What Is A-Rod in 2015?

Once upon a time Alex Rodriguez was the face of baseball. He emerged onto the scene in 1996 at the age of 20 and put together arguably one of the best seasons for someone at that age. He played in 146 games that season and put  up numbers that you would only see in a video game. His .358 batting average was enough to win him the silver slugger. Along with a strong batting average, A-Rod drove in 123 runs, scored 141, and hit 36 home runs.

He had laid the foundation for a fantastic career that was bound to end with him as a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was a franchise player who demonstrated consistency offensively and defensively.

Fast forward 18 years and Rodriguez lived up to every ounce of potential. His trophy collection consists of 10 Silver Sluggers, 14 All Star appearances, 3 MVP’s, 2 Gold Gloves, 1 World Series Ring, 4 AL Hank Aaron awards, 5 AL Home run titles, 2 RBI titles, and 1 AL Batting Championship. His stat line is just as impressive. He boasts a career .299 batting average, 322 stolen bases, .558 slugging percentage, and the eye popping total of 654 home runs. His domination of the sport led to two record breaking contracts.

However, what the numbers don’t show is the outrageous amount of controversy that has surrounded him for years. He has been the poster child for the Steroid Era and because of it has been suspended for an entire season. The gruesome details about his doping and the extent to which he went to cover it up that continue to be discovered sully his image further.

Rodriguez has also failed to meet the expectations of the 10 year, $275 million contract the Yankees inked him to in 2008. It has served as a lesson to the Yankees and others on why huge contracts are a bad idea (Marlins excluded). The team let Robinson Cano walk last offseason because of the fear of the big contract and committed money that would come his way.

However, the contract seemed genius at the time because Rodriguez was supposed to be chasing Barry Bonds‘ home run record near the end of it. The Yankees would have gotten their money back with memorabilia and ticket sales. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened.

He has barely played or contributed to be even remotely valued at the amount of his $27.5 million annual salary. His hip injuries are a whole separate issue and need their own article.

Heading in to 2015 Brian Cashman and the front office have made it very clear that A-Rod is nothing more than an every day DH. The original plan was to have Martin Prado as the every day third baseman and the signing of Chase Headley changed that and the lineup, but not the DH next to Rodriguez’s name.

At 39 going on 40, you have to wonder what is even left in the tank. There used to be a time that you would want A-Rod up in a clutch situation, and every time you heard his name you would stop what you were doing to watch. Now, you cringe when he is up at the plate and may even walk away to avoid watching.

The Yankees would part ways with him if they could and that is the fact of the matter. However, since they are trapped with this monstrosity of a contract and forced to carry him on the roster they must put him somewhere that he can’t hurt them as much. He has become more of a burden and a sideshow.