After Alex Rodriguez’s retirement announcement on Sunday, what’s next for the rebuilding New York Yankees? Will the roster purge continue?
New York Yankees maligned star Alex Rodriguez announced he will play his final game on Friday night, which shocks no one nor did the statement about his imminent release. But, the next part of this scenario is intriguing. Effective on Saturday, Rodriguez will move to the Yankees’ front office through 2017, the final year of his contract.
But, the next part of this scenario is intriguing. Effective on Saturday, Rodriguez will move to the Yankees’ front office through 2017 on the final year of his contract.
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Someone and I’d like to know who, became wildly creative in coming up with this idea because it gives everyone a soft landing in what has been a delicate and often very strange final chapter to Rodriguez’s playing days with the Yankees.
It’s hard to believe that Rodriguez ever imagined a front office job with anyone, much less the Yankees, as he mulled over his decreasing options over the past couple of weeks.
He would seem more inclined to want a career in broadcasting where he would immediately fit in, and with some study and training, develop into a good fit. For that reason, the commentators on YES better be on their toes because Rodriguez could slip into a job there as early as next season for $1 million a year while he collects the remainder of the money due to him.
But even beyond all of that, this just might be an opportune time for the Yankees to keep the line moving by continuing to purge themselves of additional players with salary baggage or those who might not fit into the mold of the NEW York Yankees.
It’s hard to imagine, for example, that the Yankees feel blessed anymore with the presence of C C Sabathia in their starting rotation for next year, which is also the final year of his contract.
You can’t hide him anywhere as in maybe a long relief role. They’re stuck in the middle just as they were with Mark Teixeira and Rodriguez.
Not so fast. Why couldn’t the Yankees swing a deal making him a roving instructor in their farm system?
Besides contributing as a pitching tutor, he could also make the rounds as a personal trainer lecturing on the pitfalls that can occur in the big leagues if one is not careful with their well-being. Food for thought, no?
The rest of the quagmire is a bit more difficult. Brett Gardner signed a four-year deal in 2015 for $52 million, per spotrac.com. In today’s money, the Yankees can afford to keep him in spite of his downward spiral in production. Or, they can listen to potential deals as they come along in exchange for even more depth in their minor league system.
On the other hand, Jacoby Ellsbury’s deal for $153 million is another matter. If they can’t pawn him off to a spending team such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, we’ll be talking about his impending release in two or three years. Still, to keep the line moving, the Yankees should be on the lookout to unload the last of those foolhardy deals in a different time.
Still, there’s an opportunity to move someone like Chase Headley who signed a reasonable $52 million deal earlier this year. Headley has been a loyal and useful player, but is he capable of producing numbers you’d normally look for in a corner infield position?
Probably not, so again to keep the line moving trade possibilities should and can be explored.
Ditto for Brian McCann, who reportedly cleared waivers today. Gary Sanchez is showing that he has big league defensive abilities. As far as hitting, we’ll see but how many catchers have had long careers in the bigs with little or no offensive skills. As a matter of fact, his manager Joe Girardi played for 15 years ending with a. 267 lifetime average.
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It’s all doable. It’s just a question of how far the Yankees are willing to go with this move towards youth and athleticism. How patient will Yankee fans be during the transition? And, we’re not talking about the suits sitting in the $400 seats. Will the casual fan buy into a future that doesn’t necessarily hold promise for the present?
Intriguing, isn’t it? General manager Brian Cashman may believe he’s done or maybe not and this is just the tip of the iceberg in the rebuilding the NEW York Yankees.