When Alex Rodriguez is released by the New York Yankees, the assumption that he’ll automatically become part of the coaching staff might be wrong. He could be waiting for an offer, with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins linked to him a number of times. However, it just doesn’t make sense to sign Rodriguez, even as a two-three month rental.
The Rays are out of the playoff race, but there’s no connection to them and Rodriguez. Even though they can plug him at DH, why not try out younger players? Rodriguez wants to keep playing baseball and try and improve on his current home run count (696), but there’s nothing in it for the Rays, except maybe a little bit more attention in a season that’s going nowhere.
A more serious link is that to the Marlins, his hometown team. Some suggest the Marlins have been holding some internal discussions about adding Rodriguez. If it’ll happen, it’ll only be after the roster expansions of September 1. And still, it seems like a longshot.
Why? The Marlins play in the NL, which means no DH, and it means Rodriguez will take a roster spot as a pinch hitter. With roster spots being quite precious this time of year, adding Rodriguez on simply to give him a platform for home runs doesn’t make sense. Until he makes it official that he’s out of the game, we’ll keep hearing about it, but there just doesn’t seem to be an incentive for teams to sign him considering his age and how he’s played this season.
The 41-year old has appeared in just 63 games and 235 plate appearances, batting .203 with a .606 OPS, hitting 9 home runs, playing only as a designated hitter. His 696 home runs, his history as three-time MVP, his All-Star appearances and his silver slugger awards mean nothing at this point, with teams only caring about how well he can hit. The answer is not very well, which means it’s hard to see anyone offering him a contract in August.