12
2012
Thoughts On A-Rod, Washington Nationals And Playoffs
An article by 
This has been a compelling postseason and it is getting more intriguing with each day. At the start of the season I projected the Giants and Yankees to meet in the World Series, and that’s still in play.
The Yankees’ showing makes them hard to figure out, but one thing is for certain, and that’s things will never be the same for Alex Rodriguez and how he’ll respond to being benched for this afternoon’s game is anybody’s guess what it will do to that clubhouse over the next five years.
Rodriguez played the good soldier when Raul Ibanez pinch-hit for him and ended up homering – twice. He was the same last night when Eric Chavez batted for him. Both had to be blows to his fragile confidence and pride, but being benched is another animal.
Joe Girardi’s actions have stripped Rodriguez of his emotional armor in a far worse way than Joe Torre dropping in the batting order several years ago. Back then, Rodriguez was still a dominating player, but one going through a slump. Torre also had cache in managing four World Series champions.
However, Rodriguez, through the aging process, injuries and it has been suggested the residual effect of his admitted steroid use, is simply not the same player anymore. Whether is year is an aberration remains to be seen, but remember he’s 38 and what player gets better and more productive as he gets older. Other than, of course, one of baseball’s greatest cheaters, Barry Bonds?
And, the beauty of all this is the Yankees have him for five more years, in which they’ll pay him in excess of $100 million. It’s hindsight now, but they should have let him walk when they had the chance. Odds are there were no teams that would have given him Yankee money, but late owner George Steinbrenner ended up bidding against himself. With an increased luxury tax coming, the Yankees will be forced to reduce payroll and they might have a completely different look, and maybe one no so dominant.
If Rodriguez is indeed on the decline as it appears, having him get all that money for not producing will undoubtedly cause a strain among the players. How can it not?
However, Rodriguez was greedy and wanted every last time and the Yankees were smug and arrogant in their free-spending ways. They both got what they deserve.
Another impression about the postseason is the arrogance of the Washington Nationals. I like Davey Johnson, always have, but their GM Mike Rizzo is annoying. I couldn’t agree more with my colleague Joe DeCaro’s post this morning on Rizzo’s decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg. It was beyond arrogance for Rizzo to suggest the Nationals would be back many times to the postseason.
I covered the Orioles for ten years and I remember what Cal Ripken once told me. He appeared the 1983 World Series, and afterward said he thought he’d get back every year. Ripken didn’t play in another postseason game until 1996, a mere 13 years later. There is no guarantees in sports. The Nationals might never get here again during Strasburg’s career, regardless of how good it evolves. Then again, Strasburg has already had an arm injury. What if he has another and his career is cut short?
Above all, I have to wonder about the feelings among Strasburg’s teammates toward management. The pitcher is on record saying he wanted to pitch, so they can’t hold that against him. But, management is sending a bad message to the players. What if they never get here again? How will they feel about Rizzo’s decision?
Meanwhile, the Giants are an interesting story. As they were two years ago, they are pitching reliant. They got by Cincinnati without Tim Lincecum in the rotation, but they won’t be able to get away with that in the NLCS. Lincecum pitched brilliantly in relief, looking like his old self. This is a very good team that is flying under the radar.
Also in that position are the St. Louis Cardinals – they know what to do in October – and Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals could have the chance to defend their title without Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols, something few thought would be possible. The Tigers, meanwhile, have the game’s premier pitcher in Justin Verlander and one-two punch in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.
Cardinals vs. Tigers in a rematch? That wouldn’t be bad, either.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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Nats vs Orioles.
I’m rooting for the Nats because I must root for a National League team, playing REAL baseball (no DH) and I will always root for Davey.
I don’t have any problem with the Nats deciding before the season how far they would push stras, and have to give them credit for sticking to their plan.
but yeah, Rizzo really came across as a jackarse with his comments about being back anyway. The BB Karma Gods have a way of smacking attitude right off your face.
But, I am still rooting for the Nats, because I really don’t want to see the Cards again. have had enough of them.
the Giants don’t bother me as a 2nd choice.
and in the AL, anyone that is not the Yankees is fine by me! And seeing them getting saddled with him as a shell of his old self will not cause me to shed any tears (if the Phils are doing the same with Howard for the next 5, even better!)
The $$$ the Yankees will pay A-Rod the next 5 years, and the Angels will Pay Pujols in years 6-10 of his rediculous contract, will make Jason Bay’s wasted $$$ look like chump change. Those contracts had to be the most absurd contract signings in all of baseball, only trumped by what the Dodgers did this year in taking on Boston’s mistakes.
You think Yankees and Yankee fans care? Only Mets fans like to pinch Wilpons pennies for him. Only Mets fans weep over the Wilpons finances and care about crap like that. Mets fans count money while Yankee fans count rings. Another post season for Yanks while Mets have their 44th no post season year in 51.
exactly…the same met fans that complain about fred being too cheap are the same ones that complained about Kelvin Escobar’s 1 million dollar salary
People are still concerning themselves with what other teams pay their players while the Mets are making bad move after bad move?
At least the Dodgers were in the hunt. In fact every team you’re complaining about was either in the hunt or in the playoffs. You’re beginning to sound like Alderson when he made fun of Jayson Werth’s contract – which is excessive but it’s their money and their situation, not the Mets.
Okay got to go back and watch the Cards and NATS in the playoffs and oh, look who’s up, Jason Werth – in the post season.
Exactly !
How many teams in the playoffs have a poor contract on their roster
Barry Zito
A-Rod
Jayson Werth
Brian Roberts
Fun Fact: Despite being named to the Mitchell Report….The Orioles gave Roberts a 4 year 40 mil deal in 2009…
2010 – 59 games
2011 – 39 games
2012 – 17 games
Roberts has played 116 games for 30 million dollars so far…
that STILL did not prevent the Orioles from resigning Markakis…from drafting Machado and paying him big-time money…from starting his arb clock early….
I’ll bet you anything that Nat fans and management are quite happy to have paid Werth what they did today!
Off topic, but here’s the guy everyone killed Sandy for trading away…
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/20552891/francisco-rodriguez-was-arrested-for-domestic-violence-in-september
Yeah, I saw that on a Heyman tweet earlier tonight.
Dumping him and his vest was one of the better moves of this FO.
what K-Rod does off the field is his own business…
our bullpen was abused worse than a battered wife after he was traded away…
Yeah his 4.38 era and 2 – 7 record was so worth keeping, just what the bullpen needed another overpaid failure. His worst season yet, but what a mistake getting rid of that salary.
ok…he sucked this year….
thats all i need to know…
if he sucks…i dont want him.
if he is doing well…I want him…
I didn’t realize until this inning when I saw Beltran at the plate that I cared who won. I actually thinks hate the Nats and I’m happy that Beltran is showcasing his talents again in the playoffs.
Oh yeh. 2 run lead. I’ll take it just to see those dopey National fans suffer. I knew they shut Stausburg down but the playoffs too? Wow. 4 runs in the 9th. Maybe he should have pitched out of the pen Lets Go Beltran !!
Beltran >>>>> Any Player on the 40 Man Met Roster
I still wouldn’t trade Zach Wheeler for him.
So let me try to understand all the defenders of the A-Rod/Pujols contracts and the Dodgers move this year; the smartest management style should be one that just buys all the best players available and eats the contracts that don’t work out because the ones that do will put you over top and make it worth it. Do I have that right now?
Funny fans….LMAO
No you miss the point by a large margin!
No one is saying go out and buy the best free Agent available every year. You can do that when you already have a WS winner (like the Yankees) are drawing a ton of fans to pay for it and have a need at the position the best FA player happens to play.
But no one has suggested that Sandy just go and get the top FA every year. What we have suggested though is you should KEEP the good players you have and keep them signed to MAINTAIN the little attendance you have. Fill in with your prospects when they become available and then if your one or two players away from a playoff go and get them via FA if that player you need is available.
Only time you should trade a good player to reduce salary in the name of getting kids is if you already have the Kid who is going to replace him in the lineup without losing too much.
Thats not what Sandy is doing here.
He is simply selling off or letting go the best players on this team to get multiples of players who do not give you as much as you were getting from that player and instead of filling two holes with one trade all he is doing is creating another hole to fill which leads to yet another GOOD Player trade in the name of filling all those holes he created operating under that philosophy!
We have let 3 All Stars walk in two years….
And for them we got a total of Wheeler!
Is Wheeler going to make up for the lack of Beltran and his team leading HRs that got the cards in the playoffs?
Is he going to make up for the lack of a closer?
Is he going to help fill the CF, RF,LF positions?
NO!
But we are trading to fill holes and reduce spending…
Yeah well did we re-invest any of that money we saved?
NO! So we didn’t even get THAT from all the purges did we?
Hi Metsie
You are right about a lot of the things you’re saying here. Look, SA never had any intentions of winning anything in his first few years here. I think breaking the team down was the plan from the start. Of course we were all lied to because they would never admit that, and quite honestly, they shouldn’t admit that. Keep in mind now they were a sub .500 team the last 2 years of Beltran and Krod on the team. Now they have a choice, keep them and spend more money and MAYBE win something….or start breaking it down. Well we know which way they went. I truly believe that drowning in Santana and Bay’s contracts with still 3+ more years left on each, along with the financial situation of the Wilpons, had everything to do with the choice that made. Look, it’s never easy for fans to have to go through a rebuilding phase because it doesn’t happen overnight. But if its done the right way and they start spending again when the time is right, then it just might work.
Watchman no one is disagreeing that it was the plan going in…All we are saying is that was a pretty bad plan to start with.
No they didn’t play above .500 with Beltran and K-Rod but the reason we were sub .500 was not those two guys. It was the starting pitching last year (2011) that made a lot of that losing. Loss of key bats on top of Beltran didn’t help and that Bullpen fell apart after the trade of K-Rod even Sandy had the good sense to admit that.
The problem is we should not be looking at those moves based on the record of the team before the trade but look at what the potential record might have been if we had not made the trade at all.
We won 77 games last season and what would the record be if K-Rod was closing games instead of Parnell and Isringhausen? What would the record be if beltran remained in the lineup?
We at least got Wheeler for Beltran so look at him another way…
How much did we spend on the Bullpen this year?
We got three guys at roughly 11.6 Mil who were not worth a damn and we are still on the hook for 6.5 Mil for next year with one of them….
Beltran cost 12 Mil this year! So for 400K you could have signed Beltran and got all his production instead of all the suck we got from those BP arms.
I fully understand the plan was to cut payroll.
Maybe thats a good plan provided you cut the right salary.
But of all the Salary we have cut it was all the guys who made us as close as we were to being a .500 team and the guys who have held those teams back remain.
One thing to have a plan, everyone has a plan just some plans are not good ones. And even if you have a good plan it’s worthless unless you implement it properly.
I have no problems with the concept of lowering payroll but all the payroll we purged was worth paying and what remains is 50 Mil of salary that is unproductive!
So yes they followed the plan and solve nothing of the problem because the reason they NEEDED to purge salary (paying for lack of performance) still exists!
Still needs to be cut!
And the few signings we have made are more like the wasted money signings of Bay as they are to the worth paying guys like Beltran and K-Rod.
Metsie I think where we disagree is that you perceived that Mets team of 2010 & 11 to be a whole lot better of a team than what I saw. After the multiple late season collapses I no longer perceived the team to be worth salvaging and felt that the sooner we went through the pains of rebuilding, the better off we’d be. Also, did you think K-Rod was really all that effective at that time?
No Watchman the difference in perception is the guys we got rid of were not the reasons we looked as bad as you thought they were!
We got rid of all the guys that stopped it from looking worse and kept all the guys that made it that bad in the first place!!
You keep saying that they unloaded the wrong guys. Well of course they would have preferred to unload Santana and Bay over Beltran and K-Rod. They did what they were able to do and I don’t think I have to tell you why it wasn’t Bay and Santana that they unloaded. Do you think Bay or Santana with their contracts would have netted us a Wheeler? So I’d really like to know who in your opinion they should have started to break the team down with?
BTW….I absolutely loved Beltran. He was by far the best all around outfielder that graced centerfield for the Mets in their 51 year history. But the owners wasted him and failed to build a supporting cast around him when he was 29-34 years old. So tell me why they should suddenly do it when he’s 35……makes no sense.
Just because your able to do something doesn’t mean it is the good thing to do!
Your able to cut off your arm at anytime…You think it’s a good idea?
Attendance is not covering payroll.
Why? Because of those bad contracts that are not performing or drawing people.
The solution is not to cut the meat but the fat!
And if you can’t cut the fat then cutting is NOT the solution!
Raising Revenue is and you do that by getting a player who can replace the fat and might draw or at least help you win some games so fans don’t feel like they are wasting thier money going to see them.