IS ALEX RODRIGUEZ ON BORROWED TIME?

I've seen a lot of articles lately about Alex Rodriguez lately and how his days in a Yankees uniform are numbered. The rumor mill says that his days are numbered and he would be the grand finale in the Yankees decision to go "all in" with the new Yankees youth movement. The Yankees have made a lot of moves over the last week.....so is the time right to cut him? If not now, then would there be?

Not to be mean and throw ARod under the bus here but if we are being honest with ourselves he has been gone for awhile now. He is jut a shadow of his former self. He is now just the extra body on the bench that Joe Girardi has to figure out if and when he fits into the lineup on any given day. I don't envy Girardi right now. How do you justify giving a guy at bats when he has a .205 BA, 9 home runs and 29 RBI's on the season? By doing so he is literally stealing playing time from someone else for no reason other than he is a big name earning big money. If the past week has showed us anything it's that this school of thinking just doesn't work anymore.

I don't want to sit and talk about what MIGHT HAVE happened to ARod at this point, because quite frankly it doesn't matter. All I can say is this is no where near the same ARod we saw last season. Sure his .250 BA wasn't impressive but his 33 home runs and 86 RBI's was and it was his comeback year that helped get the Yankees back to the post season. We are in the dog days of summer and September call ups are right around the corner. It's obvious that this is the ARod that we have now and it's unrealistic to think we will have the 2015 version.

So what do the Yankees do? No matter what they do, he is still going to be paid roughly 27 million dollars by the time his contract expires. He has approximately 7 million dollars owed to him this year and 20 million to be paid to him no matter what happens. He could lounge on the beach next year and not play in a single game and he still makes 20 million. So knowing that, do the Yankees let him play, or do they cut him now?

The popular answer may be to cut him now. He's not contributing to the team anyways and the Youth movement is in full swing. Gary Sanchez has already been called up and the Yankees could give him those at bats and give the Yankees some more versatility. At the same time though, would it hurt to just let him play out the rest of the season? The Yankees are not a playoff team and since we were sellers at the trade deadline why not just give him his last hoorah and let the fans enjoy watching him for a little while longer? The Yankees could let him try and get to his goal of 700 home runs. He is only four away, I have a feeling the Yankees will want to give him every opportunity to reach that goal.

I may not be the biggest ARod supporter and I won't hide that. I do not condone the choices he has made in his career and he is not a role model, but I think the Yankees have invested in him so much that they will let him play it out and show us if there is any pop left in his bat. He's not holding the team back at this point. The damage has been done and the Yankees probably don't want to throw away that money.

I do think the Yankees should cut ties at the end of the season. It's time to fully embrace the Youth movement and give them the chance to contribute. The Yankees aren't the only ones who have been forced with this kind of decision back in June the Dodgers cut Carl Crawford eating the 35 million left on his contract, so if you are looking for any kind of silver lining....at least ARod isn't quite that expensive.

ARod has been center stage in some important moments over the years but it's time to move on. He knows he is on borrowed time and says he would be "at peace" with the Yankees cutting him and I believe him. At 40 years old he knows his playing days are coming to an end. It may be best for both his sake and the franchise to say goodbye at the end of the season....and there is nothing wrong with that.

 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
  Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

COULD THE YANKEES BUY WHILE SELLING?

 

I know. This may sound a little strange and may not make a lot of sense. But give me a minute to make my case. 

 

As of right now the Yankees roster, including their rather anemic offense and questionable starting pitching, is not a top notch team. The Yankees do have some pieces to trade and/or release and if that were to happen, they could actually be a better ball club August 1st than they are right now.

The biggest discussion regarding the Bombers over the past few months has been whether they decide to sell or not. Most believe they should but it’s been reported Randy Levine and Hal Steinbrenner aren’t sold yet. Let me explain my side here…

 

The obvious trade chips include Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran. Beyond those there has seemingly been interest in Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and I’m sure some of their younger guys and guys like Brett Gardner. 

 

 

If they were to make some transactions they could improve their current big league roster overnight.

Let’s give a hypothetical here that they trade Aroldis Chapman to the Nationals for highly touted pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez. 

 

 

He could be injected right into the rotation. They could try and flip Carlos Beltran for another younger, close to MLB ready arm and inject another starter into the rotation, or bring up Luis Severino back up, while freeing up a roster spot for Aaron Judge once he is back 100%. If they were able to send Michael Pineda or Nathan Eovaldi to say the Rangers and pick up a couple prospects to add depth to the minors or big league roster, with potential to help the club this year and next.

 

 

There has been talk of shopping Brian McCann, which would allow the red hot Gary Sanchez to come up and contribute with the big league club. They could try and slip Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner into a deal with one of their relievers, similar to what the Red Sox did a few years back with Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. 

 

 

That could allow Ben Gamel a chance or whomever they may acquire to come and get some reps in the outfield, making the team younger and provide some much needed energy.

 

 

Another solution could be to release the likes of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez and eat the rest of their contracts which would apparently guarantee Rob Refsnyder more at bats and free up a roster spot for a minor leaguer, say Gary Sanchez, or Aaron Judge, or some other youngster they either acquire in a trade or who deserves a shot to prove his worth in the big leagues.

Not all of these scenarios will happen. Actually none of them could happen! But the team could be, in my opinion, a stronger overall MLB team than it is now by getting younger, hungrier, more athletic and more versatile while having younger, livelier arms in the rotation.

 

As of this moment, as I write this, no one seems to know what the Yankees will do over the next week or so. What I do know is I sure want to see a younger Yankees team. They may take some lumps along the way but it would be a good start for the future.

The current roster just won’t cut it overall, despite their recent winning streak. So maybe, just maybe, the Yankees could buy, by selling. What do you think? Comment and let us know.

 

 

--Dan Lucia, BYB Senior Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @DManLucia

  

IT'S OFFICIAL: CHISOX LAND FRAZIER IN A 3 WAY DEAL

We wanted to wait until we got official word on that Todd Frazier trade from the other day.  Well, it's complete and here you have it...

Todd Frazier is packing his bags in Cincinnati and heading to the Chicago’s South Side. The White Sox landed the third baseman as part of a three-way trade with the Reds and the Dodgers.

In exchange for Frazier, the Sox deal second baseman Micah Johnson, outfielder Trayce Thompson, and pitcher Frankie Montas to the Dodgers.

(In Photo: Jose Peraza)
The Dodgers are sending infielder Jose Peraza and outfielders Scott Scheduler and Brandon Dixon to the Reds.

David Schoenfield at ESPN notes that the acquisition of Frazier (who hit .255 with 35 home runs) gives the Sox an upgrade at the hot corner:

  
“In the end, the White Sox -- as they do -- decided to try and compete in 2016, trying to build around Chris Sale and Jose Abreu while they are in their primes. Frazier and Lawrie aren't necessarily solutions to their OBP issues (second-worst in the American League) but should provide more power to a lineup that ranked last in the AL in home runs and runs.”

The Dodgers add three young prospects to their roster and are again see their cup overrun with outfielders with the addition of Thompson. With Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier perpetually on the trade block, the boys in blue could finally dump some contract-heavy baggage this off-season.


    
--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist &
Los Angeles Dodger fan
Twitter:  @heylexyg





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DISPATCHES FROM LA LA LAND

I have a friend named Alexis Garcia.  She's a huge baseball fan and one of my very good friends.  Well, she writes for Bleeding Yankee Blue now and I couldn't be happier.  Alexis will take the "Eye on MLB" beat and will be bringing you a unique perspective from different teams around the Major Leagues.  

She starts today ladies and gentlemen. Welcome her to the BYB family!  -Casey

You know you’re season is going off the rails when good news gets overshadowed by comments made by your 86-year-old former manager.

That’s exactly the position the Dodgers found themselves in this week when their ace Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound from the disabled list to deliver an 8-3 win over the Washington Nationals. For a team that has been struggling this season, Kershaw’s return signified an opportunity to rebound from a horrendous road trip and get back on the winning track.

Instead, the story this week was Tommy Lasorda. The former Dodgers skip told a local Florida station that he was “not surprised” by Donald Sterling’s remarks and that he hoped V. Stiviano would get “hit by a car.”



I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I can’t imagine the Dodgers’ brass (including Magic Johnson) were none too pleased about Tommy getting involved in the Sterling controversy. A controversy that has nothing to do with winning baseball games.

The Lasorda comments are just one example of the diversions that have plagued the organization at the start of the season.

From Donald Sterling, to a nasty cable dispute, to Puig-mania, the team just can’t seem to get it’s focus back to the business of baseball.

This wasn’t supposed to be that kind of season for the Dodgers.

After shelling out $269.8 million, the team surpassed the Yankees as the highest paid in all of Major League Baseball. The investment was a gesture to fans by the new Dodger management to show that they were serious about bringing a championship back to Los Angeles. But it seems as if someone forgot to tell the team that being expensive doesn’t automatically gain you entry into the World Series. (A fact Yankees fans know all too well.)

In addition to having the largest payroll in baseball, the Dodgers have also emulated the Yanks by launching their own national cable network. But thanks to carriage disputes, most ardent Dodgers fans can’t even watch their home team play on television.

Even the sensational rookie Yasiel Puig—who has been productive in the Dodgers lineup—has caused some early headaches for the Boys in Blue. Off-season arrests for reckless driving and undisciplined play have irked fellow players (it was reported that teammates called a team meeting with Puig in Spring Training to get him under control) and frustrated fans who see star potential in the young Cuban athlete. Of course, the L.A. media loves all of this and uses every Puig misstep as evidence of the growing dysfunction in the Dodger locker room.

This is the context in which the Dodgers are playing. A listless team in a season of distraction. And it’s reflecting in their performance.

At 19-17, the Dodgers winning percentage just barely hovers above .500—with seven of those wins coming against the last place Diamondbacks. They’re off to one of their worst home starts ever since moving to Los Angeles. And though the team is under performing in the W column, they are dominating the National League in terrible fielding with a high of 33 errors.

While their defense leaves something to be desired, the Dodger’s hitting has been inconsistent at best. Big-time (and highly paid) sluggers like Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Carl Crawford are still trying to find their groove in the batter’s box.

Watching the Dodgers play, you just can’t help but feel that they are going through the motions. And I’m sure it’s an issue Don Mattingly addressed in his recent private locker room session with the team. The season is still early and the Dodgers historically have shown to be a better team after the All-Star break, but it’s a lot of money to be spending for mediocrity.

As I mentioned before, it takes more than just a big payroll to win championships. If the Dodgers hope to be the Yankees of the West, they are going to have to show a little more consistency in the clutch and a lot more heart to overcome early setbacks.

Last year, it was Puig that stepped up to lead the Dodgers to the off-season. Who is going to be their spark plug this year?

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



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GUESS WHERE GREG GOLSON JUST SIGNED?

Give credit to Greg Golson, a former New York Yankee and a good soldier while he was in the Bronx.  According to the Milwaukee Brewers, Golson just signed a minor league deal with their club:

Brewers have signed OF Greg Golson to a minor lg contract
— Brewers Player Dev (@BrewersPD) January 13, 2014

Now, I ask you. What was your favorite Greg Golson moment? Mine was September 15, 2010. Carl Crawford was rounding second, heading the third and Golson from right field chucked a dart to ARod to get him out and to end the game!



I'll never forget that play!

Good luck Greg!

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MATTINGLY WILL ALWAYS BE OUR CAPTAIN... BUT NOT TONIGHT

Yes, Derek Jeter is our Yankee captain, but there is something quite comforting about Don Mattingly, and there always will be, at least to me. He was a true Yankee leader and should have probably won a ring during his time in pinstripes if it wasn't for his bad back.  He was only a New York Yankee in his baseball career… until he became the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  To me, that may be the strangest visual ever!

Sure, Yankees move on, but in my head, it was never supposed to be Don Mattingly. No, he was only to be in pinstripes and never in another uniform.  Sure, if given an opportunity to stay in this great game of baseball, you move on and Mattingly did and when the Dodgers called, it was an opportunity to shine again.  In the back of my mind, I often think about what it would be like if Mattingly were our manager.  Who knows what type of job he would do for us, but it would have been nice I believe.  That’s not a swipe at Joe Girardi, I like him there, and he won the job fair and square… I do think about it though.

It seems like 3 weeks ago or more that Ken Rosenthal reported that a “source” thought Donnie would be fired as Dodgers manager because they just couldn’t get it together this season. Read GUESS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO DON MATTINGLY?  The thinking was, the Dodgers gave Donnie every tool he needed to win, and they just weren’t winning.  I have always believed that it doesn’t matter who the manager is, a team of just veterans will never win because they are set in their ways.  You have guys like Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez... and all veterans combined is just a recipe for “sameness” and “non-change.”  Sure, the Dodgers have mixed in a few GREAT youngsters, but they need to also mix in alittle momentum and then, then you have something. But it takes time!  Throw in a hungry manager like Mattingly with the will to win and yes, there you have it....but not overnight... eventually. Brass need patience sometimes.  Dodgers brass and all brass for that matter believe that buying veteran guys with talent automatically ensures a championship… that’s not the case and I believe that.

Don Mattingly is a smart manager, he’s a baseball guy and he can mold his club into competitors.  When the Dodgers aren’t playing the Yankees, I root for Donnie.  When they are, then Donnie is just another manager. That being said, how do you NOT love Donnie Baseball.

Mattingly is coming to the Yankee stadium for a 2 game series starting today.  The games will be competitive and every newspaper around the country has billed this as "the Return of Mattingly" and “Payback” or something.  Sure, the Yankees need to win, but to them, it’s just a game. They aren’t reading the papers and they sure aren’t looking to “beat” Mattingly.  There will be hugs and joking on the field, it’s going to be a great reunion with our former captain, but the game still needs to be played and someone needs to lose.  For us Yankee fans, after the joking and smiling we need to put our game faces on and run the Dodgers over like a truck with no brakes… because in the end… that’s the game.

When it’s all over, I’ll see Donnie as a Yankee again, our captain, our leader of the 80’s… but for now, it’s GAME ON!  Welcome back to the Bronx Donnie Baseball… get ready to lose… Go Yanks!

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SOMETIMES THE BEST DEALS ARE THE ONES NOT MADE

There is no question that this has been one of the quietest off-seasons in recent memory for the Yankees. No major multi-year, multi-million dollar free agent signings, no blockbuster trades. We lost a few players that were fan favorites, and we re-signed a few key players, but nothing earth shattering. As Yankee fans, we are not used to this. We measure the success of our off-season by the number of times we make the back page of the paper, or the number of minutes spent by sports radio talk-show hosts on the latest additions to the roster. The question is - is this inactivity really a bad thing? Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make.

Back in 2008, the Yankees were in a state of turmoil. For the first time since 1994, the Yankees did not make it to the playoffs.  Many expected heads to roll, and the Yankees certainly went on a shopping spree. The major acquisitions were CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher.  It is obvious that the Yankees were looking at Sabathia and Burnett as franchise players, signing them to 7 year and 8 year deals respectively for upwards of $20M per year. Fortunately, both players have been incredibly productive, and no one questions their salaries. The Yankees signed Burnett to a 5-year deal for $82M. Maybe the shorter term reflected the Yankees concern about his durability, but everyone agrees that it was still too long. Sure, he was a cornerstone of the postseason campaign in 2009. Nevertheless, was that worth signing him for the additional four years? Hindsight is 20/20, as they say, and the answer is obviously no.

Now look at some deals the Yankees did not make in that and other recent off-seasons  In need of an additional outfielder after 2008, the rumors started about the Yankees pursuing Manny Ramirez. He ended up signing a 2-year deal for $45M. Over that time, he hit about .290, never breaking past 20 homers in either season, and created lots of drama. The Dodgers finally gave up on him and he finished out his contract in Chicago. Was that worth $22.5M per year?

How about Carl Crawford's 7-year $142M contract? Did the Red Sox get their $20M worth when Crawford hit .255 with 11 homers in 2011, or when he played just 31 games before needing surgery in 2012? I could talk about Barry Zito's 7-year $126M contract and contrast that with his spectacularly mediocre performance since signing it. The list goes on and on.

Look, I am not saying that every long-term big-money deal will go bad. But for every Sabathia and Teixeira deal, there is a Burnett and Crawford deal to match. Many major league teams, including the Yankees, are starting to take notice. Simple logic tells you that these deals are fraught with danger. Let us say a 30-year old superstar files for free agency and wants an 8-year, $200M deal. Furthermore, let us say that he has a great first year in that contract. Do we really believe that he will be just as worth the $25M in the year when he turns 37, as he was when he was 30?  Never mind the risk of injury. With the threat of the luxury tax being ever-present, every year that a team pays these extravagant salaries is a year that they are less financially capable of acquiring new talent.

I do not want to jump on the Alex Rodriguez bandwagon too much, but when we see that kind of drop in productivity, with that kind of financial obligation for that long of a period, it handcuffs the team.

So, going back to the Yankees, maybe a quiet off-season is not such a bad thing. I certainly think they have issues to address if they are going to have a successful year. However, maybe trimming the budget is a good thing in the long run. Maybe being in a better position to acquire talent in 2014, when the free agent market looks to be richer than in recent years, is a good thing for the Yankees. For my part, I believe the team will make the adjustments needed during the course of the season to have a successful run. I am just not afraid of the quiet as some might be.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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THE PRESSURE NOW FALLS ON MATTINGLY

"If we lose, we're failures."

That quote above came from Dodgers manager and Yankee Icon, Don Mattingly. This is a guy that played for George Steinbrenner, a guy who never played for second place. George has been quoted saying "Second place is really first place loser." also been quoted as saying . Randy Levine, has been quoted as saying "When you don't win the World Series, it is a bitter disappointment."  Our captain Derek Jeter was brought through the same farm system as Don Mattingly was before him and subscribes to the same mentality.  They speak the same way because they grew up the Yankee way... and so do we, so I get Mattingly and his important quote. The Dodgers made big moves with guys like Hanley Ramirez and Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford during the season, and Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu now.  They have plenty of money and their eye on the prize.

The Yankee way has been pounded into our players heads for years and us fans follow the philosphy. We love our Yankees, but we love them to win the whole damn thing. That's why 1996 through 2000 were so damn special. The only downside was Don Mattingly never won a ring with us and now, the Dodgers have handed him the keys to win it all next season...no pressure right?

Mattingly needs a ring, the Dodgers have the dough to give him all the parts he needs to do it. No doubt a few years under his belt as a manager have made him more experienced and while I rarely root for another club, I root for Don Mattingly and always will.

I often wonder about if Donnie's back didn't crap out on him, if he would have been part of that 1996 team, or even maybe 1998, you never know. Nothing against Tino Martinez, but as Yankee fans, everybody feels for Mattingly...Everybody.

Well, now he has his chance in another shade of blue, and with the same type of make-up of talent that the Yankees used to pull off in the offseason. Look, the Dodgers have a shot. And Donnie's right saying what he said to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, HERE, if they don't win it all, with the talent they have, the season will be a true failure. Unfortunately, as a manager, it will all fall down on Donnie and he'll be to blame. Is it fair? No. No one needs that.

Hey look... Maybe it will work out in our favor. Maybe if things don't work out OR they do in Dodgertown, it will be right about the time Joe Girardi ends his contract in the Bronx. Then, maybe Donnie comes back to New York to manage our club. I see it now... Donnie Baseball's the Manager, Jorge Posada's the bench coach, Derek Jeter is the hitting coach. The pitching coach is Andy Pettitte and 1st and 3rd base coaches are Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera.  It's like the band never broke up...or maybe this is all just wishful thinking.

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SHOULD THE YANKS BE SUITORS OR SPOILERS FOR TORII HUNTER?

There has been a ton of talk about the Yankees maybe making a play at Torii Hunter.  Then again, the Yankees have an offer out to Nick Swisher. Oh yeah...and the Yankees also have a guy like Ichiro Suzuki waiting in the wings. In other words, there are options.

But let's not forget one team revving up to make a comeback in 2013...the Boston Red Sox.  The Sox have shown some interest in Hunter, that's if you read WEEI. Hunter and David Ortiz are apparently friends... who knew?  Read that HERE. Hunter said: "I'm open to anybody, especially if David is there...David is one of my guys. We were roommates in Minnesota and he's one of my brothers.”

So what does that mean? Ultimately... nothing.  Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia were tight in Cleveland, but Lee wasn't exactly "moving in" with CC in the Bronx when the opportunity arose.  Sure, Hunter and Ortiz could reunite like they did in Minnesota, but baseball is about business first, friendships are second.

But there is another scenario in all of this as well... The Yankees being the spoiler here.  If the Yankees truly DON'T want Torii Hunter, it's my opinion that they shouldn't show their hand. Instead, they should do what they brilliantly did with Carl Crawford when he was in his Free Agent year.  Cashman met with Carl, and in the end, he drove up the price, read HERE. The Red Sox bit and ended up on the bad end of one of the worst signings in Red Sox history. Crawford was hurt and also couldn't handle the pressure of a big market team.  Not to mention that Carl Crawford is now a Los Angeles Dodger. I think it's safe to say that the Yankees were apart of that mess...the spoiler worked then, but can it work again?

Look, I'm not dismissing Hunter's talents, I like the guy, but I do wonder if maybe Ichiro Suzuki isn't a better option. Sure Suzuki's power is tiny compared to Hunter, but his ability to get on base is huge.  Plus, he has plenty of Gold Gloves, just like Hunter, and we may be able to get Ichiro a hell of alot cheaper. After all, that's Cashman's plan and staying within his framework, Ichiro is the right guy.

But what if the Yankees were serious suitors for Hunter and could they be? What would they offer? What would Hunter take? All are great questions, I just don't have the answers. Anyway, you can read another Torii Hunter opinion from Jeana Bellezza's piece titled WHY TORII HUNTER MAKES SENSE.  A great piece you need to check out!

And let's have a vote, what the hell, right? Who do you want to see in right field for the Yankees in 2013? You can vote on the top right of BleedingYankeeBlue.com's homepage.  Do it and once the results are concluded, we'll write about it.  Have fun.

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SABATHIA & TEIXEIRA TO THE DODGERS? HELL NO

I don't normally like writing about what already didn't happen, meaning a story that came out today that suggested that the Yankees got a call from the Los Angeles Dodgers asking about the availability of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira but then moved on to the Sox. Joel Sherman of the New York Post had that story, read HERE and it's a great piece today, but we already know the Dodgers have Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Punto and Carl Crawford and what's done is done.

Sure, we can imagine what could have happened, but that doesn't do any good after the fact. Look, the Dodgers probably knew the answer from Yankee brass would be "No", but I guess if you are trying to steal a page from the Steinbrenner playbook (Read HERE), you make that call, who wouldn't I guess.

Sherman writes: "...what led to a phone conversation with the Yankees about Sabathia (four years at $99 million left after this season) and Teixeira (four years, $90 million left after this season). The Yanks told Dodgers executives they had no interest in moving either."

But this is the best part, and totally shatters my theory about the Yankees wanting Alex Rodriguez to be the all-time home run champion in pinstripes (WHY THERE'S A PLAN FOR ALEX RODRIGUEZ)...Sherman suggests that the Yankees could have tried to push ARod on them, check it out:

"However, the more interesting concept is Alex Rodriguez. Now there are no signs the Dodgers were interested in A-Rod. Ramirez is playing short now, but they view him as their long-term third baseman with the currently injured Dee Gordon at short. And it is not hard to find executives who think A-Rod would not hold up as an everyday third baseman in the DH-less NL.

But, if nothing else, this episode should dissuade us from using the word “untradeable” to describe any contract. In Crawford, for example, the Dodgers just took on a player who recently underwent Tommy John surgery and, thus, is no lock to be ready for next season. Crawford was miserable under a microscope in a big city in Boston. He will not play for the Dodgers this year and has five years at $102.5 million left after this season.

By comparison A-Rod has five years at $114 million left after this season, has a fading body and is a polarizing figure. Plus, he is six years older than Crawford.

Nevertheless, you could make a case for a Yankees-Dodgers winter deal involving A-Rod..."

Whatever the case, the Yankees are in a pennant race, they're not trading away the Monster and Tex, although it's flattering I guess if you're those guys. But I think ultimately the Yanks and CC and Teixeira genuinely like each other. Alex? Well, let's just say Sherman's right...there is a case for moving Alex.  Me personally? I know his contract is ridiculous and many can't stand him, but I like Alex in the Bronx...but I really REALLY want to see this guy hot in New York... and I feel like it's never going to happen.

Great piece Joel Sherman.

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