The end of A-Rod?

[jerichoholicninja]

9:43am: Privately the Yankees are thrilled with the current situation, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. If Rodriguez does have connections to the PED provider, the Yankees’ chances of severing ties with Rodriguez and saving much of the $114MM remaining on his contract increase. That said, the club would need a 'Hail Mary' to succeed, Sherman writes.

 

7:54am: Though the Yankees probably can’t void Alex Rodriguez’s contract following the third baseman’s connections to a Miami performance enhancing drugs clinic, they might not need to do so. As Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports, there’s a scenario that would allow Rodriguez to collect the $114MM remaining on his deal without relying on the Yankees to pay most of that sum.

 

If Rodriguez finds a doctor who says he’s suffering from a career-ending hip injury it’d be possible to continue collecting his salary without playing again. In this scenario the Yankees would collect up to 85% of Rodriguez’s salary from insurance, Rosenthal reports. For the Yankees to collect at that level, Rodriguez would have to miss a full season -- a possibility recently acknowledged by general manager Brian Cashman.

 

Conversely, if Rodriguez were to retire he would forfeit his remaining salary. The 37-year-old underwent a hip operation this offseason and isn’t expected to return before July. If Rodriguez continues rehabbing without improvement, it’s possible a doctor could determine that he’s physically unable to perform. As Rosenthal notes, such a contention would prompt insurance companies to argue that Rodriguez could still play, or that PEDs led to his inability to play.

 

The Yankees are exploring ways of voiding Rodriguez’s contract, ESPNNewYork reported yesterday. Rodriguez has denied connections to the clinic.

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/01/latest-on-alex-rodriguez-yankees.html#3P9Awj1D6u4vxyg6.99

 

This guy was on top of the world a little over 10 years ago and is now the most vilified baseball player of the 21st century after Barry Bonds. I'd have to say that A-Rod has played his last game with the Yankees. If he was smart he would just walk away completely. He doesn't need to deal with the scrutiny and criticism anymore. His legacy has been cemented and no amount of records broken will change it.

[monty57]

I can't imagine he'd walk away, forfeiting $114MM. The Yankees just have to hope that either his injury does prohibit him from ever playing again, or that he comes back 100% so they can get some value from the contract. I would imagine that it will be very tough to get the insurance. A-Rod probably won't end up in a wheelchair, so as long as the insurance company could show that he could physically swing a bat, he could play baseball. He doesn't have to be able to play at his previous level, just play... otherwise every team with an overpaid player would claim he was injured and collect insurance.

 

The worst case scenario for the Yankees is that he'll come back with a bum hip which affects not only his running, but also his swing, making him a pedestrian DH or even a pinch hitter while collecting his mammoth paycheck.

[brwrsfan]

I would find that worst case scenario utterly hilarious if it came to fruition.

[owbc]

It's very unlikely that the contract would get voided. If the Yankees try, it will likely end up in a legal battle that will turn both sides into losers.

 

A-Rod isn't going to retire either. I think the "worst case scenario" has a decent chance of occurring. The relentless booing and media attention will force the Yankees to release him.

[jjkoestler]

A-Rod could provide some pop off the Brewers bench. /half blue

[Outlander]

The Yankees are dreaming, Rodriguez will do everything in his power to ensure he collects the 114 million. I think pretty much everybody on earth would take the fan abuse in exchange for 114 million. Plus, even though it does not matter as much anymore, Rodriguez wants to be the home run king.

[jerichoholicninja]

I think both A-Rod and the Yankees want insurance to cover his contract. The Yankees can dump him and Alex can go somewhere else. I can't imagine he actually enjoys being in New York anymore.

[joepepsi]

He doesn't have to be able to play at his previous level, just play... otherwise every team with an overpaid player would claim he was injured and collect insurance.

I think your post is good, but Albert Belle came down with a congenital hip issue and is still able to walk, yet the Orioles were able to collect insurance money on his contract for several years since it was determined he could no longer play baseball. No doubt he could still swing a bat, but certainly he was not able to play baseball. IIRC, the O's had to keep him on the 40 man roster for the length of his contract in order to collect the insurance payment. ...

[monty57]

He doesn't have to be able to play at his previous level, just play... otherwise every team with an overpaid player would claim he was injured and collect insurance.

I think your post is good, but Albert Belle came down with a congenital hip issue and is still able to walk, yet the Orioles were able to collect insurance money on his contract for several years since it was determined he could no longer play baseball. No doubt he could still swing a bat, but certainly he was not able to play baseball. IIRC, the O's had to keep him on the 40 man roster for the length of his contract in order to collect the insurance payment. ...

 

Yeah, everything depends on the language of the contract. Teams wouldn't take out a policy if there was essentially no way to collect, but insurance companies would make sure the language was such that it would be difficult to collect. I would at least think the insurance company would necessitate multiple opinions by doctors who are not on the Yankee's payroll.

 

I'm no doctor, but since Rodriguez's surgery was arthroscopic surgery to "repair a torn labrum, bone impingement and the correction of a cyst" I wouldn't think it would be a degenerative condition. It sounds like something which should be correctable and from which he should be able to play again. Even the doctors doing the surgery estimated he'd be back in 4-6 months. The Yankees said the surgery on his left hip "will be similar but not identical" to the procedure he had in 2009 on his right hip, so the insurance company could use their own words against them... he played after the 2009 surgery, so why can't he play after this one? If the rehab kept him out all season, the Yankees might be able to collect insurance for the year, but they may have a hard time convincing the insurance company that scoping a hip and removing a cyst knocked him out permanently. (source: ESPN New York website)

 

I'd guess that it's reporter/fan speculation, and not team speculation, that the Yankees will get out of this with an insurance payout. The Yankees are probably hoping that he can come back healthy and play well enough next year that some team will trade for him if the Yankees pay most of the contract.

[MadScientist]

I hope insurance doesn't pay. The Yankees being pinched by their own massive contracts is good in every way for the rest of baseball. It reduces the amount that the Yankees can over pay other FA's and it makes other teams leery of such contracts. And if the situation keeps the Yankees out of the playoffs, great.

[torts]

Rodriguez May Not Return To Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 31 at 8:14am CST]

Alex Rodriguez’s Yankees career could be over. The third baseman is unlikely to play for the Yankees again, no matter what happens with allegations linking him to a supplier of performance enhancing drugs, Bill Madden, Christian Red and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News report.

 

The hip surgery that Rodriguez is recovering from “will likely derail his playing career,” according to the Daily News reporters. This would force the 37-year-old into a diminished role and could lead him to consider retirement or a settlement. Even before this week’s news, Yankees officials had already begun preparing for the probability than Rodriguez would not finish the five years remaining on his contract.

 

Rodriguez could retire as a result of the injury if it's as serious as expected. This could allow the Yankees to be reimbursed for up to 85% of the $114MM remaining on his contract with insurance companies covering the bulk of the commitment. It’s also possible Rodriguez could return in a diminished role and decide to retire. Under this scenario the Yankees would discuss settlement options with him, the Daily News reports.

 

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#xisOMvqLJeR7I808.99

[monty57]

The settlement option makes a lot of sense, as A-Rod would still get a lot of money, and wouldn't be subjected to Yankee fans and the New York media for five years. It may be one of those deals that neither side really likes, but it has enough for each side that they're willing to go for it.

[JimH5]

A-Rod seems so narcissistic and lacking in self-awareness, that I can't see him leaving any money on the table.

 

That said, the NY fans and media would torch him--and that might get him to run for cover.

 

Either way, I hope it lasts several months before there is a resolution.

[GAME05]

media pressure may be tough, but it's hard to think it would be tough enough to make ARod forfeit $30M or so. and it's not like he has to stay in NYC to recover or anything. he doesn't have a legacy to protect as it is, and the media has been ripping on him ever since he came to NY in the first place. there's no way i'd voluntarily turn down such a huge amount of money. so the Steinbrenners can stay a little richer?

 

it's part of collective bargaining that individual teams can't make certain contract decisions like this that would significantly impact a player, so voiding his contract would become a league decision. and with the strength of the union, good luck with that. ARod will get his money and he's earned it. all the power to him.

[jerichoholicninja]

They could just bench him when he comes back. I can't imagine he would want to stay if he wasn't playing and may negotiate a buyout.

[brettac1]

The NY media used to rip him when he was the best player in the league. He certainly shouldn't do anything to appease them or out of fear of what they will say about him. Take every penny and hang out in Miami.

[Invader3K]

The NY media used to rip him when he was the best player in the league. He certainly shouldn't do anything to appease them or out of fear of what they will say about him. Take every penny and hang out in Miami.

 

That's a good point. He probably doesn't feel he really "owes" anything to the folks in New York at this point.

[gregmag]

New York sports fans deserve Rodriguez. I hope his salary continues to inflate their ticket prices and cable bills for many years to come.

[NYChez]

New York sports fans deserve Rodriguez. I hope his salary continues to inflate their ticket prices and cable bills for many years to come.

What bothers me is my cable bill is being used to pay A-Rod and was used to lure CC away from the Brewers.

[djoctagone]

a-rod has 'fessed up.

[jerichoholicninja]

He'd already admitted to taking steroids before, no big news there. I think the bigger issue is the lengths he went to to avoid being caught such as paying for Bosch's lawyer and paying for other Bosch client's PED's to keep him from talking. Another thing I find interesting is ARod getting money from the Yankees to pay Bosch. Could the Yankees be in some pretty hot water for that?