WasWatching.com

I understand that signing A-Rod at 30+ million is probably a sensible business decision (maybe not as wonderful as Boras claims). However, it does not make sense in terms of improving the team's chance of winning the WS. I subscribe to the view that baseball is the sport in which "stars" make the least impact (relative to other sports). A-Rod is a great player, but look at what the Yankees got out of A-Rod in the last few postseasons. Sinking over 10% of the payroll to keep one player (albeit one amazing future HOFer) does not make "baseball" sense to me.

Chris, if the Yankees don't resign Arod do you think it will hurt their chances to get to the playoffs? You have to get to the playoffs to have a chance to win the World Series.

What does a player's % of team salary matter for a team that has a huge budget and the ability to go over it?

If the Yankees pay Arod 30 million next year and have a budget of $170 not including Arod are you thinking the 150-170 isn't enough to field a Series winning team?

Your argument that Arod won't contribute to a WS winning team has proven true so far but I don't see how it's because he's taking up a certain % of the Yankees' payroll.

I'm against extending Arod if it means his contract will go beyond 2013 because I don't think it's likely he'll be worth it at age 38 or 39. Let someone else pay for his twilight years.

"If the Yankees pay Arod 30 million next year and have a budget of $170 not including Arod are you thinking the 150-170 isn't enough to field a Series winning team?"

I would estimate that about half that figure is tied up in albatross contracts for next season (Mussina, Giambi, Pavano, Igawa, Damon). Which makes the situation less flexible than you seem to suggest. And this is yet another instance of Boras's verbal hoodoo. Attendance has been trending upward for all of baseball over the past several seasons. Does EVERY team have increased attendance because of A-Rod? I really dislike this man, but I'm afraid that it does say something about A-Rod (his character, not his ability as a player) that he's okay with a character like Boras being his representative and mouthpiece.

Who is Boras hurting? If the players don't get the money it will end up in the owners' pockets. Do you think your ticket prices will drop if salaries go down?

Boras is like a very good car salesman. He's making some demands but he's not forcing a customer to buy the car. Boras is outrageous but that's part of his act. He doesn't need to have every team think his demands are reasonable, he only needs to find one interested customer though having 2 or more makes it better for him.

It reflects poorly on Arod to some people but it's my opinion that if it wasn't complaints about his agent there'd be something else to not like about Arod that would be pointed out.

I respect Boras' chutzpah and also find it funny how people react to him as a Svengali. I believe he's doing what he and his client think are in their best interests.

Whatever Boras is -- genius, scumbag -- is irrelevant. And I don't think it speaks to the person Alex is just because he employs Boras as his agent. Tens of other ballplayers, including our beloved Bernie, have Boras as an agent and don't have that choice define them.

If you were accused of a crime, would you want Joe Schmo or would you want Johnnie Cochran/Robert Kardashian/F. Lee Bailey as your defense team? You'd want the Dream Team that got O.J. off, even if everyone knew you did it. Same thing for Alex. He wants the best agent out there representing him.

As I have written a number of times before in other threads, the Yankees have nearly $90M coming off the books after 2008 when Giambi's, Mussina's, Pettitte's, Abreu's, Farnsworth's and Pavano's contracts expire. The Yankees might have to tighten their belt for 2008 because of the Posada/Rivera negotiations. But the financial picture becomes a lot brighter for the Yanks after next year. They should suck it up and pay A-Rod what it takes to keep him here as the centerpiece of baseball's best lineup. Between Boras and Cashman, there's enough brain power for them to think outside the box and figure out a way to get A-Rod paid and still work around any short-term budget problems. Maybe A-Rod takes $14M in 2008 and gets a balloon payment in 2009 to make up for his one-year sacrifice? It happens in football all the time.

Bottom line, we know what A-Rod was worth to the team's wins and losses in 2007. We know he's a tremendous player. I don't see how the Yanks can let him walk away for nothing. It's not like the free agent market looks appealing in any way this winter. What, the Yanks will make up for A-Rod by signing Mike Lowell? Please.

The question you need to be asking yourself is not whether or not ARod is worth $30M (since that is going to be what he costs, or slightly less for the Yankees considering the Texas obligation) The better question is going be what could you do better with that money than signing ARod.

I certainly think it's not a no brainer that if you have $30M/year for the next 10 years, it's best spent on ARod. That's a lot of money for a long time. That's 2 top tier players in 2008.

I understand the marketing ploy Boras is going for. But let me ask this question - if the Yankees are winning, will people watch? I'm guessing yes. It's not like ARod is singing God Bless America. The draw is a good baseball team with good players. Put up a team that is capable of 100+ wins every year, and you'll get your 4 million viewers.

I'm honestly torn on ARod. He's a big part of the 2008 Yankees plan, but there is certainly some upside to not having him. The only kick in the pills is that we've been with his services for a lot less than $25M/year.

"If you were accused of a crime, would you want Joe Schmo or would you want Johnnie Cochran/Robert Kardashian/F. Lee Bailey as your defense team? You'd want the Dream Team that got O.J. off, even if everyone knew you did it. Same thing for Alex."

Sorry, this is specious reasoning. Not every great attorney is an ambulance chaser, just like not every great agent is a devious, prevaricating shark. If A-rod wanted a more respected agent, he could find one and still get his 30 mil./year.

I assume Boras is respected by his clients enough to retain him. That he doesn't seem to meet someone else's level of respect needed to be acceptable is evidently not as important to him as it is to others.

Do you believe that if he drops Boras and still gets a contract for $30 million a year for x years that everyone will think "Oh, that's fine, I won't judge him harshly now"? People that want to complain about him will continue to complain.

"ust like not every great agent is a devious, prevaricating shark."
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But why do YOU care if Scott Boras is a shark? It's not your money he's trying to extract for his client. Yankee fans should be most interested in having the best players possible and rooting for the best team they can. Because I am of the opinion that A-Rod is a big reason for the Yanks' success in 2007 and because I am of the opinion that there is simply nothing available in free agency that could replace A-Rod (collectively speaking; since individually, he was the most irreplaceable player in 2007) then the Yanks should sign him. And if they do, I won't have cared if Boras or an angel from heaven was the guy who got 10% of his deal.