The New York Yankees were in an unfamiliar position at the trade deadline and decided to take advantage of market conditions by selling some of their pieces in exchange for great hauls of prospects. Since they decided to become deadline sellers, they may be convinced that a full-on rebuild is worthwhile. And such a rebuild could include releasing the likes of Alex Rodriguez, which the New York Daily News says is a possibility.
The Daily News says a source told them Monday that the Yankees could release A-Rod before the end of the season.
The Yankees have been riding out A-Rod’s awful contract for years and are almost finally done paying it. Rodriguez is owed the remainder of his $21 million salary for this season and $21 million next season. He’s hitting just .206 with nine home runs this season, which makes him a huge drag on the roster, unlike last season when he clubbed 33 home runs and was a valuable player for the Yanks.
Given the little money they still owe him, paying to get rid of A-Rod makes sense. But the one important factor to take into account is that Rodriguez has 696 career home runs and is four shy of 700. They may keep him around long enough to hit that milestone in pinstripes.
