River Avenue Blues

Update: A-Rod won’t stand in the way of a trade this offseason

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9:11pm: For what it’s worth, A-Rod said after tonight’s game that he intends to remain with the Yankees and indicated that he won’t waive his no-trade clause. “I’ve never thought about going to another team. My focus is on staying here. Let’s make that very, very clear,” he said.

2:30pm: Via Bob Nightengale: Alex Rodriguez has told “close friends” that he would not stand in the way of an offseason trade. He won’t ask for a trade however, and he would only approve a deal to another big market club. A-Rod has full no-trade protection thanks to his ten-and-five rights.

Reports that cite “close friends” and stuff like that are always sketchy, so take this with a grain of salt. Nightengale says the Yankees would “gladly” make a back contract for bad contract swap, like one involving Vernon Wells (owed $42M through 2014). Wells hasn’t hit in two years and would be an offensive downgrade from Alex at this point, so I hope Nightengale was just throwing him out there as an example. Either way, get comfortable because this A-Rod saga looks like it will drag out for months.

ALCS Game Four Thread: Yankees @ Tigers

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I was really hoping the Yankees would be around long enough to play today, but not under these circumstances. Rather than play Game Five of the ALCS this afternoon, the Yankees and Tigers will instead play Game Four following last night’s rain out. New York is still down three games to none in the best-of-seven series, a scary but not completely insurmountable deficit. Stranger things have happened.

Since the rain out pushes the series back and day will not allow the Yankees to use CC Sabathia on three days’ rest in a potential Game Seven, I expect Joe Girardi to really ride his ace’s left arm hard today. I’m talking 120+ pitches if need be, especially if the game is close and he wants to avoid the middle relievers before handing the ball off to David Robertson and Rafael Soriano. Of course none of that will matter if the position players don’t start hitting. Here are your starting lineups, the same ones that were going to be used last night…

New York Yankees
LF Ichiro Suzuki
RF Nick Swisher
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
DH Raul Ibanez
3B Eric Chavez
C  Russell Martin
CF Brett Gardner
SS Eduardo Nunez

LHP CC Sabathia (15-6, 3.38)

Detroit Tigers
CF Austin Jackson
2B Omar Infante
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Prince Fielder
DH Delmon Young
SS Jhonny Peralta
LF Andy Dirks
RF Avisail Garcia
C  Gerald Laird

RHP Max Scherzer (16-7, 3.74)

It was raining earlier this morning in Detroit, but the weather has cleared up and there should be no problem getting this afternoon’s game in. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 4pm ET and can be seen on TBS. Enjoy.

Ticket Update: If you’re optimistic and want to catch a future game in this series, either in New York or Detroit, make sure you check out RAB Tickets for some last minute deals.

Poll: Trading Alex Rodriguez

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(Gregory Shamus/Getty)

The season is not yet over but it likely will be at some point in the next few days. The Yankees are down three games to none in the best-of-seven ALCS, and winning four consecutive games at any point of the season is tough, nevermind against a good team in the postseason with your back up against the wall. As soon as the Yankees are eliminated, the focus will shift to the offseason and potential roster moves because hey, that’s what everyone likes to talk about.

Based on the last two weeks, this offseason looks poised to be headlined by Alex Rodriguez and his future with the team. Yesterday we heard that the Yankees may or may not have engaged in trade talks with the Marlins about the third baseman, and on the field he’s lost playing time — either by being benched or pinch-hit for in the late innings — to Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez. Add in the various gossip stories, particularly the NY Post report that he asked a pair of women for their phone numbers during Game One of the ALCS, and you’ve got the most polarizing player on the Yankees and perhaps in all of baseball. That’s nothing new though, it’s A-Rod.

Both Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman held court with the media yesterday, emphasizing that the decision to sit Alex against Detroit’s hard-throwing right-handers was purely a baseball decision. A-Rod is 0-for-18 with a dozen strikeouts against righties in the postseason (and has looked completely overmatched as well), so it’s very tough to argue their logic. To his credit, A-Rod has said all the right things when asked about being de-emphasized in the postseason. Chad Jennings has a great recap of yesterday’s media scrum with all three parties, so make sure you check that out.

The conspiracy theorists among us believe that benching Alex is intended to embarrass him and essentially help push him out the door this offseason. I don’t necessarily buy it but Alex Belth does, and you’re welcome to feel however you want. Intentional or not, there’s no doubt A-Rod’s confidence and pride has taken a shot these last two weeks. It’s human nature. Whether that’s enough to make him want him to leave the Yankees is another matter entirely. You can easily make the case either way.

Trading A-Rod will be very difficult given his mammoth contract — which still has five years and $114M remaining — and declining performance. He’ll go down as one of the greatest players ever, but he’s no longer that guy. The Yankees would undoubtedly have to eat a big chunk of that contract to facilitate a trade, and there is a point where eating so much money is counterproductive and hurts the team more than just keeping him would. I have no idea what that point is ($50M? $75M? $110M?), but it definitely exists. A-Rod’s ten-and-five rights give him full no-trade protection, another obstacle for a deal. He gets to pick his next team.

I have no idea how strained the relationship between Alex and the rest of the organization is, or if it is beyond repair. None of us do, so don’t even bother acting like you know what’s going on there. I have no doubt the team will look to unload him just because he’s a declining player owed a lot of money and teams typically look to unload those players, but it just may not be realistic. The Yankees made their bed by signing A-Rod to that historic contract and it seems like a safe bet that they’ll try to avoid sleeping in it.

Will the Yankees trade A-Rod this offseason?
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Baseball America’s 2012 Draft Report Cards

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Baseball America published their AL East Draft Report Cards yesterday, though they aren’t a report card in the sense that they hand out grades or anything like that. They instead break down each club’s draft in a variety of categories, like Best Pure Hitter (sixth rounder OF Rob Refsnyder), Best Defensive Player (eight rounder OF Taylor Dugas), Best Fastball (fourth rounder RHP Corey Black), and Closest To The Majors (sixth rounder RHP Nick Goody).

The publication gave a lot of love to a pair of relatively unheralded late-round high arms, RHP Brady Lail (18th round) and RHP Dayton Dawe (15th). Lail was said to have an “above-average curve” with a “chance for three average to plus pitches” if he fills out his 6-foot-2, 175 lb. frame. Dawe is touted for his “clean delivery and a chance for a four-pitch mix.” Baseball America says Goody should be on the fast track like David Robertson back in the day thanks to his “90-91 mph fastball and short, sharp slider.” That’s one bandwagon I’m glad I jumped on early.

Thoughts following the ALCS rain out

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(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Yankees lived to fight another day last night, but only because Mother Nature intervened. Rain postponed Game Four until this afternoon, when the Yankees will try to extend their season with a win behind CC Sabathia. Coming back from a three games to none deficit is (very) improbable but not impossible.

1. How badly did MLB screw up the playoff schedule this year? The team with the best record in the league had to play five postseason games in five days and did not get a day off between rounds. Now they won’t be able to use their ace more than once in the ALCS. Is that the reason the Yankees are down 3-0 to the Tigers? No, of course not. They couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat right now. It’s just amazing how poorly the schedule was planned out as the new playoff system was rushed in place.

2. Let’s just say that, hypothetically, the Yankees manage to win Games Four, Five, and Six of the ALCS and force a Game Seven. Who starts that game? It won’t be CC Sabathia on two days’ rest and Phil Hughes may or may not be available given his stiff back, in which case the options would be David Phelps or non-roster guys Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia. The Yankees almost have no choice but to hope Hughes’ back starts to feel better, and frankly I hope they have to make this exact decision in a few days.

3. You know what’s crazy? There’s a chance that Alex Rodriguez has already played in his final game as a Yankee. He was not in the starting lineup last night and I assume Joe Girardi will use the same lineup today, so if the Yankees lose and he doesn’t pinch-hit, that could be it. We’ve already seen the the trade rumor seeds planted and you better believe they will continue all winter long. I don’t believe the Yankees will find a taker for A-Rod but it is possible. Wouldn’t that be something, that we may have already seen the last of him in pinstripes? I can’t think of another athlete so great yet so underappreciated, especially in New York.

Rained out: ALCS Game Four postponed

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(Leon Halip/Getty)

The miracle comeback will have to wait another day. Game Four of the ALCS was postponed due to rain on Wednesday night, as MLB wanted to “preserve the integrity of a nine-inning game.” The Yankees and Tigers will instead resume the series at 4pm ET on Thursday, though it should be noted that the forecast calls for a ton of rain that day as well. I guess they’ll wait that one out as long as possible.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, the biggest impact of the rain out is that CC Sabathia will not be able to start a potential Game Seven on three days’ rest. He would have to go on two days’ rest a la Derek Lowe in 2004, which Brian Cashman already confirmed they would not allow Sabathia to do. Despite finishing with the best overall record in the league this year, the Yankees really got the shaft with the schedule. This stinks. Oh well, at least CC will be lined up to start Game One of the World Series.

I assume that if the Yankees actually win Game Four, Game Five would be played Friday night. Andy Pettitte has already been announced as the scheduled starter for that game. Phil Hughes may or may not be able to start a potential Game Seven given his stiff back, which could mean David Phelps gets the ball or Ivan Nova will be added to the roster. That’s quite a ways off right now though. The Tigers lead the best-of-seven series three games to none.