Rumor: Yanks, Marlins Talk A-Rod Trade

[MiamiHomer]

Exclusive: Yanks, Marlins Talk A-Rod Trade

The New York Yankees have held discussions with the Miami Marlins about a trade involving their third baseman in crisis, Alex Rodriguez.

Sources close to both organizations confirm the Yankees would pay all – or virtually all – of the $114,000,000 Rodriguez is owed in a contract that runs through the rest of this season and the next five. One alternative scenario has also been discussed in which the Yankees would pay less of Rodriguez’s salary, but would obtain the troubled Marlins’ reliever Heath Bell and pay what remains of the three-year, $27,000,000 deal Bell signed last winter.

None of the sources could give an indication as to how serious the discussions have already gotten, but one of them close to the Marlins’ ownership said he believed the trade made sense for both sides, and would eventually be made in some form.

Not only are the Yankees one loss away from elimination in the American League Championship Series (and as of this writing, one loss away from an ignominious sweep), but in the post-season Rodriguez is just 3-for-23 with twelve strikeouts, has been pinch-hit for twice, and was left out of one of the Division Series games against Baltimore entirely. He last homered on September 14, and has only one extra base-hit and six RBI in the 24 games since that date.

Rodriguez has become a Gordian Knot for the Yankees. As the roster grows old and the farm system is in a fallow period for position players, the Steinbrenner family wants to reduce payroll, not increase it. And while the precise salary numbers are not known, Rodriguez is scheduled to earn approximately $28 million next year, $23 million in 2014, $22 million in 2015, $21 million in 2016, and $20 million in 2017 – when he will be 42 years old. His physical fragility and declining power now make him just slightly less valuable than the average American League third baseman (by one calculation, Rodriguez’s WAR number – “wins above replacement player” – was 2.0, seventeenth best among Major League third basemen, just behind obscure rookie Luis Cruz of the Dodgers).

Nevertheless, paying Rodriguez $114 million not to play for them would seem to be against the new – cheaper – thinking at Yankee Stadium.

But to a Marlins’ franchise facing financial calamity after the failure of its combination of splashy free agent signings, a high-profile new manager, and a brand new downtown stadium, a “free” Alex Rodriguez has serious upside. He grew up in the community, owns an incredibly high-priced home there that he has been unable to move, and might be refreshed by both the release from the New York cauldron, and a possible move from third base to first base with his new club. Such a position change would be blocked in New York by the presence of first baseman Mark Teixeira and the club’s self-perceived need to rotate the aging Yankee regulars in the Designated Hitter spot.

The degree to which the cauldron was heating up was underscored by a dubious story in Tuesday’s New York Post, which claimed Rodriguez was trying to get the phone numbers of two women seated behind the Yankee dugout during Saturday’s American League Championship Series opener by utilizing the age-old athlete trick of having autographed baseballs delivered to them.

This followed last week’s episode in which tv game show host Donald Trump – tweeting last Wednesday from a team-provided freebie seat in a Yankee Stadium suite – also heated up the cauldron by resuming his online attacks on Rodriguez. Trump invoked Rodriguez’s admission of steroid use during his time with the Texas Rangers by using the more generic and damning word “drugs,” and admitted he had a personal animus towards Rodriguez dating back to what had also tweeted were “dishonorable dealings with me on an apartment deal.”

Trump was sitting in the team suite at Yankee Stadium – on the ballclub’s dime as usual – when he tweeted this:


But the “drugs” tweet was only the culmination of a day of off-and-on attacks on Rodriguez by Trump.

Before the same game:



For more than a year the club has been aggressively retaliatory towards those – like Trump – who have invoked Rodriguez’s admission of steroid use, and others who have been critical of him in any other way. Over the past summer the team suspended team Advisor and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson for questioning what impact Rodriguez’s confession would have on the legitimacy of his career statistics. Later in the season, a Yankees’ media relations staffer bypassed a new formal appeal procedure and was heard shouting at an official scorer who had given an error to an opposing player rather than a base hit to Rodriguez. Yankees’ media relations director Jason Zillo was described in a 2011 book as being “close” to Rodriguez. In the same book Rodriguez called Zillo a “friend.” In 2011, Zillo and the Yankees had similarly tried to squelch stories about the seeming deterioration of the play of Derek Jeter.

Trump’s call for the Yankees to “terminate” Rodriguez’s contract for “misrepresentation” is not a practical solution in a time with a strong players’ union, and given the fact that in the off-season of 2007-08 the Yankees happily kept Rodriguez from leaving for free agency by giving him a new ten-year contract that ensured that his pursuit of the career home run record would come while wearing their uniform. More over, the confession came in February, 2009, and if any claim to void the contract could ever have been made, it would have been then, and not now.

The Yankees presumably are not happy with Trump’s tweets. But they are less so with Rodriguez’s vanishing adequacy. And if the Marlins provide an escape hatch – even an escape hatch costing them either $96,000,000 (if they were to swap Rodriguez for Bell) or $114,000,000 (if they just give him away, or obtain low-cost players or prospects in return for him) – the Yankees are prepared to ignore the business consequences to offload a formerly great player who with each week seems to turn into simply a more and more painful headache.

[emkayseven]

I don't buy it for a second

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

I get why the Yankees would want to dump him but how does a declining 37 year old who'd be in Miami until he's 42 help the Marlins? Who cares if he is from the Miami area and has a household name. He's way past his peak in hitting and moving him to first base still wouldn't solve the Marlins third base problem. And A-Rod playing third and 42 would be laughable.

[MiamiHomer]

If he's "free" then why the hell not, especially if it gets Bell off the team.

[DColts]

Why in the fuck would the Yankees do that? He still has some value.
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Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1

Cashman told me story that #Yankees talked to #Marlins about A-Rod is "false." when pressed and asked even 1 conversation, GM said "None."

I'm surprised that this piece of shit writer didn't start the rumor.

[MiamiHomer]

I'm not saying that Cashman isn't being truthful but why in the hell would he say they are discussing it while the team is still playing in the playoffs.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Sherman isn't the only one reporting that this is false.

@JonHeymanCBS: #yankees are not talking to the #marlins about a-rod deal yet. but ive got to think theyd love to find someone to take him.

[TheMendozaLine]

DETROIT -- What began as a casual, joking conversation between New York Yankees president Randy Levine and Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria about the possibility of Alex Rodriguez playing for the Marlins may develop into serious trade talks this offseason, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.

According to the source, Levine and Loria discussed the possibility of A-Rod playing in Miami, his hometown, but characterized it as a joke between old friends.

The conversation between the Yankees and Marlins initially was reported by Keith Olbermann on his MLB.com "Nerd Blog." Variety also reported the news.

However, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he has had no trade talks regarding Rodriguez with anyone and described the first report as "false."

According to the source, Loria said in his conversation about A-Rod with Levine, "Alex is Mr. Miami, it would be great if he played here for us."

To which Levine is said to have replied, "You can have him."

A second source with knowledge of Rodriguez' thinking said the likely only place Rodriguez eventually would accept a trade to is Miami. Rodriguez has five years and $114 million remaining on his contract, not including milestone home run bonuses.

Levine, however, refused to comment on the conversation with Loria, and when asked if he would look to shop Rodriguez in the offseason, said, "That's something we would need to discuss."

Appearing Sunday on Ian O'Connor's show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM, Levine told O'Connor the following regarding A-Rod's future as a Yankee:

"That's like one of those questions: Where's the stock market going to be in 2017? Who's going to be president on Nov. 15?" he said. "If I had a crystal ball to predict all of that stuff, I'd be a lot smarter than I am. I'm not going to go there."

Rodriguez has been marginalized in the Yankees' lineup this postseason. He is 3 for 23, including 0 for 18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handers, and repeatedly has been benched and pinch hit for in the playoffs. Rodriguez was benched for the third time this postseason in Game 4 of the ALCS on Wednesday night.

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"For all our fan base: Let's root for Alex, the contract is what it is, and he's there, and we hope he gets hot," Levine told O'Connor. "It's part of what we deal with all the time, just like any other contract."

It isn't unprecedented for Levine, along with ownership, to lead a deal. Two winters ago, the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano after Cashman had ruled out the possibility. Levine, with the backing of owner Hal Steinbrenner, brokered a deal for the right-hander.

The question that still needs to be answered is how much of the contract the Yankees would be willing to eat. The Marlins may want the Yankees to take reliever Heath Bell, who is owed $18 million over the next two years, plus has a team option for $9 million for 2015. He could have some use for the Yankees because Soriano may opt out of his contract after this season.

Bell could provide insurance for Mariano Rivera's return as the team's closer. If Rivera is fine, Bell could team with David Robertson to set up Rivera.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/stor...ns-source-says

[Valid]

Getting him basically for free would obviously be pretty cool, but I highly doubt that would be the case.
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Originally Posted by mbitcronod12

I get why the Yankees would want to dump him but how does a declining 37 year old who'd be in Miami until he's 42 help the Marlins? Who cares if he is from the Miami area and has a household name. He's way past his peak in hitting and moving him to first base still wouldn't solve the Marlins third base problem. And A-Rod playing third and 42 would be laughable.

Based on the report, the Yankees would basically be paying all of his salary. That's why the Marlins would want to do it.

[TheMendozaLine]

Well, he's owed about $6M each in "milestone bonuses" for his 660th, 714th, 755th, 762nd, and 763rd career home runs, right? So he wouldn't come entirely free. But, yeah, I'd be quite happy trading Bell for him if NY is willing to eat a large chunk of the remaining $114M.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

@JonHeymanCBS: friend: "A-Rod will "never (agree to) leave NY.'' yanks may try tho.

/Twitter

[Hugg]

I don't buy it for a second, but if they're picking up a vast majority of the deal I'm all for it.

[lou]

Well thats the question I did in the other thread. How much is he worth. Im ignoring who absorbs what money in what year, just the overall net of the deal. It's a 5 year deal over years 37-41 (birthday mid year so could say 38-42 as well). How much is A-Rod worth over those years?

40?
50?
60?
70?

[dim]

This isn't gonna happen. It would be cool to get a 3B for cheap (I'd assume Yankees take a good chunk a change in this kind of scenario) and get rid of an albatross (Bell) at the same time, but this seems like a story that is more media driven than anything else.

I'll have fun watching Donovan Solano playing 3B next season

[Hugg]

Bell's gonna be awesome next season anyway.


Now that Cousins is gone.

[Miamarlin21]

I wonder what "prospect" we'd have to give up for him. I would do Hand or Ozuna, but not much better than that. Is that fair?

[Beef]

Stop that.

[emkayseven]

I would do a 3 way trade where we trade JJ to KC for Wil Myers and Mike Montgomery and flip Wil Myers to New York for Alex Rodriguez

[Erick]

Originally Posted by bell_virus.exe

I would do a 3 way trade where we trade JJ to KC for Wil Myers and Mike Montgomery and flip Wil Myers to New York for Alex Rodriguez

That basically makes no sense on every level.

[Hugg]

I think he was making fun of stuff.

[Chewford]

[DColts]

I shit myself when I saw that gif.

[emkayseven]

yeah, I was definitely doing a thing

[tjfla]

Guys don't get to caught up in this ARod stuff YET

Alot of things have to happen before ARod comes to Miami however with that being said-there HAS been discussions but those discussions have been will he waive his No Trade Clause,waive his HR Milestone Bonus and how much the NYY would have to pay on his contract.

What I have heard is Yes he would waive his No Trade and modify his HR Bonus. Now on the amount the NYY would have to pay would be on what we would send them in return-Loria has reportedly said he wants between 85-100 million sent to cover the deal!!

The 85 mil is if NYY takes Heath Bell in return and the 100 mil would be if they would take Nolasco. There is NO prospects in those deals either.

[KnuckleBalls]

During the A-Rod coverage on ESPN, Buster Olney made mention that A-Rod would match up well with some of the Marlins bad contracts like Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle.

Do you think the Buehrle contract is that bad? I don't.