Scott Boras hinted today that Rodriguez may not return to the Yankees. If not, he'll be seeking about $30 million a year from another team. I hope it is the Angels.
On the one hand, why should anyone make that much money playing baseball? On that same hand, why does A-Rod need that much money? I'm not suggesting he play for free, or even for $1 million, but $30 million? How about $15 million? That will feed the family.
On the other hand, Boras thinks Andruw Jones is worth $20 mil a year, and if that's true, A-Rod's definitely worth $30 mil.
Like the five year deal he wants for Jones, Boras has grand visions of a long-term deal for A-Rod. He wants 10 years. Boras said he expects A-Rod will play until he is 46. That's a ridiculous statement. A-Rod may play that long, but who can possibly predict that any human being will perform his or her profession at a top level for the next 15 years? You can count on two hands the MLB players who were talented enough to contribute meaningfully to their teams after age 43.
Boras believes it is justified, in part, because A-Rod wants to play somewhere for a long time...the rest of his career That doesn't mean he needs a 10 year guaranteed contract. Can't he sign a five year contract with a team, then a two year contract with the same team, then another two year contract with same team and so on? It's not like A-Rod doesn't have the choice to stay with the same team if he really wants to. He could have done that with the Mariners and Rangers, and now the Yankees.
Boras did make one good point: A-Rod is likely to challenge for the all-time HR record, and that will bring people to the ballpark.
I tell you, though, I liked it better when players were excited about setting records because of the achievement and the historical significance. Now, they seem to view all-time records as revenue generators. If that keeps up, eventually no one will care about the records.
