10/10: Here We Go
Posted by: Patrick
Scott Boras didn't wait very long (actually, he didn't wait at all - this interview was done before we lost the ALDS).
After the presentation that Boras put together for Johnny Damon, you've got to wonder what the A-Rod one will be like. This is what he was made for. Boras failed to secure a 7 year deal for Damon, of course. Could he similarly fail to secure a 10 year deal for A-Rod? You're gut reaction would be no, it's A-Rod, for petesake!
But, how many teams are going to be willing to pay him $30 million plus when he's in his early to mid 40s? For 18 teams, that would be more than 1/3 of their opening day payroll this season. For 28 teams, it would be more than 1/4. His best chance to get $30 million may be with the Yankees. We're the biggest market, we're the biggest spender, we're the team that makes the most sense with all of the financial ramifications that Boras is throwing out there. We want him. And, if we're not bidding if he opts out, he may just lose his best shot at that magical number. If we're not there, who else is going to throw it out there?
"The right of free agency has probably never been more valuable to a single player than it would be to someone like Alex Rodriguez," Boras said during a phone interview with 1050 ESPN New York conducted prior to the Yankees ALDS loss to the Indians. "The reason being is that he is a stature player, a durable player, an iconic player and he has had a historic season. Again, these are decisions that Alex has to make. He is certainly happy in New York and has enjoyed playing there." ...
"One of the other things that Alex has that some of the other things that Alex has that few players have is he has network value," Boras said. "That means for a regional sports network he has an impact on in that may allow that regional sports network to increase by a half-a-billion to a billion dollars over a 10-year period because of the ratings increase that he will bring. His fan base will subscribe to that network to watch him play and they will sell more advertising. This has certainly been evidenced in New York." ...
"The thing about Alex is he has a chance to play 12 more years and break the all-time hit record," Boras said. "It is a record that he could break. You only have to go and map out that if Alex Rodriguez were to play until he is 45 and he averaged 35 home runs he would have over 1,000 homers. It is a unique platform where he is at at such a young age. The projections are rather mind-boggling when you consider the fact even if he performed at a level that is 15 percent below what he is performing at now, he still would lift many of these records just by the mere fact that he has played this long."
"One of the other things that Alex has that some of the other things that Alex has that few players have is he has network value," Boras said. "That means for a regional sports network he has an impact on in that may allow that regional sports network to increase by a half-a-billion to a billion dollars over a 10-year period because of the ratings increase that he will bring. His fan base will subscribe to that network to watch him play and they will sell more advertising. This has certainly been evidenced in New York." ...
"The thing about Alex is he has a chance to play 12 more years and break the all-time hit record," Boras said. "It is a record that he could break. You only have to go and map out that if Alex Rodriguez were to play until he is 45 and he averaged 35 home runs he would have over 1,000 homers. It is a unique platform where he is at at such a young age. The projections are rather mind-boggling when you consider the fact even if he performed at a level that is 15 percent below what he is performing at now, he still would lift many of these records just by the mere fact that he has played this long."
After the presentation that Boras put together for Johnny Damon, you've got to wonder what the A-Rod one will be like. This is what he was made for. Boras failed to secure a 7 year deal for Damon, of course. Could he similarly fail to secure a 10 year deal for A-Rod? You're gut reaction would be no, it's A-Rod, for petesake!
But, how many teams are going to be willing to pay him $30 million plus when he's in his early to mid 40s? For 18 teams, that would be more than 1/3 of their opening day payroll this season. For 28 teams, it would be more than 1/4. His best chance to get $30 million may be with the Yankees. We're the biggest market, we're the biggest spender, we're the team that makes the most sense with all of the financial ramifications that Boras is throwing out there. We want him. And, if we're not bidding if he opts out, he may just lose his best shot at that magical number. If we're not there, who else is going to throw it out there?
