Let The A-Rod Speculation Begin

In most towns, when the third baseman hits .290/.392/.523, no one considers it "sucking."  Among 3Bs, only Miguel Cabrera, Garrett Atkins, Chipper Jones, and David Wright outhit A-Rod.  His OBP was third best for the position.

Everyone’s favorite whipping boy enters his age 31 season in 2007.  The Rangers are covering a large part of his contract, so he’s owed $16MM annually through 2010.  While it’s still huge, Rodriguez at four years, $64MM is a reasonable commitment for a superstar.  Even the fairly conservative PECOTA projection system from Baseball Prospectus says he’ll be worth over $66MM over that time period.

Rodriguez waived his NTC to come to New York; would he waive it again this winter to escape the scrutiny?  And can he still hold his own at shortstop?  We hear the Angels mentioned as a suitor.  I’m sure the White Sox wouldn’t mind him at short.  The Phillies are in dire need of a third baseman who can hit.  The Dodgers are short at third as well.  The Astros and even the Pirates have money to spend.  Basically, any team with the money and requisite young talent can find a way to get Rodriguez into the lineup.  Cashman probably wouldn’t send him to the Red Sox or Blue Jays, however.

Get ready for a winter of blithering sportswriters calling for a Rodriguez trade.  On a Yankee team with little concern for payroll, subtracting a reasonably priced superstar makes no sense, objectively.  We’ll see how the team responds to the media pressure.