ALEX Rodriguez always has claimed that being a Yankee, being an his toric player tied to the most historic team, matters greatly to him.
The Yankees need that to be true. Because this history is the ally the Yankees have in trying to retain A-Rod that no other club can match. They can stage the kind of Old-Timers Day like yesterday, full of Cooperstown and championships and indelible moments unique to this organization.
Rodriguez, should he not opt out after this season, can be tied to that history. He can be one of the final names called on Old-Timers Day, make a run at Monument Park and earn that distinction as a “great Yankee,” feeling the love he so badly has wanted to feel in The Bronx. Should that sway him, especially with the money out there? When I quoted $30 million a year, Reggie Jackson scoffed and said, “I think you are on the short side.” He quoted $30 million-$40 million annually.
“He’s got enough money,” Darryl Strawberry said. “That is not the answer. He needs to honestly answer, ‘What do I want my legacy to be?’ He’s done Seattle. He’s done Texas. Now, what, he can do L.A.? Do you want your legacy to be one of those places or do you want to be part of New York forever? He has a chance to make a mark in a Yankee uniform. He has to think what this franchise means.”
Jackson said Rodriguez does know that, insisting, “There is no bigger student of the game than [Rodriguez]. He knows the history better than anyone.”
Jackson and Strawberry were the most obvious stopping point yesterday on the subject of A-Rod. Despite the star power around them on Old-Timers Day, Reggie and Straw were the only ones who can fully grasp the magnitude of being Rodriguez in New York. They were megastars who departed New York via free agency and both left for Southern California. They both exited as a New York team that had been a powerhouse reached a crossroads.
Now, here is Rodriguez, with the expectation that a Southern California team, probably the Angels, will pursue him most vigorously should he opt out. Here he is with the Yankees in transition, drifting further from the Joe Torre champions toward a future they hope will be built around young pitchers.
Obviously, they also hope to build around Rodriguez, who went 0-for-4 in yesterday’s 2-1 loss to the Angels. They only reason they would even consider otherwise or consider dealing A-Rod in season (which he said he would not agree to) is because of the opt-out mystery.
Scott Boras, Rodriguez’s agent, always has shunned negotiating during a season and championed chasing the most money when a contract is done. The Yankees are trying a more conservative bent, avoiding giving substantial, long-term pacts to 30-somethings. Rodriguez turns 32 this month.
He is a motivated athlete likely to age well. The Yanks could decide they have had Rodriguez on a discount (Texas pays roughly 25 percent of his pact), thus freeing them to go more comfortably to $30 million-plus as Rodriguez drifts into his late 30s-early 40s.
But will A-Rod even be interested? He has endured many uncomfortable moments here from the fans and media, especially the recent revelations of his relationship with a woman who is not his wife. Will that chase him away? Strangely, two of his friends say that despite the prickly incidents, Rodriguez loves New York and adores playing here.
“You leave here and you find out it is not better in other places,” Strawberry said. “I regret that I left. The energy here is different. The people here care about baseball passionately. You go to Los Angeles, man, that is just Hollywood. Alex has played other places. He knows this place is different.”
Jackson concurred, but also said, “He might be at a point in life where he says, ‘Do I need this [off-field stuff]?”
Jackson is as close to Rodriguez as any Yankees official. They, for example, regularly exchange text messages. He said he thinks Yankees history will matter in the decision.
“I think he is leaning toward staying, but it is 55-45 [percent],” Jackson said.
That hesitant optimism is as hopeful as you will find a Yankees official. They mostly think he will be history rather than further embedding himself in Yankees history.