Now We Love A-Rod, Evidently
Winning the MVP in 2005 wasn’t enough to hold off withering abuse during a sub-par (for A-Rod) 2006. It seemed like a lot of people spent the off season pontificating about how he would do better elsewhere, in less of a fishbowl than Yankee Stadium. Then one week into the season, he slugs a game winning grand slam with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth and we love him again. My only theory to make sense of A-Rod’s treatment is that his salary has made him a victim of unrealistic expectations, layered on top of the persistent popularity of the “clutch player” fallacy. My position is as follows:
1) Derek Jeter is great, but turns neither water to wine nor stone to bread, and therefore is not quite as great as his press. Further, he is only the second-best shortstop on the team.
2) A-Rod is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and a couple disappointing Octobers don’t change the fact that the Yankees are a lesser team without him. And considering his salary relative to his performance, he is one of the better bargains on the Yanks’ roster.
That is all.
April 10th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Regarding ARod salaries, many Yankee (and non-Yankee) fans, seem to forget that the Yankees aren’t paying his entire annual salary - when they choose to heap unrealistic expectations on him due to his salary. I understand they may be expecting him to perform like a $25-mil/yr player (whatever that means), but it’s interesting to note that he’s only the third or fourth highest player on the *Yankee* payroll:
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/teamdetail.aspx?year=2007&team=9
Derek Jeter isn’t even the highest-paid, he’s number two ($21.6 mil) behind Jason Giambi ($23.4 mil). What’s interesting also, is even if one considers his total 2007 salary, it still trails Giambi ($23.4 mil). As it stands, I can’t find it right now, but I believe the Yankees are paying around $16 mil of that - with the Rangers picking up the rest. Andy Pettite’s getting $16 mil this year. And for the record, Bobby Abreu’s getting $15 mil.
In total salary, he’s #2 on the team. Considering only what the Yankees are paying, he’s #3 or #4 - depending on where he compares to Pettite. And he’s not that far ahead of Abreu.
He *is* a bargain for the Yankees - and as much as folks are talking about him opting out of his contract after this season to escape NY, coming into the season it seemed like many Yankee fans were *hoping* that would be the case. Of course, the only entity more hopeful than Yankee fans of that outcome is the Rangers management - as that would allow them to get out of paying him for three more years *not* to play for them.
April 10th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Oops… typo. ARod’s total 2007 salary should read $22.7 mil - not #23.4 mil.
April 10th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Agreed; my point was that he’s a relative bargain at his total comp given his performance, but as you point out, just looking at what he costs the Yankees out of pocket, he may be one of the best bargains in the league.
April 10th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
yankees do not deserve AROD. I hope he goes into a mini slump and they trade him for $.60/$1.00 like the Rangers did. There may not be a more underappreciated superstar in any sport than AROD. Might be a good idea to discuss his postseason success or lack thereof after he retires instead of focusing on in it as much as they do now (see John Elway, and to a lesser extent Payton Manning)
April 10th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Your points are all incontrovertible with the exception of the first. ARod is a great player and therefore, by design of Providence, should be a Yankee.