Now that the results of Alex Rodriguez's appeal have been released, the Yankees' relationship to the 2014 luxury tax is somewhat clearer. Their balance so far is about $151.5MM, via Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. That figure does not include arbitration-eligible players and other costs, including insurance as well as in-season player promotions. Here are more notes on Rodriguez's suspension, which now covers the entire 2014 regular season and postseason.
- Even though he is not allowed to play in 2014, A-Rod still plans to attend Spring Training, tweets ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews, who cites sources close to A-Rod who believe the Yankees can't prevent him from doing so.
- Major League Baseball has not yet said what it thinks about Rodriguez attending spring training, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets.
- A-Rod's suspension could end his career, Sherman writes. He won't be eligible to play again until he's 39, and he'll have been away from MLB action for the better part of two seasons. If the Yankees were to let him go, it's questionable whether any other team would pick him up, even at the minimum salary, given the "carnival" that surrounds him.
If arod wants to go why not let him? Be a great coach for their younger players. If he wants to coach a minor league squad let him do that as well.
So the youngsters are well educated on how to work around loopholes at a young age.
Just like McGwire. There is quite a bit that these players can teach young players steroids or not. Arod is still one of the best players of our generation.
He started taking steriods in high school,we dont know his real ability. Maybee he will die at 42 like the WWE stars on roids…
pure speculation.
Its mentioned in Alex Rodriguez: The Many lives of Alex Rodriguez written by Selena Roberts
Where is that evidence?? He admitted to using while he was I. Texas that’s it.
and i’m sure we should take his word for it.
Steroids don’t turn bad players into good ones. Just ask Freddie Galvis.
yes because one case proves everything. sounds like solid science.
The Yankees have young players?
A-Rod joins his mates in Spring Training. This is a guy who seems to have a hard time staying away from the cameras. Couldn’t he just issue a press release every few days, and maybe be seen at various nightclubs and concerts with famous dates?
He is trying to make it as difficult as possible for Selig. Selig really has it out for him, so he is just giving payback.
I’m no fan of Bud. He has a track record of cronyism. But the owners clearly like what he’s done to their bottom lines.
why stop there..what about “dancing with the stars” ?
wasted at bats that could be used on developing other players.
I don’t even care anymore. The MLB always says they will do something drastic with the players who ruin the integrity of the game and put a mark on every single player in the game. I am very disappointed with how the MLB handles these. You get kick out of baseball from being accused of betting and gambling on the game but when you actually cheat to get a head above everyone else you get a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again. Braun, Rodriguez, Colon, and others who have recently cheated need to be banned from baseball for taking the sport away from the others.
This is a *$25 million dollar* slap on the wrist.
The integrity of the game? The game was saved from the 94 strike by steroids. McGuire and Sosa! The Chase for 61!
Yeah everyone forgets that. And te selig could have stopped it in the 90’s but choose to turn a blind eye for his benefit.
The Major League Baseball Players Association is just as guilty of keeping steroids in the game since it would have taken the MLBPA and MLB working together to try and eliminate them which obviously didn’t happen right away
Owners, players, press, managers… it was a conspiracy on all sides. But only the players seem to be paying the price.
It does because the price the players pay is more visible than any price the teams may pay
No one seemed interested in keeping Tony LaRussa out of the Hall of Fame.
I suppose NOBODY was watching Cal Ripken’s record chase before the roid war in 1998, right?
I don’t remember people tuning in every night to see if Cal played. It was a given he was playing every night. news was when he stopped.
Not nearly as many people as were watching the chase for 61.
What I really want to hear now is for current players to speak up in favor of the decision and call for even stronger penalties for “cheating”, however you might define that.
Some players did speak up when the suspensions for the other players were officially announced and I wouldn’t be shocked if the penalties do get tougher in the near future
people on the inside gambling on the games has the ability to hurt the integrity of competition 100x more than PED use.
Amphetamines have been used for far longer, and are just as much a performance enhancer…. Lets ban anyone who has use greenies!
that’s why all those guys were shattering homerun records by the handful.
Its not even close to the same enhancement. Its completely different drugs.
Betting on the game is *MUCH* worse than using PEDs. Don’t even try to elevate gambler’s to A-Rod’s level.
Why not include the assumed insurance and pension costs stated in the article? If 151 is really 162, why make the reader forage for reality?
It’s not set in stone. 162 isn’t reality. It could be worded a bit better, that’s where they stand now.
Arod is suspended a full season and will still be making headlines during spring training
Now it’s a game of cat and mouse. Yankees want A-Rod to retire and give up the money, while A-Rod wants them to cut him so he still gets all the money.
Alex Rodriguez deserves to attend Spring Training and be there with his teammates.
He also does not deserves the 162 Game Suspension. Need to see further evidence.
Even if it meant not getting Tanaka, the Yankees shouldn’t escape this contract. Fair.
I agree that 162 games is ridiculous given the lack of evidence provided, but while A-Rod can attend spring training he should not for the sake of his teammates.
For the sake of his teammates, he does make the Yankees a better team when on the field. It’s the media’s choice to make him and this entire situation into a circus spectacle — see Tim Tebow situation.
Right, but he can not be on the field and would only bring unwanted attention when his teammates are trying their best to prepare for the upcoming season.
But is also good if he can put substantial time in ST. Since he still has several years left, it is best if he can keep in shape.
True, however I doubt the Yankees would put him in any spring training games other than possibly intra-squad games.
I take it from your post you ar not a jets fan, yet are a NYY fan since Rodriquez has been a bad boy for over 10 years?
Alex Rodriguez never failed a drug test as “bad” as he may be, I’d like to see proof that warrants a 162 game suspension. For steroid usage he had been suspended a total of 0 times. The only evidence I see in this is that it helps the Yankees escape an albatross contract they handed out to begin with. Unless we have detailed evidence revealed, I’m siding with Arod because from what I know the MLB has paid known criminals to access under the table information. Also, I’m a New York Giants fan.
He reportedly failed a 2003 drug test, but all of the players were promised anonymity before taking it, so theoretically that evidence could get thrown out in a court of law
1) Information is information regardless of the source. 2) Rodriguez reportedly tried to buy the same evidence solely so that MLB could not have it, therefore it must have been good evidence. 3) From all reports, had this been an actual police investigation, Rodriguez would have been arrested, charged, tried, and convicted for obstruction of justice. 4) You will never see proof because it is not your right to see it. This was essentially a private employment matter subject to negotiated evidence rules between employer and employee. The best thing for everyone (fans, Yankees, MLB) would be for ARod’s ego to actually go to a legitimate court of law to try and get the suspension overturned. Then, everyone would get to see, under oath and penalty of perjury, what a lying fraud ARod is and even if by some legal technicality he might win something, his reputation that he values so highly would be ruined. THAT would be the best thing that has happened to baseball in quite some time.
A-Rod already said he plans to take this to a Federal Court so we may see the evidence
I say we should compromise – A-Rod will be suspended for 162 games and the Yankees will have it counted against their cap. Win-win
Ridiculous ideas aren’t exactly win-win friendly.
What was A-Rod doing associating with known criminals when he has access to the best trainers, doctors, and nutritionists to help him
the argument that he never failed a test is pretty weak. a lot of guys never failed a test. doesn’t mean they were clean. that’s why they went to such great lengths to conceal it.
The evidence is clearly there if an independent arbitrator determined 162 was appropriate. We may never see the evidence due to confidentiality agreements unless it ends up in Federal Court
Evidence wasn’t released to the public per player’s union and MLB contract. So how can we say there was or wasn’t enough evidence?
We probably won’t see the evidence unless A-Rod can get a Federal Court to hear his case which seems unlikely since they don’t like to infringe on things that have been collectively bargained like the Arbitration Process that upheld a majority of A-Rod’s suspension
Is the long national nightmare over? Can this turbo-charge the Tanaka bidness now?
The Spring Training talk is nothing but defiant noise. What goal does Rodriguez’s attendance at spring training fulfill unless his suspension is overturned? The training period is for roster makeup for the 2014 season, prepping the ML staff to open and to slate minor leaguers for their destinations. None of this activity pertains to Rodriguez. It’s just grandstanding on his part.
Is better if he can get some ab this season, than sitting out the entire season, and then trying to comeback.
If the suspension holds, one ST session’s worth of at bats followed by sitting out an entire season won’t give him one single iota of advantage when 2015 rolls around…
Just because he shows up at spring training doesn’t mean the Yankees have to allow him to take part in team activities.
I’m sure it’s just for more publicity, which unfortunately is not needed by MLB. This whole thing is a shame for the sport at large and it’s not going to go away for a long time. Not really the best way to reach out to the younger generation who’s swayed by NFL and nba.
It seems that 162 is MLB’s payback for Balco
AF is gonna sign him to a one year deal when he comes back lol
I’m not a fan of Arod’s. I am a fan of fair labor practices and this just isn’t one of those cases. On the one hand a deceitful manipulative Ryan Braun is given a 65 game suspension for his second offense, while Arod though he has admitted using steroids, when he did so MLB chose not to suspend him, then when they are trying to help the Yankees shed payroll, they hit him with a ridiculous suspension and to you Mr.Horowitz shame on you! Sorry as much as I think Arod is not a good guy, I also understand fair labor practices and MLB is full of beans on this case.
How is it crazy?? MLB still treats cheats with kid-gloves. WADA has a four year ban for doping! If you cheat in ANY sport you are banned multiple years.
Melky creates fake website get 50 games, Arod “cover up” 162 games?
You do realize the Olympics only occur every 4 years right?
You get a 4 game, yes game, suspension in football. That’s 1/4 of the season. 50 games is roughly 1/3 of the entire season. So who has the weaker rules in reality?
WADA rules aren’t designed just around the Olympics. Athletes do compete outside of the Olympics you know? Everything from Diamond Leagues to World Championships and in between.
No didn’t realize, like most Americans I couldn’t care less about any of that.
Great post. The punishment didn’t fit the crime in this case. Especially considering the Ryan Braun’s & Melky Cabrera’s of the world.
Ryan Braun may have gotten a longer suspension had he tried to fight it but realized it would be better to just take the 65 Games and be done with it instead. That is something we’ll never truly know since the evidence against Ryan Braun is sealed and the case is closed
What we need to know is not available. If he did in fact use PEDS, then there’s a penalty for that, and likeable guy or not, that’s what he should have received. But the full palate of A-Rod’s offenses is not known–we only have rumors. I will say that I’m not thrilled with the idea of A-Rod buying up evidence. That really distorts the process, That lessens whatever sympathy I might otherwise have had.
Braun’s first offense didn’t count since it was overturned by an arbitrator. If baseball didn’t have any evidence against A-Rod then there wouldn’t be a suspension. The evidence against A-Rod is sealed due to confidentiality agreements between MLB and the MLBPA and it will stay that way unless Alex Rodriguez takes this to Federal Court which he has said that he will
I imagine Arod will be tending a lot of Red Sox games this season… just to tick off Levine.
Arod, please go away!
He has cheated HIS WHOLE CAREER. Kick him out of sports period.
What is shocking to me as a Yankee fan is seeing a payroll at 151.5 million dollars. ROFL, that should be bumped by the end of January to its more familiar numbers. 🙂
All this does is get the Yankees out from under a year of a really bad contract. It’s just MLB taking care of its most powerful owner. They sign a PED-o-file to a back-loaded contract, ride him through his prime, then have him suspended for the bad years.
Sure it helps them save some cash this year. But do you really think the best thing for an already declining player is to go without playing baseball a full year?
I think next year the yankees settle with him and he retires.
The contract was neither back loaded nor rode him through his prime…
So I wonder what the real number is …
— This list is missing Wells and his $2M+ salary.
— It doesn’t include arbitration which looks like it will be right around $18M.
— Throw in another $5M or so for those that earn league minimum.
That puts them right around $176M. Not low enough to sign Tanaka AND avoid the luxury tax but at least they won’t pay much since they will be barely be over.
Losing A-Rod’s salary is a great thing for the club but they now have a gaping hole at 3rd. Kelly Johnson? No team that has a payroll nearing $200M should be using Kelly Johnson as their starting 3rd baseman.
My advice – blow through the luxury tax. Sign Drew to play 3rd and add Tanaka to your rotation (or if you want to save $5-7M/year go for Jimenez/Santana). The draft picks are meaningless since you brought in Ellsbury and Beltran already. Drew can play 3rd this season and move over to short next when Jeter retires. A-Rod then can assume 3rd again or if he is done you can bring in someone else. You’ll be $20M or so over the threshold but that’s not too bad considering the past and the team will be significantly better.
You’ll probably be spending more if you sign Jimenez and Santana. Don’t forget the Yankees lose a Draft Pick for signing Brian McCann
It looks like A-Rod is done as a Yankee, next year they will try and sign free agents Ramirez and Headley to play short and third.
Wishful thinking but Hanley is negotiating an extension with the Dodgers. I think getting Asdrubal Cabrera to fill the gap makes sense seeing that he could be available from Cleveland
All these PED users have skills too bad they decided to use PED’s when they don’t even need them. Try hitting a 95 mph fastball.
Probably one of the shadiest moments in MLB’s history and I’m not even talking about Rodriguez himself. This whole situation, the investigation, the stolen documents, paying for said documents in cash, Bud Selig’s non appearance, all of it is just bizarre. I personally cannot wait until Selig is gone, he is a bigger fraud than any of the players involved with PEDs.