Decisions Decisions

Being a diehard Yankees fan it puts me in a very tough position to decide on Arod's future. Looking at his stats this season, you would think that it would be a no brainer to bring the guy back to New York next season. Brian Cashman has a list of reasons why he wants Arod to end his career as a Yankee. Most importantly, with the new stadium on the way, Cashman knows that Arod fills the seats. As long as Arod stays healthy he will most likely become home run king when it is all said and done. The guy isnt even 32 years old yet and he almost has 500 homeruns. The bottom line is, Alex Rodriguez is a money making machine for the yankees future. However, I think this is when the Yankees front office has to look in the mirror and decide what is best for the team. Arod is going to end up with around 60 homeruns this year and 150 RBIS probably batting around .315. His value will never be higher. Quite frankly, as much as I have enjoyed his fantastic season in pinstripes, it comes at a time in which the Bronx Bombers need some rejuvination. Looking at the rest of the Yankees, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon are all 33. Jorge posada will be 36 in August. Roger Clemens probably is a one and done, Andy Pettite has at most two years left in him. Mike Mussina is completely washed up. Mariano Rivera is also nearing the end of an illustrious career. Do I even have to mention Jason Giambi? That leaves a core of Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Chien Ming Wang, and Phil Hughes. If the Yankees care about winning in the future it is time to get rid of Arod while he is at his highest value. Lets put this in perspective, what are the odds of Arod ever having this good of a season again in his career? He is arguably the best player in baseball, but he is also in his contract year. This is besides the fact that he has never done anything in the postseason. Its great that he is having a fantastic regular season, and I know he is not to blame at all for the Yanks only being two games above .500. However, if we could trade Arod, I give Cashman the green light. The question isnt who we would get for Arod if we traded him before the upcoming trade deadline, the question is who wouldnt we get. The Angels have a very impressive farm system and they are willing to give up a lot of young talent for Mr. Rodriguez. They arent the only team. The problem is that the guy is going to be asking for 30 million dollars a year. I think the most realistic possibility is Arod opting out of his contract at the end of the year and heading to either San Francisco, the Cubs, or the Angels. I see the Giants and the Angels at the top of that list. They both have lots of money to spend and lots of talent they are willing to give up in the farm system. If the Yanks do resign Arod to a long term deal we are looking at five plus years of non playoff baseball after Jeter and Co. start walking with limps in three to four years. Lets face it, all those guys that I mentioned have at the most three good years left in them, and I am being generous with that. Just a little food for thought, Cashman do the right thing for once and get rid of "the best player in baseball". Its hard for me to consider Arod the best in baseball when he has never come up big in the postseason. The regular season doesnt mean anything if you cant perform in the playoffs. Hopefully Arod will get the chance to redeem himself in October.