It was a testament to what can happen if you’re just willing to put up some money. Alex Rodriguez was a Yankee, the Yankees’ third baseman in fact, as he agreed to a move that allowed captain Derek Jeter to remain at shortstop (despite A-Rod’s superior defense). The Rangers selected Joaquin Arias as a PTBNL, from a list that reportedly included one Robinson Canó, and sent $67 million to the Yankees to help offset the cost of such a big contract. and they needed a third baseman.Īll it took was Alfonso Soriano, who was admittedly coming off back-to-back five-win seasons that saw him flirt with the 40/40 Club. A torn ACL quashed his entire 2004 season before it could even remotely begin, and since he violated a term of his contract, the Yankees were eager to release Boone from his deal. The Red Sox were out.Īt around the same time, Aaron Boone, that hero of the ALCS, played a game of pickup basketball in California. Allowing the game’s highest-paid player to give up guaranteed money set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the union, and it was seen as too great a risk even if A-Rod was on board. To Rodriguez’s credit, he was open to restructuring his deal, taking less money and an opt out, and even signed an agreed-upon deal that would have allowed the trade to be executed.before the MLBPA stepped in to nix the deal. The sticking point was all that outstanding money - $179 million of it - which made Theo Epstein balk. The proposed deal was to send Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, and then-prospect Jon Lester to Texas, with Rodriguez, Magglio Ordóñez of the White Sox, and Brandon McCarthy coming to Beantown. The Boston Red Sox, of course, were reeling from the 2003 ALCS, and Aaron F’n Boone, and felt they needed one more big piece to finally push them over the top in the rivalry with the Yankees. The Rangers, despite A-Rod finishing sixth, second, and first in MVP voting his three seasons in Texas, wanted payroll relief and felt they had to diversify talent on the squad, rather than surrounding the game’s best player with fill-ins.
R yankees pro#
He was the best high school prospect the world had ever seen, he was a key contributor to the best era in Mariners’ history, and of course, his 2001 free agency set a new standard for what pro athletes are paid.Įven the story of how Rodriguez became a Yankee is worth a movie, or at least, one of the best 30 For 30s that ESPN has ever run.
Sorry, I need a cigarette after staring at that stat line.Įverything about Alex Rodriguez is and was bigger than life. Trade Details: Alex Rodriguez and cash to Yankees Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later (Joaquin Arias) to Rangers And then, sometimes, landing the game’s best player is easy - swoop in after a deal collapses and. You have to identify something in a college or high school bat that’s just different, or you have to find a way to mold a raw international free agent into a complete product. Sometimes, landing the game’s best player is hard.
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