Abreu's Back, A-Rod's Certifiable

As expected, the Yankees exercised their $16M option and retained Bobby Abreu's option for 2008. Good move, and one we all saw coming.

In other news, Alex Rodriguez is apparently seeking a $350 million contract. I'm sorry, that should read a contract of AT LEAST $350 million.

No wonder Scott Boras is practically begging the Yankees to join the bidding. No one in the league can afford to pay A-Rod that much and put even a AAA roster on the field around him but the Yankees. He may get the money, but he's going to get it to play for a bad team with zero chance of improving, or the contract will bring a somewhat successful franchise to its knees.

I will be shocked if he gets a traditional deal of that value. Maybe someone will offer him a piece of their TV revenues, or partial ownership, or their first-born child as alternative payment, but straight cash? No way.

Was Watching had an interesting scenario yesterday. The Yankees will probably offer A-Rod arbitration. If he then sign with another team, they receive that team's first or second-round draft pick next year (depending on where the team finished '07). But what happens if they offer him arbitration, then no one meets is asinine contract demands? What happens if he then decides, OK, I'll abide by the arbitration terms. Well, the Yanks would own A-Rod at that point. His current contract (and his no-trade clause) are null and void, he opted out. The Yanks would sign him for somewhere in the $20-25M range, and then they can do whatever they want with him. My preference would be to trade him, to a crappy team, for prospect and/or young stars. Hell, I'd send him to the Pirates for marginal prospects and eat half of his contract just to make him rot for a year.

This isn't going to happen. Boras has been negotiating A-Rod's deal for some time now (which is technically tampering, but who cares) and he has some sucker lined up to overpay for him. I wish nothing but the best on whatever team signs him.