At one point in his baseball career, the return of Alex Rodriguez would have been extremely positive news for his team. By returning, the team would have been getting back perhaps one of the most physically gifted players to have ever played the game. He looked to be a sure first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with almost every career record in sight.
But no longer is the return of A-Rod good news. Age, controversy and scandals have turned Rodriguez into a shell of his former self. His once larger-than-life talents and persona have now turned into a major question mark.
But with no viable options to play third base and a giant amount of money still owed, Rodriguez is all but assured to be penciled in at third base everyday and a major distraction anywhere the New York Yankees play. For the past two seasons, the Yankees have had positive distractions with the retirement of legends Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, but the return of A-Rod is set to be one of the biggest disruptions a team has ever seen.
Through his lying, cheating and threats to sue everyone involved with him during his PED investigation, he has turned into public enemy No. 1. Not only will he be booed by fans, but he will be harassed by the media and even scrutinized by Yankee brass.
As much as the Yankees would love to see A-Rod just go away, that simply will not happen. He is owed at least $60 million over the next three seasons so, like it or not, he will see the field, and the Yankees have no one to blame but themselves.
Though he missed all of 2014, most of 2013 and will turn 40 years old at mid-season, a healthy and producing Rodriguez has the most upside of anyone they could put at the position. He is a 14-time All-Star and with 654 career home runs, and is one of just five players to eclipse the 650 home-run plateau. Through his 20-year career, he has put up numbers that are among the top in almost every offensive category.
The Yankees have failed to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and if they have any hope of getting back to October baseball in 2015, they will need Rodriguez to be close to the player he once was. This past season, with players like Kelly Johnson, Martin Prado and Chase Headley seeing a majority of the time at third base, the Yankees finished around the middle of the pack in almost every offensive category. A contributing Rodriguez will not only bring the most power to the position, but he will also reach the 3,000-hit mark at some point in 2015.
From spring training on, the Yankees are set to have a circus in their clubhouse with Rodriguez’s return, but it is a circus they must deal with. When many other Yankees entered the twilight of their careers, they were easy to root for, but Rodriguez has become the player easiest to root against. Even without anyone by his side, he is set to be the team’s third baseman when Opening Day comes along.
Like it or not, a big season from Rodriguez may be the only hope the Yankees have of contending.
Pete Schwichtenberg is an MLB writer for RantSports. Follow @schwick26_pete, like him on Facebook, or add him to your Google Network.
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