A-Rod Was Worth the $252 Million
Alex Rodriguez Played the Best of Any Major Leaguer in Last 7 Years
Nov 29, 2007
It's been seven years since Alex Rodriguez signed the richest contract in team sports, which he inked just prior to the start of the 2001 season. His 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers literally shocked the baseball world when it was announced that winter. Rumors at the time were that A-Rod was going to sign a deal closer to $150 million, but then Rangers owner Tom Hicks backed up the Brinks Truck and instantly transformed the 25-year old Rodriguez into one-quarter of a billionaire.
Now that Rodriguez has opted out of that final three years of that deal, and signed a new $305 million decade-long contract, it may be a good time to evaluate how Mr. Rodriguez performed under what was once the biggest deal in sports.
Big Offensive Numbers With the Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers didn't get any better during A-Rod's three seasons, but you can't blame the kid for that. Because from 2001 through 2003, the guy was an absolutely terrifying hitter. He batted .311 and put up some of the best three-year power statistics in baseball history, averaging 52 home runs, 135 RBI and 127 runs a year. He won the 2003 MVP award and finished runner-up in 2002. He also made the All-Star team every year, won three straight Silver Slugger awards, and earned consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2002 and 2003. That's all pretty good.
After the 2003 season ended, however, Hicks began to express his regret over the big dollars he was paying A-Rod, claiming that it hampered his ability to sign new free agents and retain young talent. So, after an aborted attempt to trade Rodriguez to the Boston Red Sox for Manny Ramirez (which is a great story in itself), Texas shipped Alexander the Great to the New York Yankees in exchange for Alfonso Soriano.
Rodriguez Reaches Another Level as a New York Yankee
One could argue that Rodriguez struggled in 2004. Most hitters would love to struggle as A-Rod did in his first year in the Bronx, hitting .286, with 36 home runs and knocked in 106 RBI. He also scored 112 runs, stole 28 bases and made the All-Star team. Not too bad for a guy's worst season.
Rodriguez rebounded from his debut, however, and won both the 2005 and 2007 American League MVP awards, the latter of which he earned on the heels of a season where he hit .314 and led the Major Leagues in home runs (54), RBI (156) and Runs scored (143). In between awards, he hit .290 with 35 homers and 121 RBI in 2006. Moreover, during his Yankee tenure, Alex also surpassed the 400 and 500 home run milestone marks to great fanfare and even greater promotional amd marketing dollars for the Yankees.
A-Rod's Last Seven Years Were Among the Best in Baseball History
In total, his seven year averages read as follows: .304 batting average, .401 OBP, 41 home runs, 130 RBI, 125 Runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. He also won a total of three MVPs, and he led the American League in home runs five times in seven seasons. He broke Joe DiMaggio's Yankee record for home runs by a right-handed hitter when he hit 48 in 2005, then he broke it again when he hit 54 in 2007.
He made the All-Star team all seven years, took home He also hit milestone homers number 200, 300, 400 and 500 while playing with the reputedly oppressive yoke of being baseball's richest player.
No matter what the price, Rodriguez performed even better than expected since becoming a member of the landed gentry.
If baseball were only about the regular season, A-Rod would get an A, and maybe even an A+ for his performance under the behemoth contract. But baseball also has a postseason, and that is where A-Rod had experienced his troubles.
The Postseason Has Been a Disappointment
In seven seasons, Rodriguez has made it to just one American League Championship Series, and it ended in disaster. The Yankees lost a three games to none lead against the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS, dropping four straight games and releasing that city from the Curse of the Babe. In the next three seasons, the Yankees were knocked out of postseason play in the first round, and each season they have put on a show that was a little less impressive than the last.
All of the postseason failure is not A-Rod's fault. But he sure hasn't helped. Since the beginning of that memorable slide against the Sox, Rodriguez has played in 17 games, and he's hit below .190 with just 2 home runs and 3 RBI. That won't make anyone forget Reggie Jackson, or even Bernie Williams for that matter.
So, in the final anlaysis, A-Rod's postseason failure does detract from his otherwise stellar on the field performance under the biggest free agent contract in baseball history. But it's not enough to erase his assassin-like excellence during the 162-game season.
He's been a success. Ws he worth $25 million a year? Well, arguably, nobody is worth that much momey. But teams continue to pay $15-$20 million a year for free agents like Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Todd Helton, Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano. A-Rod is better than all of those guys.
So, in the warped world of baseball's salary structure, A-Rod was worth it. He got paid the most money, but he also played the best baseball. Hard to see how that is a failure.
