posted a 248-238 record overall since he left. but they probably didn't need the best player in baseball - he is, after all, according to some here, superfluous. let's make a very clear distinction, he's not "leaving" as if he's coming and going on his own accord - he's been/being traded. two teams over a four-year span have soured on having the best player in baseball on their roster. yeah, great point. the yankees generally have trouble holding onto high-priced talent. especially when another team is paying half the contract. again, it's not like he's signed a series of one-year contracts. he's the best player in baseball, and no one seems to want him. there may be no connection; there may be nothing to it. but those of us who witnessed the arod era in dallas know - there's just something off about the guy..... he was an MVP in his prime and the team could wait to trade him... that just doesn't happen... well, excpet, i guess, every 80 years. i don't believe in intangibles, per se. produce on the field, and the rest takes care of itself. but i just find it... curious that two teams in four years have grown tired of whatever it is he is or isn't doing. except... he wasn't in new york when he was in arlington; on the baseball scale of things, he was as far removed from it as humanly possible. and yet, the same whispers, same concerns, and it looks like the same results reared their ugly head there. so it's not a case of "ew york" getting to him.
no, his contract ended after two seasons in which he posted a combined 3.82 era and 1.39 whip after five seasons of 2.77/1.13. a) those aren't stellar seasons; b) the red sox were d-e-a-d wrong. he forced the toronto deal to new york, invoking some loophole trade situation he had in his contract that still makes no sense. regardless, clemens forced the deal; the blue jays' hands were tied. ok; fine. the rangers are inept. we'll chalk them trading the best player in baseball and reigning mvp to that. so what's the yankees' excuse?
I would say that media attention would be first and foremost. He's a distraction because of the media and fans. I'll be interested to hear if there's any talk from Yankee players regarding his clubhouse manner if he's moved in the offseason.
What are those whispers? what are those concerns? What are those "same results rearing their ugly head"? Its like you're speaking in freaking code-language here. The ONLY analysis I've made is that his numbers speak for themselves, and if you plug his numbers on the Astros (playing 3B or SS), and in MMP, and in weak NL, it HELPS this team immensely (a team that has only ONE above average hitter in its everyday lineup). We've spent the whole day talking about what is "inherently" wrong with A-rod, but at the end of the day, NOTHING substantial has been said except "hmm... you have to wonder about a guy who keeps on having to change teams." And that point is continuing to be brought up while the ones which actually look at how the teams he was on were constructed, along with their dumb decisions/"skewed" ideology are ignored. I would expect that sort of flawed logic/reasoning from Richard Justice... but not from a guy with your knowledge.
Excuse the rest of us for not wanting the Astros to add a very productive player because you think that there is, "something off about the guy".
Then you'd get killed in L-D debate. No, my argument is (to repeat myself again): you're making a bigger deal of this than it is. Way to take the argument in circles. You said, "he'd fix a lot of what ails the astros... wouldn't he also fix what ailed/ails the rangers and/or yankees?" That statement plainly implies that the needs of both clubs are the same (unless A-Rod is a pitcher, too), and I called you on it. Clubs deal from positions of strength. If you don't like that maxim, you can take it up with Gerry Hunsicker, Tim Purpura, and countless other professionals who have said the same thing. As far as the words you tried to put in my mouth, sorry. Your argument is getting weaker and weaker, and you're resorting to an increasing number of logical fallacies to prop it up.
The Yankees are becoming a joke... a freaking joke... a freaking cartoon caricatrure of its past "glory" joke. Yes... they can win 100 games every year for the money they spend. That is inevitable... its why they play 162 games... its why baseball is so wonderful in that players always get to their "career average" somehow/someway over the course of an entire season. But, to expect all of that success to translate over a breif 5 game series, when you could be facing 3 pitchers who are capable of shutting down ANYBODY on any given night... is really stupid. The Yankees brought all of this on themselves... they aren't victims of A-Rod's fragile ego, Randy Johnson's bad back, Carl Pavano's non-existance, the Astros stealing of Andy Pettite/Roger Clemens... they're the victims of creating expectations simply based on a large payroll which only guarantees them success over a LARGE sample size. Now, if they were actually spending all the money they do on the lineup all on pitching... from top to bottom... on guys who are actually in their prime (or can hold up an entire season)... their fate may have been different.
i think it has more to do with a team like Texas and/or NY saying..."ok, we need a change...lets take a shot. what on our roster would bring us the most?" owners/gms will always look at their highest paid players when they are looking for a reason why they arent winning...as if the player(s) in question are never doing *enuf*. A Rod is a likable player and not a cancer in the clubhouse so to speak...so it makes him an even more desirable piece of trade bait fact is, other than Texas, Seattle and the Yanks (if he ends up getting traded) can/did look at the situation on the whole and say that losing him wont/didnt change their level of production....and if they can/were able to bring in young talent, it makes sense.
good post Nick funny thing is that if the Yankees had Roger and Andy this season instead of A Rod and Sheff, they would probably still be playing....amazing that the yanks havent learned that pitching wins championships
I think they know that... they always try to add the top FA starting pitcher every year they can. Its just that pitchers always tend to get hurt more than hitters... in hindsight, they spend a ton of money everywhere, but they don't have enough luck with pitching to win these short series every year: 1.) Pavano barely ever pitches for them 2.) Randy Johnson is no longer effective/hurt 3.) Mussina is still great, but aging 4.) Wang is home-grown... a bargain for them 5.) Wasted many years and lots of $$$ on the aging/injured Kevin Brown 6.) Are then forced to put valuable playoff series games in the hands of Jared Wright, Jon Lieber, Shawn Chacon, Al Leiter?!?, etc. And, that's not even touching some of their bullpen acquisitions. We'll see what happens this off-season... something tells me that the main moves they're going to make are 1.) sign zito, 2.) sign Jason Schmidt 3.) trade $$$ for Dontrelle Willis. Then, we can see if this theory hold true... those would be 3 pitchers in their primes, to go along with Wang and Mussina.
there has been; tom verducci did a story about it for SI: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/09/19/arod0925/index.html nick, read said article in response to your, "What are those whispers? what are those concerns?" query. as for "same results" - teams trading him despite overwhelming results on the field of play that they shouldn't. he's the best player in baseball. and he's been traded twice. in four years. while winning two mvps. take a step back and examine that sequence... and then tell me it doesn't at least raise a small red flag. you can dismiss the organizations all you want. the common running theme, however, is alex rodriguez. fair enough. again, if you didn't live in seattle or dallas or don't live in new york, it's difficult to explain. he's obviously been productive on the field. but guys like that don't often get traded. twice. in four years. blah, blah, blah. you're right; it's nothing substantial. it's nothing quantifiable. it may be NOTHING at all beyond mere coincidence. but i don't think it is. just MO.
If this was any other sport... where TEAM play really dictated success/failure, or where cohesiveness/chemistry was more important than individual stats... I wouldn't touch A-rod (just as the cowboys shouldn't have touched TO and how teams should be weary of Ron Artest). But, baseball is different. Baseball is the only sport where a guy would get away with not having to travel with the team just because he's not pitching that series. The Yankees have mis-matched enough "big egos" over the last 5-6 years, and it still doesn't stop them from winning 100 games a year. I'm asking for the Astros to attempt to add ONE reportedly troubled, but talented, player to a group that is perceived as a bunch of "good guys." (at least that's what we think, thanks to the non-invasive Houston media... and great PR by the Astros. The truth may be Oswalt is an ass, Berkman is a racist, Luke Scott scares babies... but we'll never hear about it here). As I said before... I don't care if the whole world is mad at A-rod, and his own teammates are coming up with new ways to insult him... if he's still putting up those types of numbers, he makes this team better.
I agree that we should try to get ARod; but personality wise, don't even mention him in the same sentence as TO or Artest. An all star SS deferred to Jeter & played 3d base. ARod is a team player.
If not A-Rod, Tejada would fit in flawlessly in our line up. Solid defender as is Everett, but now let's add on his .330 average with 100rbi's.
I don't know if I'd call Tejada's 65 errors over the past 3 years "solid". He is certainly an offensive force, but is not even in the same ballpark as Everett defensively.
No one is in the same ball park defensively at short stop as Everett. He is the best defender bar none. I sure wouldn't mind Tejada's bat in the line up though. A-Rod would be the best move in your opinion?
How about we just take A-Rod, and put him back at short. That way our second weakest hitting position will turn into the best, and we can still have Ensberg/Lamb and possibly Huff right beside at third base.
I think Arod would make a pretty terrible defensive SS at this point in his career ... he had his problems at 3B this year, and I'm sure his range isn't as good as it used to be. I'd prefer to get Carlos Lee, a better hitting catcher, and trade for a nice pitcher. Then talk Pettitte and hopefully Clemens into coming back for another run. You take on Arod's contract and you ruin a lot of flexibility that we have right now with money and trade pieces that we'd give up for him.
