Question: How Much Would You Pay for Alex Rodriguez?
Call me an Alex Rodriguez apologist. While it may be true that he is unlikable, douchey, programmed, insincere, greedy, egomaniacal, insecure, overly self-conscious, jealous, creepy, not-a-guy-you’d-like-to-take-a-cross-country-drive-with-even-if-he-was-paying, he is nothing if not a damned good ball player. Bill James once said of Rickey Henderson, “If you could split him in two, you’d have two Hall of Famers.” When it’s all said and done, I do think that we’ll be talking about A-Rod in the same light. He’s that good.
But because of his seeming pretentiousness, his at-times lack of diamond graces (no, Alex. It’s probably not very sportsman-like to smack away a glove that’s about to tag you or to yell “Ha” at an infielder about to catch a pop-fly), and the reputation of not performing “when it counts”, he is a man whose image on paper and that in reality remains starkly juxtaposed. He’s a guy who puts up numbers that EVERYONE else dreams of having for their team, but many sound resolute in their desire to keep him away from their clubhouse.
So I wanted to do a little exercise here on Umpbump. If you were the owner of your favorite team, how much would you pay to have Alex Rodriguez (warts and all) on your team? For the sake of fun, pretend you don’t have to worry about position eligibility (as a Mets fan, not sure where we can use the guy with Reyes and Wright in reality, but we’re not concerned with these things). But you do need to account for your team’s payroll. What I’m looking for here is the following information:
- What’s your favorite team?
- How much would you pay him per year?
- How long would the contract be for?
To get things rolling, here’s my say. As a Mets fan, I have more financial flexibility than most. I don’t really believe that he’s unable to perform in playoff situations so I feel very comfortable giving him four years at $25 million per. If push came to shove, I’d go $30 million for five but I’d be pretty adamant that I will not guarantee six.
So let’s hear it, Umpbumpers. How much would you pay Alex Rodriguez to play for your team?
September 28th, 2007 at 9:23 am
On Friday, pitching coach John Farrell announced the reason for Matsuzaka’s recent struggles on the mound. “After reviewing hours of tape, we realized that he’d been overthrowing,” Farrell told reporters. “Literally throwing over his own head. Causes the ball to stay up in the zone.”
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September 28th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
He stole that sign from the Jets!
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September 28th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
“This is how high you can stack over-hyped mediocrity.”
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September 28th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Not content with his mastery of 8 pitches and his experimentation with the gyroball, Matsuzaka unveils a new pitch.
He calls it: Scorpions of Fire
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October 9th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
1. What’s your favorite team?
Philadelphia Phillies.
2. How much would you pay him per year?
With a rough estimate of the Phillies’ payroll before filling between 7-10 rosters spots after arbitration, they’ll have about $28 million (by a very rough estimate of mine) to spend to fill holes at third base, in center field or right field, in the starting rotation, and in the bullpen.
I have a long, drawn out explanation for this whole thing, but it likely won’t interest too many people, so I’ll just suffice it to say I’d offer $25 million per year maximum, giving myself a few million dollars in flexibility (still not much).
3. How long would the contract be for?
Considering Utley is signed until 2013, it’d be nice to keep a R/L infield combo like that together, so I’d sign A-Rod until 2013, too.
Note: Even if I could sign A-Rod, I wouldn’t. The Phillies don’t really need him, as the increase in production wouldn’t really merit the money spent on him. The Phillies had the best offense in the N.L. with Wes Freakin’ Helms and Abraham Nunez at third base. I’d rather spend the money on pitching, a less expensive third baseman (Mike Lowell), and perhaps an outfielder.
Great question, though. It’s guaranteed to net some intriguing responses.
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October 9th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
As a Red Sox fan, and a Sox fan with a shred of dignity, I wouldn’t want A-Rod on my team if we could pay him in Cracker Jack. That said, for the hypothetical purposes of your experiment, I’d also offer four years (and go up to five). The problem is with the dough. I would not want to pay more than 20 million per year, but that’s already less than what he makes now. But his salary now is already ridiculously high! It will be interesting if he opts out to see what offers he does get. The market is different now than it was when he was signed. And last year was a big year for free agent dollars, so this year is bound to be more circumspect.
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October 9th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Sarah, the experiment itself will allow you to say that for the Sox, you’d pay him a Cracker Jack.
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October 9th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Excellent. In that case, I’d give him a five year deal, compensate him in Cracker Jacks, and move him back to shortstop for the next two years.
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October 9th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
1. Mets. 2. At least 30 million per year. 3. At least 5 years. It is silly to suggest anything less than 5 years/30 mil. He can already make 3 years/27 mil. per with the Yankees.
Question #4 should be, at what position? A-Rod could probably still play SS. He can also play 3B or OF. But if he can play SS, he can play 2B, which is where I’d put him on the Mets. Wright might be a better defender, so perhaps he should play 2B (higher on the defensive spectrum), and A-Rod 3rd, but at this point one wouldn’t want to mess with the Mets’ young players. A-Rod at 2nd base.
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October 9th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I’m a Phillies fan and, as luck would have it, the team needs a third baseman. I don’t buy the argument that the Phillies “don’t need A-Rod” because the offense is already good enough. When it comes to building a team, there is no such thing as good enough. If you can upgrade, you do it.
Ignoring for a moment questions about skin-thickness and personality, I’d sign A-Rod for six or even seven years at $25 million per. I think that’s more than fair, and I’m reasonably confident that he can keep up his level of play into his late 30’s. Can he keep it up into his 40’s? I wouldn’t pay to find out.
That having been said, there is no worse fit for A-Rod than Philadelphia. He is the complete opposite of what the city wants in a sports star. He would be torn to shreds.
And then there’s this: it has been 21 years since the team with the highest-paid player won the World Series.
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October 9th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Blastings, just to add to what you said, A-Rod is scheduled to make $27 million next year with the Yanks, but he’ll make $32 million in each of the two years after that. That’s a ton of money. The only way he opts out of his contract now is if a team is willing to give him more years than the Yanks are prepared to offer. And by “more years”, I mean ten years.
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October 9th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/023521.php
David Pinto speculates.
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October 9th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Blastings! That speculation is way out of left field. I can’t ever see A-Rod accepting some kind of deal akin to what Tim Wakefield has with the Red Sox. That’s just silly.
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October 10th, 2007 at 12:00 am
I’m a Dodgers fan. The Dodgers actually do need a third baseman and a power hitter, and they can afford to spend. I’d pay him up to $27 million a year for five years. But beyond that I think I’d rather sign two $14 million dollar players.
The question would become what to do with Nomar, who’s due $9 million next year, and is basically untradeable. He sucks and I was against resigning him last year, so if I were the Dodgers I’d admit I made a mistake, bite the bullet and cut him.
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October 10th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Sarah, only 20million in crackerjacks from a team that has spent 23 million on Drew and Lugo?
Sadly, this year A-Rod outperformed the 2 of them combined (true story!). Add to that his ability to play 3B, SS, or 1B/DH if he gets run down, and I don’t think a minimum of 27 for 5 is out of the question. Heck, I’d even try to work out an addiitonal team option for a reduced salary if he primarily DHs in years 6-infinity.
That said, the thought of A-Rod playing on the Red Sox for 5+ years turns my stomach.
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October 10th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Rich, in my imaginary play world, Lugo becomes a Buddhist monk, retires from baseball, and donates the rest of his salary to the Jimmy Fund.
Seriously though, look at what the other players on the team make. The most highly paid player is Manny, whose contract averages out to about 20 million per. Manny’s deal was inked by previous GM Dan Duquette the same year as A-Rod’s current monster deal. Until last winter, I wouldn’t have seen the current management team going higher than that for a player, since the other stalwarts of the team–Varitek, Ortiz, Lowell–make between 9 and 10 mill. (Schilling makes 13, and Beckett and Daisuke make about 6.) But now that Drew is making a ridiculous 14 million per, and Lugo is making 8, and considering that astronomical posting fee they paid for Matsuzaka, I guess it’s not inconceivable that they’d throw money A-Rod’s way, especially if they get rid of Manny. Nevertheless, I don’t think anyone is going to prise Rodriguez away from New York unless they’re offering 30 million per year or more, since he stands to make 32 over the next two seasons under his current deal. Would Theo and Lucchino spend, say, 35 million a year on A-Rod? Would they give him better than a five-year deal, which Boras will want and which the Sox FO has also been hesitant to do? I really don’t think so. Especially not after last year’s shopping spree.
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October 10th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
1. Yankees
2. $30 mil per year
3. 8 years (3 remaining years plus 5 year extension.
This would be a new 8 year $240 million contract for a man who is only 31 years old. When you take into account the Rangers $21 million they are still on the books for, it averages the Yankees $27.3 mil per year. This only works if he does not opt out. I don’t think any club is willing to spend $30 mil per year for the next 8 years. He could probably get more for less years, but does he really want to go through this again in 5 years when he is probably going to be on the verge of breaking the HR record? He needs tha Yankees, and they need him (have you seen the eligible 3B out there. It is pathetic)
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October 10th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
1. White Sox
2. $25 per
3. 5 years (option for a sixth at $30 mil).
Knowing Kenny Williams, he’ll probably be one of the top bidders in the A-Rod sweepstakes. Juan Uribe can be traded, allowing A-Rod to go back to his natural SS position.
The money part is where it gets interesting. Reisndorf has allowed the White Sox’ budget to balloon to $105 million (up from ~$75 mil in 2005) and adding A-Rod would only be a Cherry on the Ozzie Guillen Sundae. They’ll problaby offer a deferred contract (here’s looking at you Frank Thomas) and bicker about the dreaded 5th year (and 6th year option).
Be that as it may, A-Rod’s agent is Boras, and Kenny Williams doesn’t play that game. Not even, I think, for A-Rod.
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October 10th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
12 years x $30 million (American League team)
During that time he’ll most likely be the most productive player in baseball and he will surpass Barry Bonds which means tens of millions in gate and tv revenue (at a minimum).
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October 10th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
I think when all is said and done, A-Rod will almost certainly wind up staying with the Yankees, with some sort of extension.
It’s a basic law of economics that commodities go where they can get the most value for the least cost, and in A-Rod’s case, that’s the Yankees, not only because they are so rich, but because they get a $27 million dollar subsidy from the Rangers if A-Rod doesn’t opt out of his contract. So if it’s say, a five year deal, the Yankees can essentially pay $5.5 million more per year than anyone else, using that Rangers money, before we even take into account that they are the Yankees and richer than most UN nations.
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October 10th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
But Andrew, a twelve year contract is crazy-talk. He’d be 44 by the time it finished! Even if the total value of the deal is 300 million, as some have been saying, I think eight years is the absolute maximum, with payouts continuing after his retirement. If A-Rod was still productive at age 40, he’d be in the market for an extension, a la Bonds. But you have to keep in mind that the players who’ve never had a whiff of steroids about them don’t last the way the HGHers do. Bonds may be 43, but he’s made up of futuristic synthetic materials. Without performance enhancers, most hitters start losing their edge after 35. A-Rod’s twilight is likely to be very good, but no team will want to guarantee him a roster spot past the age of 40.
Nick, on the other hand, has a point. Plus I think Steinbrenner wants to get another ring before he goes, and will be willing to pull out all the stops this winter.
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