Post by FastEddie on Feb 8, 2013 16:25:15 GMT -5
With the latest round of performance-enhancing drug allegations and rumblings of hip trouble, is there a chance the Yankees can escape the $114 million left on Alex Rodriguez's contract?
-- Justin N., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
This was the most common question asked this week, so let's not waste any time getting to it. The short answer is that it's extremely unlikely, though we shouldn't be surprised by reports that the Yankees plan to go through Rodriguez's contract with a fine-toothed comb to explore their options once Major League Baseball's investigation is complete.
Rodriguez has denied any wrongdoing through a spokesperson, but even if it is found to be true that he received PEDs from the Biogenesis clinic, it would still only count as Rodriguez's first offense under the collectively-bargained Joint Drug Agreement. That could produce a 50-game suspension (during which Rodriguez would not be paid), but would not necessarily be grounds to void a contract. The Collective Bargaining Agreement, not individual teams, dictates repercussions for PED use. Those repercussions are restricted to suspensions and bans based on the number of positive tests; voiding of contracts is not included. There's no precedent to voiding a contract under those conditions; remember, the Yanks looked into voiding Jason Giambi's contract in 2004 and were unsuccessful.
So what are the choices? The Yankees could release A-Rod and eat $114 million -- a figure which would still count against the luxury tax, offering no help to Hal Steinbrenner's budget plans -- or they could trigger a messy divorce battle by trying to buy their way out of the deal. Rodriguez could also retire and forfeit the remaining money on his contract, but the odds of that happening aren't very good.
That brings us to the Albert Belle route, where Rodriguez would collect his full salary if it's decided that he must retire because he is physically unable to continue playing due to his hip condition. The Yankees would be refunded approximately 85 percent of his salary by insurance, but since Rodriguez's superstar doctors and the Yanks have both agreed that he should be back on the field and productive in 2013, that scenario doesn't seem terribly likely, either.
The most probable outcome is that the plan stays exactly as it was before the Miami New Times article came out -- A-Rod will rehab from surgery as a Yankee, with hopes of rejoining the big league club after the All-Star break. Beyond that, who knows? The chances of him finishing the 2017 season as a healthy and productive player at age 42 are questionable, but many suspected that would be the case when the Yankees offered the massive deal in the first place. We can be sure about one thing: Now, there will be much more noise surrounding his return.
-- Justin N., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
This was the most common question asked this week, so let's not waste any time getting to it. The short answer is that it's extremely unlikely, though we shouldn't be surprised by reports that the Yankees plan to go through Rodriguez's contract with a fine-toothed comb to explore their options once Major League Baseball's investigation is complete.
Rodriguez has denied any wrongdoing through a spokesperson, but even if it is found to be true that he received PEDs from the Biogenesis clinic, it would still only count as Rodriguez's first offense under the collectively-bargained Joint Drug Agreement. That could produce a 50-game suspension (during which Rodriguez would not be paid), but would not necessarily be grounds to void a contract. The Collective Bargaining Agreement, not individual teams, dictates repercussions for PED use. Those repercussions are restricted to suspensions and bans based on the number of positive tests; voiding of contracts is not included. There's no precedent to voiding a contract under those conditions; remember, the Yanks looked into voiding Jason Giambi's contract in 2004 and were unsuccessful.
So what are the choices? The Yankees could release A-Rod and eat $114 million -- a figure which would still count against the luxury tax, offering no help to Hal Steinbrenner's budget plans -- or they could trigger a messy divorce battle by trying to buy their way out of the deal. Rodriguez could also retire and forfeit the remaining money on his contract, but the odds of that happening aren't very good.
That brings us to the Albert Belle route, where Rodriguez would collect his full salary if it's decided that he must retire because he is physically unable to continue playing due to his hip condition. The Yankees would be refunded approximately 85 percent of his salary by insurance, but since Rodriguez's superstar doctors and the Yanks have both agreed that he should be back on the field and productive in 2013, that scenario doesn't seem terribly likely, either.
The most probable outcome is that the plan stays exactly as it was before the Miami New Times article came out -- A-Rod will rehab from surgery as a Yankee, with hopes of rejoining the big league club after the All-Star break. Beyond that, who knows? The chances of him finishing the 2017 season as a healthy and productive player at age 42 are questionable, but many suspected that would be the case when the Yankees offered the massive deal in the first place. We can be sure about one thing: Now, there will be much more noise surrounding his return.