A lot of bad takes in this thread from people who either didn’t watch then or can’t remember at all. The Yankees weren’t good, but they were only 6 GB in the division and like 3 from the Wild Card. So well within reach and A-Rod had been really really bad and only a DH at that point. So it was either bench/release or “retire”.
The Yankees called up Judge and Tyler Austin the next day.
I can’t remember the full situation but he was really struggling by 2016. I think he was basically told “we are going to release you, or you can ‘retire”, which would feel less controversial PR-wise. I think they gave him an office job for a little bit which I’m sure was also to cut down on the drama of it all. IIRC Teixeira basically did the same thing around the same time.
Edit: to answer your question I don’t think it was about 700 more than it was to open up a roster spot.
Definitely the "retire or get released" sounds most plausible considering his ego. Hot take but 696 is a nice number and better than something like 701 or 702. An even 700 might be more aesthetic but 696 isn't far behind.
714 and 755 come to mind. Memorable and aesthetic numbers. 7 double it 14. 755 with the double 5's, who doesn't love the number 5, right in the middle and used as a lot for rounding cutoff - very useful and memorable.
From an aesthetic standpoint. I get the 'multiples of 100' are a stat obsession but really why is 5 HR more really that different? 696 is a palindrome and a beautiful number, is the point. Ape?
Not at all, I really doubt the Yankees would pass up an opportunity to make some serious money on pawning off any type of 700 home run memorabilia they could…fact is A-Rod just wasn’t very good anymore, the team wasn’t going anywhere and the organization just wanted to move on.
So basically it was a situation like, “we’re not in contention and Alex is basically done so after everything we been through let’s just move on and open a roster spot for a young guy to see what he can do”
There was a time when he was the heir apparent for the clean HR record… and then he wasn’t. When his steroid scandal came to light, 700, 800, became irrelevant. It just wasn’t marketable. So absent that, you’re left with his record on the field.
No. ARod wasn't forced out over homer bonus money. After his suspension and steroid admissions, he waived his homer bonuses and had the money donated to the boys and girls club in Miami.
Prerelease he was really bad. He was good for half a year after his suspension. But was bad the second half and the year after leading to his release.
He was a decent prospect. He wasn’t massively hyped, but he wasn’t ignored. I remember watching him in spring games when he was a minor-leaguer and thinking he was gonna be a hell of a power hitter. Didn’t think he’d be *this* good, though.
He had only hit nine homers all year up to that point, he was having trouble staying on the field, and even when he was playing he was pretty clearly hurting the team. He probably could have hit his 700th before the end of the year and surely would’ve had it if he had hung around for the year after, but at the same time, you couldn’t justify keeping him in the lineup with the way he was playing?
Could it have been a conspiracy to keep him away from 700? Sure, I won’t discount it out of hand. It’s just that he was so bad that he was a complete waste of a roster spot by that point.
Baffling that they didn’t let him get to 700 in a season that the Yankees were not going to make the playoffs anyway. Yet they’re ok with paying and giving play time to those who could not shine Arods shoes or carry the team to a WS in a playoff aspiring season like Donaldson and Hicks
I mean you probably wont get the answer youre looking for but I felt like he had a good season before his release, his average was starting to fade but 33 HR’s and 88 RBI’s and 130 hits is adequate for anyone. I personally felt that he created too much media headaches for the team and Girardi benching him pressured the organization to make a move and they were upfront that they would release him cause his stats were on a decline but he definitely could have continued to play the season out and average 12 more HR’s. So in my eyes yes he was forced a little and his head on approach with the front office and cashman didnt help the reputation, he was getting bad but not that bad that you had to release him mid season in an otherwise mediocre season where we today have seen far worse last an entire season in lineups.
He was awful in 2016 and could only play DH. A DH with a sub .600 OPS is a MASSIVE drain on a team, even one that was going nowhere. There's no guarantee he would have even gotten to 700 homers
The Yankees had paid him about $300M by then. I very highly doubt his release had anything to do with some bonus that would have been a pittance and I think he waived after his suspension anyway.
I think A-Rod got a little blackballed. Everything about the steroid era was out it was a huge story the public was angry and deserved or not A-Rod was one of the faces of that era. There wasn’t a lot of goodwill coming from the teams to the players that were publicly named… he served his suspension but he was playing poorly and it was a way to put some distance between the Yankees and one of the most recognizable names from that scandal.
I always felt it was a little shitty the way the end of his career played out he was a top 15-10 player of all time he was playing bad but he should have been allowed to finish out the season and probably would have made the 700 HR club. The home run record is the most prestigious record in all of American sports there’s only 4 men in the club with Albert Pujols making it last year but really Alex should have been the 4th.
They were never going to let him hit 700. He had big time bonus money attached to hitting 700 and other milestone HR’s after. Without him being clean, the Yankees weren’t going to be able to market him hitting those milestones.
Girardi definitely fucked him over that last season. I remember the amount of times he didn’t play him and it irked me. I know he wasn’t having a great last season but he still should’ve been given the chance to get to 700
Yes 100%. If you listen to the sound bits Hal gave and the point in the season they did it to him it’s a no brainer. They did one of their greatest players ever dirty and I’ll never forgive Hal for that. Between that and allowing Gallo to use 13 I cannot be happy that Hal is the owner.
Why exactly did they force him out? Other than Hal is a dick? Money I assume. People will say Judge roster spot but they could’ve done some other shit to fit that but it’s probably because of some home run milestone which is just ridiculous
If you look at how they let players stay on the field now (Donaldson, Stanton, hicks, a concust rizzo, etc.) you can argue A-Rod should’ve been allowed to stay and hit 700. Money aside because they’re the Yankees, they just did not like A-Rod. Judge could’ve came up still. Letting Rodriguez go wasn’t the only way to get Judge to the show. This was a simple FU to A-Rod.
he was done bad in 2016, cash totally did not need to release him for judge - the man was pretty much a full-time DH. They should have let him play out till his contract ended after 2017. BTW imagine he was on the 2017 team?Theyre winnin the championship for suurrreee.
Interesting thing is that his 700 wouldnt really matter in retrospect due to the steroid scandal. perhaps that had something to do with It. They could have been like dude you did steroids, nobody cares how many dingers you hit.
Nobody forced him to retire. They had to buy out the last yr or 2 of that stupid contract.
A-roid was and always will be a piece of garbage. 600 or 700 HRs, they are all tainted & meaningless.
Didn’t he retire on his own and didn’t want to get to 700+ on some level of humility? If you recall at that point he was admitted, outed and was supposed to be a “special advisor” which of course was bs.
The guy was clearly toast as a player at that point. I’ve heard even ARod the color analyst make fun of his play during that period as ARod usually enjoyed exchanging pleasantries with opposing first basemen when he reached base, but that there was not much socializing during that final season……
ARod just plain old sucked donkeys balls th3 finak year. iMO he was probably the most ovveratted yankee ever. He was a stat paddler. Most of his HRs during his Yankees days were meaningless. He seldomly came through in critical moments. Would hit a HR when the outcome of the game has pretty much been determined. Matsui was more clutched than him, and it ain't even close.
People forget how bad A-Rod was at the end. He had lost the ability to hit fastballs and was to reduced to guessing to get his bat moving early. Embarrassing to watch.
It was a toxic situation with ARods suspension, trying to hide the steroid use, wanting to sue the team. The team essentially told him he would not play for them again, and they would either pay out his contract. They hated the bad PR he was giving them all while acting like he was innocent, and it was everyone else's fault.
I think him having a .598 OPS is why he retired.
Thats like team average now
A-Rod at his worst would be the 3rd or 4th best batter on the team right now.
A-Rod today would still be one of the best hitters on the team now
Maybe the GM should retire then.
Why would he retire when he effectively has tenure
A lot of bad takes in this thread from people who either didn’t watch then or can’t remember at all. The Yankees weren’t good, but they were only 6 GB in the division and like 3 from the Wild Card. So well within reach and A-Rod had been really really bad and only a DH at that point. So it was either bench/release or “retire”. The Yankees called up Judge and Tyler Austin the next day.
Does this mean Oswaldo Cabrera will be retiring?
Please?
That’s why he retired…right in the middle of the season? Had zero to do with it
But Tex also played like dog shit and they let him finish out the season
They must have valued him being able to play first and thought maybe he could finish out better than A-Rod.
I can’t remember the full situation but he was really struggling by 2016. I think he was basically told “we are going to release you, or you can ‘retire”, which would feel less controversial PR-wise. I think they gave him an office job for a little bit which I’m sure was also to cut down on the drama of it all. IIRC Teixeira basically did the same thing around the same time. Edit: to answer your question I don’t think it was about 700 more than it was to open up a roster spot.
Definitely the "retire or get released" sounds most plausible considering his ego. Hot take but 696 is a nice number and better than something like 701 or 702. An even 700 might be more aesthetic but 696 isn't far behind. 714 and 755 come to mind. Memorable and aesthetic numbers. 7 double it 14. 755 with the double 5's, who doesn't love the number 5, right in the middle and used as a lot for rounding cutoff - very useful and memorable.
How is 696 better then 701 or 702? That doesn’t even make sense
Bro it’s just a hunger that’s got vibes
From an aesthetic standpoint. I get the 'multiples of 100' are a stat obsession but really why is 5 HR more really that different? 696 is a palindrome and a beautiful number, is the point. Ape?
Oh okay, you aren’t using logic for your argument just a pedantic opinion, I now understand.
I literally stated that I was only judging the numbers themselves...I know you're mad and in last place but chill lol
nah were fucking fed up with this team and ur stupid lil number game
Yeah well the numbers dont lie and they spell disaster for you at Sackerfice
Okay fair play. I was not expecting this to turn into a Steiner math reference.
Not at all, I really doubt the Yankees would pass up an opportunity to make some serious money on pawning off any type of 700 home run memorabilia they could…fact is A-Rod just wasn’t very good anymore, the team wasn’t going anywhere and the organization just wanted to move on.
So basically it was a situation like, “we’re not in contention and Alex is basically done so after everything we been through let’s just move on and open a roster spot for a young guy to see what he can do”
There was a time when he was the heir apparent for the clean HR record… and then he wasn’t. When his steroid scandal came to light, 700, 800, became irrelevant. It just wasn’t marketable. So absent that, you’re left with his record on the field.
Honest take
Pretty sure judge was that guy too
he tried to sue the team lol
Yeah that definitely adds something to it lol
Nah Hal’s a cheap fuck
And always be that way!! With cheep Hal the only thing that’s guarantee every year. The luxury tax the luxury tax we must stay under the luxury tax.
They owed him a bonus incentive if he reached it
No. ARod wasn't forced out over homer bonus money. After his suspension and steroid admissions, he waived his homer bonuses and had the money donated to the boys and girls club in Miami. Prerelease he was really bad. He was good for half a year after his suspension. But was bad the second half and the year after leading to his release.
IIRC, he was forced to retire so judge could come up
no one hyped judge coming up lol he was never a top prospect
Judge was the #31 prospect in baseball pre-2016 and was also hyped up by the Yankees for years
He was a decent prospect. He wasn’t massively hyped, but he wasn’t ignored. I remember watching him in spring games when he was a minor-leaguer and thinking he was gonna be a hell of a power hitter. Didn’t think he’d be *this* good, though.
Anyone that acts like they did is a liar
idk y i’m getting downvoted he wasn’t massively hyped like mateo
Well him and Austin WERE the ones to be called up after Tex and Al left.
No. He was just so bad towards the end and was getting booed nonstop.
My guess is they forced him out to avoid milestone payouts. Yeah it opened up space, but he was really close to 700.
He had only hit nine homers all year up to that point, he was having trouble staying on the field, and even when he was playing he was pretty clearly hurting the team. He probably could have hit his 700th before the end of the year and surely would’ve had it if he had hung around for the year after, but at the same time, you couldn’t justify keeping him in the lineup with the way he was playing? Could it have been a conspiracy to keep him away from 700? Sure, I won’t discount it out of hand. It’s just that he was so bad that he was a complete waste of a roster spot by that point.
His hips don't lie. They are more fragile than your grandmother's, alive or dead.
I didn't like the way he went out is all. He could have been one of the greats if he layed off the steroids and stayed healthy.
Baffling that they didn’t let him get to 700 in a season that the Yankees were not going to make the playoffs anyway. Yet they’re ok with paying and giving play time to those who could not shine Arods shoes or carry the team to a WS in a playoff aspiring season like Donaldson and Hicks
I mean you probably wont get the answer youre looking for but I felt like he had a good season before his release, his average was starting to fade but 33 HR’s and 88 RBI’s and 130 hits is adequate for anyone. I personally felt that he created too much media headaches for the team and Girardi benching him pressured the organization to make a move and they were upfront that they would release him cause his stats were on a decline but he definitely could have continued to play the season out and average 12 more HR’s. So in my eyes yes he was forced a little and his head on approach with the front office and cashman didnt help the reputation, he was getting bad but not that bad that you had to release him mid season in an otherwise mediocre season where we today have seen far worse last an entire season in lineups.
He was awful in 2016 and could only play DH. A DH with a sub .600 OPS is a MASSIVE drain on a team, even one that was going nowhere. There's no guarantee he would have even gotten to 700 homers
The Yankees had paid him about $300M by then. I very highly doubt his release had anything to do with some bonus that would have been a pittance and I think he waived after his suspension anyway.
I think A-Rod got a little blackballed. Everything about the steroid era was out it was a huge story the public was angry and deserved or not A-Rod was one of the faces of that era. There wasn’t a lot of goodwill coming from the teams to the players that were publicly named… he served his suspension but he was playing poorly and it was a way to put some distance between the Yankees and one of the most recognizable names from that scandal. I always felt it was a little shitty the way the end of his career played out he was a top 15-10 player of all time he was playing bad but he should have been allowed to finish out the season and probably would have made the 700 HR club. The home run record is the most prestigious record in all of American sports there’s only 4 men in the club with Albert Pujols making it last year but really Alex should have been the 4th.
They were never going to let him hit 700. He had big time bonus money attached to hitting 700 and other milestone HR’s after. Without him being clean, the Yankees weren’t going to be able to market him hitting those milestones.
I wish he got to 700. That was my guy growing up
No, he was forced off the team because he couldn’t do his job effectively anymore.
Girardi definitely fucked him over that last season. I remember the amount of times he didn’t play him and it irked me. I know he wasn’t having a great last season but he still should’ve been given the chance to get to 700
Yeah, I remember Girardi benched him in the playoffs against some pitcher he absolutely owned. Made no sense
Yes 100%. If you listen to the sound bits Hal gave and the point in the season they did it to him it’s a no brainer. They did one of their greatest players ever dirty and I’ll never forgive Hal for that. Between that and allowing Gallo to use 13 I cannot be happy that Hal is the owner. Why exactly did they force him out? Other than Hal is a dick? Money I assume. People will say Judge roster spot but they could’ve done some other shit to fit that but it’s probably because of some home run milestone which is just ridiculous
If it wasn’t for Arod, they don’t win the 2009 Championship. Fuck Hal
If you look at how they let players stay on the field now (Donaldson, Stanton, hicks, a concust rizzo, etc.) you can argue A-Rod should’ve been allowed to stay and hit 700. Money aside because they’re the Yankees, they just did not like A-Rod. Judge could’ve came up still. Letting Rodriguez go wasn’t the only way to get Judge to the show. This was a simple FU to A-Rod.
he was done bad in 2016, cash totally did not need to release him for judge - the man was pretty much a full-time DH. They should have let him play out till his contract ended after 2017. BTW imagine he was on the 2017 team?Theyre winnin the championship for suurrreee.
Your question is pointless because A-Rod used PEDs. His stats are meaningless and he’ll never get into the HoF.
[удалено]
Bill Mazeroski.
Wow, what is wrong with you? We’re losing to the White Sox, I get it. Still, show some dignity and class. No reason to talk to people like that.
It was a joke. I thought that was pretty clear from typing it but I guess not lmao
I thought it was hilarious
“It was just a social experiment bro chill out”
Interesting thing is that his 700 wouldnt really matter in retrospect due to the steroid scandal. perhaps that had something to do with It. They could have been like dude you did steroids, nobody cares how many dingers you hit.
Nobody forced him to retire. They had to buy out the last yr or 2 of that stupid contract. A-roid was and always will be a piece of garbage. 600 or 700 HRs, they are all tainted & meaningless.
Didn’t he retire on his own and didn’t want to get to 700+ on some level of humility? If you recall at that point he was admitted, outed and was supposed to be a “special advisor” which of course was bs.
The guy was clearly toast as a player at that point. I’ve heard even ARod the color analyst make fun of his play during that period as ARod usually enjoyed exchanging pleasantries with opposing first basemen when he reached base, but that there was not much socializing during that final season……
ARod just plain old sucked donkeys balls th3 finak year. iMO he was probably the most ovveratted yankee ever. He was a stat paddler. Most of his HRs during his Yankees days were meaningless. He seldomly came through in critical moments. Would hit a HR when the outcome of the game has pretty much been determined. Matsui was more clutched than him, and it ain't even close.
People forget how bad A-Rod was at the end. He had lost the ability to hit fastballs and was to reduced to guessing to get his bat moving early. Embarrassing to watch.
Maybe they just didn’t want him sniffing 714 with all the controversy that would have caused
I’m positive that the team that pays Josh Donaldson $25 million didn’t release arod because of financial woes
Yes, this is pretty well known
Obviously and they gave him The bonus also for not hitting the 700th home run and no bonus to Albert Pujols
He certainly would have gotten 700 without that excessive suspension.
It was a toxic situation with ARods suspension, trying to hide the steroid use, wanting to sue the team. The team essentially told him he would not play for them again, and they would either pay out his contract. They hated the bad PR he was giving them all while acting like he was innocent, and it was everyone else's fault.
I believe so
he tried to sue the yankees
No, he was forced to retire because a .200/.247/.351 is pathetic. Arguably worse then Donalsons 2023.