Alex Rodriguez's fall from grace is among the "saddest baseball stories ever told," CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. On top of A-Rod's 162-game suspension, "his name has no value" and he's now "practically friendless." Heyman also estimates that Rodriguez is spending at least $1MM a month in legal fees. Here are more notes from around the American League.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto says the organization's farm system is improving despite a second consecutive No. 30 ranking from Baseball America, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports. "We're better than we were [last year]," says Dipoto. "If that's deemed by Baseball America to be No. 30, we'll have to be content with living with their evaluation of our system. But we believe we're getting better; we believe we're in a better situation than that." The Angels did not have first round picks in 2012 or 2013 due to their signings of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, leading to tiny draft spending pools. But as Gonzalez has previously written, a number of other factors have also contributed to the Angels' weak farm system, including trades of prospects and the team's under-involvement in Latin America.
- Masahiro Tanaka has returned to Japan after meeting with various MLB teams in the US, Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News notes, citing Japanese media reports. The White Sox were among the teams that met with Tanaka.
- The Twins have interest in free-agent infielders Mark Reynolds and Justin Turner, but, via 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson (on Twitter), a Twins official notes that other teams also have interest and that the "process has to play out."
“his name has no value” and he’s now “practically friendless.”
Damn Heyman, you cold.
He’s right tho
A-Rod seems to be self absorbed and self conscious simultaneously. He’s had a reputation for trying to be everyone’s friend. What a reversal from his hopes and expectations.
Well, it’s not like he gets a whole lot of endorsement offers any more…
Because the media portrayal of him.
I think Nunez likes him :/
Heyman always makes ridiculous statements.
they need to put him on suicide watch.
ARod will be alright. He’ll disappear like Barry Bonds and live a life of luxury in shame.
Poor A-Rod. We should put together a kickstarter campaign to buy him a friend.
Can he play in Japan during the suspension? Japan is pretty good at building friendly robots.
problem is if he gets hurt playing elsewhere the Yanks could move to void his contract. which I don’t think is entirely fair
arod is so injury prone he may in fact get injured in his at home gym!
he would probably get away with that without having his contract voided. it’s unrealistic to expect him not to exercise for a calendar year.
The Yankees would have to OK it.
Even though he’s suspended (at the moment), my guess would be that he’s still contracted to the Yankees and can’t play for any other pro team anywhere. That’s just a guess, though.
can he get a contract at planet fitness?
Nah, his name is practically worthless…
I think that would be a great move by Arod for the susp year!
Japan won’t take him as their leagues honor any suspensions handed down by Major League Baseball
No he can’t play in Japan in 2014. The Japanese Leagues honor any MLB Suspensions
Probably not. MLB and NPB have agreements barring crossing over. He could probably play in an independent league if the Yankees give him approval.
a comment that sounded like a joke sure is getting a lot of serious responses.
Tanaka left already? Does that mean that the presentations that have been made to him are it and he’ll make his decision from those?
I hope so. Come to the South Side baby.
I am just guessing that any teams that haven’t already met with him are likely not in the conversation. Though, obviously, there is no rule that says that. However, if I’m not mistaken, this all has be to decided by the 24th or he will stay in Japan another year. There may not be anywhere near as many teams seriously talking as is rumored.
I think I’m just surprised with how much money is reportedly on the line that he didn’t hang longer. You could be right about fewer teams than thought being interested, or Tanaka really did have only a couple of teams he was seriously interested in signing with.
The Angels may be improving their farm system but they’re ranked 30th again probably because of their lack of top 100 prospects, which I never take seriously any way because successful major leaguers can come from anywhere. But that’s not to say the Angels’ system isn’t still depleted. One big positive is the amount of pitchers they drafted in 2013, coupled with finally having a first round pick in 2014 in what may be a deep draft pool. The Angels still have major holes in their system but they have met their offseason goals to acquire organizational pitching depth.
Hopefully in thus draft they go pitcher heavy like last year. Not having a first round pick really hurt this farm which was once a top 10 in mlb
“Alex Rodriguez’s fall from grace among the saddest baseball stories ever told.” — John Heyman
“John Heyman is an awful sportswriter.” — haplito
Haha! Clever.
Just saw him in a photo with Machado and Yonder Alonso. Doesn’t seem friendless to me.
Oh well, if he is, he did it to himself.
Maybe he can still call Madonna?
I believe all three of the angels minor league league teams made the playoffs. Not sure how accurate that rating can be.
Depends if the players were old for their level. Stick any low end MLB scrub in AAA or AA and they may look like an all-star, that doesn’t mean they project to be substantial mlbers. Of course Trout has way outproduced what many teams have gotten from their minors this year or last.
One could argue that Trout alone makes up for a lot of the Angels’ shortcomings in their minor league system. I mean, he’s a center piece that any club could build around. Plus, the Angels having 11 players with OPS+ above 100 in 2013 showed they could just build their current young players around Trout without Pujols and Hamilton (and without their other young players being flashy top rated prospects), and still be a productive offense. Before the Trumbo and Bourjos trades, they actually had a full starting lineup’s-worth of young players under club control who could easily give them decent-to-good production around Trout. And that list includes the contracts of Kendrick and Aybar. In that scenario they probably trade Kendrick for pitching, and might have made the Bourjos/Freese trade anyways. Their lineup would still be in-tact. Contrary to all the negative media attention toward the ranking of their farm system, the Angels actually have quite a bit of young controllable talent on their active roster. Most of them just aren’t flashy action figures like Mike Trout.
Those ratings depend a lot on how many top 100 prospects teams have. Notice how the Angels are still bringing up good, young players who are making an impact (ex: Kole Calhoun). It’s just that these players aren’t flashy products like Trout and Harper, and range from above average role players to good players who will just go out there and give you production your team at least needs at a particular position (Calhoun). I keep bringing up Calhoun because he plays and looks like he belongs in the Majors, and he came out of nowhere in the eyes of MLB. It is a fact, however, that the Angels did have a number of veteran minor league free agents who helped their affiliates to the playoffs. But still, they had to get there with good performances from their prospects as well. You’re just not gonna find the Matt Harveys or the Manny Machados in their system. You’re gonna find that unassuming OF or 2B that can still give your team the production it needs. But the Angels do need to develop the pitching they drafted in 2013, and get more, so they can return to just being able to tap into that like they were able to just a little while ago.
He should “rehab” in the minors like Manny did in Albequerque when he was suspended that time from the Dodgers. He could just do a full season with the Staten Island Yankees or the Trenton Thunder, and give the reporters daily quotes about how “humbling” it all is and how he is just happy to be there.
are the yanks required to allow him to play in the minor leagues?
Pretty sure he’d only be allowed to play in a league independent of the MLB.
I believe that you can only play in the minors 10 games prior to the suspension ending.
friendless? isn’t he dating torrie wilson?
Surprised Tanaka returned so fast.
I had been wondering if one of the bigger cities made more sense to him because his wife is a singer. There is no better place for her to have a US career than NYC or LA. Sorry Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, etc.
Then it would be less about bigger cities and more about where the entertainment industry is based. Depending on what she is looking to do, it is possible that only one of LA and NY would even make sense for her. (And I suppose if she is a country singer, she might want to be near Nashville)
She is a Japanese pop singer.
Boo hoo! The most well paid player in baseball got caught cheating and now he has no friends. My heart is breaking.
Spending around $1 million a month in legal fees, huh? Well, in around 350 months he may have a problem there.
1 million a month in legal fees? He would be wise to fire his legal time, toughen up and and enjoy 1 year in Fiji getting his mind and body right for 2015.
I think that his salary should also count towards salary cap. It is the Yankees fault for not putting a clause in a 200 million dollar contract that would void his salary if found guilty of ped use.
No such clause can be put in a contract.
If AROD is a Disgrace then so should be MLB before Jackie Robinson and the racists Commissioners, then so should the writers who gave Roger Maris a hard time and MLB for the *. And for certain so should players such as Gaylord Perry and fools like Ty Cobb . Now Ryan Braun is an sorry case yet Arod is a Disgrace? The Yankees and Randy Levine and the emails ?? Don’t throw mud on Arod then try to by-pass MLB ugly history .
I wouldn’t say Alex Rodriguez’s name has zero value. He will at some point undoubtedly be offered his own reality show and/or get a spot on one of those VH1 blooper video shows along side Tonya Harding.