Was A-Rod's contract the most ill-advised in baseball history? The incredible part to me is that the Yankees essentially doubled down on the contract he signed with Texas, which was already crazy. It is hard to dispute that he's put up the numbers, but he's managed to do it while remaining unpopular. Remember when he was a free agent? His negotiations with the Mets broke down when his agent wanted special merchandizing rights. As I recall he wanted a tent with just his stuff. I can picture the centaur-themed merch, and the Madonna tie-ins. More importantly, he is under contract until 2017. He's 36 right now, and he is starting to sustain the sorts of injuries that older players get-- hip, calf, right now a gimpy knee. He is good enough to keep going until he's 42, but he'll be a DH for most of that time, and his power numbers are fading fast. Would the Yankees trade him at some point? Would there be a market? I'm inclined to think that the answer to the first question depends on the answer to the second, and I think the answer to the second is no. The Commissioner is looking into this poker thing, and that's not good-- gambling of any sort gets baseball all crazy, so the downside isn't just that he's getting older and losing power. There is a real possibility that a team that might be interested in an aging DH might shy away from a guy who could end his career in scandal. I don't think that there would be any team that he's already played for that would want him back. I can't see the Red Sox wanting him-- they'd be more inclined to take a pass just out of spite, to see the Yankees stuck with him.
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