"It is rather amazing that after paying Alex Rodriguez $300 million in one baseball offseason, the Yanks had to go get somebody else - Teixeira in this case - to really be the man in the middle of their lineup."
ARod is hurt. Hopefully. Hopefully, it's not a lack of steroids.
But the addition of Teixeira is not amazing at all.
The Yankees lost Abreu and Giambi in the offseasn.
In 2004, the Yankees acquired ARod and Sheffield.
In 1960, the Yankees brought in Maris to hit back-to-back with Mantle.
I've never heard of a team in the history of pro sports that thought one good player was enough. It's like being amazed that the Bulls brought in Pippen and Rodman.
"But there have to be times when the people paying him the money do secretly wonder if they've already gotten the biggest years out of him they're going to get."
Let me end the mystery. When ARod drove in 156 runs in 2007, the Yankees knew that was the most production they'd ever get out of their $300 million man. (Actually, $275 million, with the rest being tied to performance. But, whatever.)
It's like every long-term contract. Like Bernie's, Giambi's, Posada's, Jeter's upcoming ten-year deal, and even Teixeira's. Mysteriously enough, players are usually paid for what they've done rather than what they're going to do.
Consistently, with the Yankees, ARod has been .300/40/120, plus or minus ten percent. Not this year. Mostly due to injury. Hopefully, due to injury.
Lupica is not a credible source, of course. Lupica also said decrepit ARod was going to be forced to play first base and that Mariano was shot.
But is ARod worth $300 million? Of course he is. ARod moves the merch; and guys like Lupica just can't stop talking about him.
In Tampa this afternoon, the stadium was half-empty for a game between the reigning AL champs and their chief wild card rival.
If the Yankees were playing in Tampa this afternoon, an extra 20,000 people would have shown up to boo ARod.
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