Yankees Editorials: No Dugout Plans for Alex Rodriguez’s 660; Should There Be?

By Caleb Gebrewold | Apr 26, 2015

As we near the end of April, #660 is coming for Alex Rodriguez. Entering the season, many ridiculously doubted that he could reach the mark, and declared him done. Now anyone who has paid attention to baseball this season realizes it is not a matter of if, but instead when he will pass Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time list.

While this is a monumental milestone, the New York Yankees have still chosen to ignore it entirely, hoping that taking this route can get them out of paying the foolish bonuses they gave him for each step he takes up the leaderboard. This will make for a very awkward situation if A-Rod is to pass Mays at Yankee Stadium.

On one hand, Rodriguez is still clearly very marketable, as he is one of very few players in today’s game (and probably the only player on the Yankees) that can garner the attention of just about any baseball fan. Like him or loathe him, every A-Rod at-bat is still a show.

On the other hand, the Yankees would love to not pay him the extra money, even though they probably realize they should. The Yankees realize they need Rodriguez’s bat, there’s simply no debating that, but after A-Rod famously sued the team, they surely would love to stick it to him by not giving him the $6 million bonus.

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Rodriguez’s manager Joe Girardi has done a remarkable job of avoiding the budding controversy, not letting the situation dictate how he uses Rodriguez. While he has been able to deflect questions so far, he will be put in a tough situation, as he doesn’t want to piss off his bosses by planning an on-field or dugout moment, showing that he is not aligned with his superiors.

Girardi claims that he is unaware of what will happen:

"I don’t know what’s going to happen there. It’s hard to choreograph moments. We’ll see what happens and let the guys do what they do. My job is to manage the player and that is what I’m going to do. My job is to get the best out of Alex and I’m going to try and continue to do that."

While the Yankees refuse to list #660 as a milestone, they do list some of his other milestones, such as passing Derek Jeter on the runs scored list, and climbing up the franchise stolen base ladder. They also list some rather ridiculous things such as Didi Gregorius playing his 200th career game.

While this is by no means a knock on Gregorius and his .204 batting average, how is his 200th game more of a milestone than Rodriguez doing something only four players have done? Whether they want to pay the man or not, the Yankees look ridiculous ignoring the significance of the moment, as they are just about the only people doing that.

A-Rod may be the most hated athlete in the world, but this is a moment that will be remembered throughout history. While Girardi isn’t sure of how his players will react to their teammates milestone, by all accounts, A-Rod is very well-liked throughout the clubhouse, so they most likely will not ignore his accomplishment, regardless of his past.

As the Yankees continue to deny that 660 is a milestone, with the help of steroids or not, this is a moment in baseball history that has only happened on four other occasions, and there should be special dugout plans. The Yankees may not be thrilled by it, but it’s likely that his teammates feel the same way, and will do something to honor #13.

Next: John Kruk Thinks The Mets Will Be Better Than The Yankees For The Next Half Decade

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