2005-2009 Roster: Why No A-Rod?

My good friend Joe at River Ave Blues was kind enough to post my list of worst free agent contracts on his site yesterday. For those of you who have not yet checked out River Ave. Blues, it's one of the best Yankee blogs on the web and needs to be fully explored by all (click here!).

Anyway, Joe airs his main grievance of the roster I constructed by stating:

A-Rod did not make the cut, although I disagree. The worst third baseman contract Josh found was Adrian Beltre, but he was eventually talked out of it, replacing him with Vinny Casilla. Sorry, but two years and $6.2 million for no production is still better than 10 years and $275 million for a guy who will be 42 when the contract expires.

While Joe makes a valid point here, I thought I would take some time to explain my reasoning as to why the highest paid player in baseball was not included on the roster:

Quite Frankly, I still think it's too early to fully judge this contract. I have a tough time evaluating a 10 year contract when only 1 year has passed. Granted, the last year has been terrible for A-Rod. Between steroids, injuries, divorce, problems hitting in the clutch, and questions about his character; it seems as though most of the baseball community has turned on A-Rod. And rightfully so. A-Rod has made lots of mistakes and has suffered his share of unfortunate injuries since the extension.

However, with that said, when healthy, A-Rod is still one of, if not the most, productive offensive players in baseball. While it might be hard to justify giving any player that much money (rightfully so), I can't say that A-Rod's contract has been a disaster for the Yankees even with his transgressions thus far.

So there you have it, if you disagree with me, I completely understand. In another three or four years, this extension very well could look horrific for the Yankees if A-Rod cannot get healthy and stay off the back pages. And as Joe mentioned, A-Rod will be 42 when the contract expires, which in itself is a scary thought.

But for now, there is my logic.

Please discuss.