The Latest on A-Rod

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

Nope. They said if he opted out that they wouldn't pursue him. I believe there's a quote about not going after someone who doesn't want to be there. Now they've turned on that completely.

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Money talks, bull**** walks. If A-Rod after opting out had said, "Oh, I'll play for $1" and NYY said okay, would they still be going back on their word?

A-Rod is the one who blinked first here. It's pretty obvious.

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

I think anyone could look at the difference between the way Jeter responded to questions about him when they first signed him, to this last season, and come to the same conclusion I did. Whether it's media induced or otherwise, it's worn thin with him and I'm not sure he wants to put up with it for another 10 years. I don't expect him to be leaving the Yanks or anything, but it doesn't make for good chemistry in the clubhouse when two of your big name guys aren't seeing eye to eye.

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Maybe because he was sick of answering the same stupid questions over and over? This is the NY media we're talking about here.

Chemistry is overrated. You build chemistry through winning.

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

Assume what? That there were 2 or 3 teams willing to pay over 30 million for him? I don't. That's what I'm saying. If there were, why would he choose to go back to the place that he opted out from. . .even though they wanted to negotiate a new contract? It doesn't add up.

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I'm confused then because your logic doesn't follow. If there weren't teams willing to pay that price then it isn't collusion, it's supply and demand.

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Originally Posted by jbruin152

Money talks, bull**** walks. If A-Rod after opting out had said, "Oh, I'll play for $1" and NYY said okay, would they still be going back on their word?

A-Rod is the one who blinked first here. It's pretty obvious.

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I understand that. . .but I'm not talking about the negotiations here. I'm talking about how it's going to be a PR issue that spills out to the fans. I bet that the fans are going to be even harder on that guy and it's gonna be fun to watch.

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Originally Posted by jbruin152

Maybe because he was sick of answering the same stupid questions over and over? This is the NY media we're talking about here.

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...and they're going to stop now that he's signed to a 10 year deal after what went down? C'mon. It's only going to get worse. Regardless of who does it, Jeter is going to have to deal with it still. It builds animosity.

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Originally Posted by jbruin152

I'm confused then because your logic doesn't follow. If there weren't teams willing to pay that price then it isn't collusion, it's supply and demand.

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Huh? Collusion is when people get together and say they won't do something and they're going to force the market. It's almost impossible to prove. . .but this is a case where it looks a little obvious. Again, almost impossible to prove. I'm just going on the appearance. If there are teams that CAN afford to pay him, but appear to be offering less than what he was making after he has one of the best seasons in MLB history, what does that seem like?

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

I understand that. . .but I'm not talking about the negotiations here. I'm talking about how it's going to be a PR issue that spills out to the fans. I bet that the fans are going to be even harder on that guy and it's gonna be fun to watch.

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I highly doubt that, if he comes anywhere near producing like he did last year.

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

...and they're going to stop now that he's signed to a 10 year deal after what went down? C'mon. It's only going to get worse. Regardless of who does it, Jeter is going to have to deal with it still. It builds animosity.

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So what? Jeter would be dealing with the NY soap opera media with something or other anyway. If it isn't A-Rod, it will be something else guaranteed. Luckily for him he hasn't gotten anyone pregnant yet or the NY Post might explode.

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Originally Posted by SmytheKing

Collusion is when people get together and say they won't do something and they're going to force the market. It's almost impossible to prove. . .but this is a case where it looks a little obvious.

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Obvious? It would be obvious if A-Rod (and the rest of the free agent class) had a ton of potential suitors who would throw $30+mil at him. He doesn't. The Yankees are the only team that makes sense if he wants anywhere near that kind of money.

Collusion is a pretty heavy accusation. We're talking about thirty teams all trying to gain an edge on each other any way they can. I highly doubt they consider each other trustworthy, especially when it comes to the best hitter in baseball and considering the substantial amount of "leaks" in baseball front offices. I simply believe Boras drastically overestimated A-Rod's value on the open market. See below:

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Originally Posted by Buster Olney blog

If Rodriguez hadn't done that, there's every indication from rival executives that he would've been forced to go door to door, to the Angels or the Dodgers or the Mets or the Red Sox, to ask for a deal even within $100 million of what the Yankees offered. "That was the thing that was so strange about this," an agent mused on Wednesday evening. "There was nobody, in this market, who could pay close to what the Yankees could pay -- because of the market, and because of how important A-Rod is to them."

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