Like It Or Not, the Yankees Are Going to Need A-Rod in 2015

Sometimes we all catch a break, as sports fans and observers. Consider Alex Rodriguez’s Spring Training 2015 with the Yankees one of those breaks. By all accounts this appeared to be the ultimate New York media feeding frenzy — a “disgraced” slugger coming back from a year-long PED suspension, and not just any “disgraced” slugger but instead Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez.

As the Yankees prepare to break camp and head north, perhaps the only surprise is that Rodriguez hasn’t been much of a story other than the day he arrived, the day he hit his first home run and some ancillary crap about the Yankees not wanting to pay his milestone home run achievements or noting his spring accomplishments on Twitter.

A-Rod’s quiet (tabloid) spring is mostly practical. For one, he’s performed much better than most expected, hitting three home runs in 39 Grapefruit League at bats — perhaps a year off is exactly what his ailing hips needed? His .990 OPS is the highest among Yankee players who figure to actually play once the real season begins on Monday. Most prognosticators predict the Yankees to be under .500, perhaps fielding their weakest team since the early 1990s.

In short, the Yankees need A-Rod in 2015. Do they want to pay him $64 million the next three seasons — potentially more when he passes Willie Mayes on the all-time home run list? No, but they’re stuck with him for better or worse.

Realistically here’s the A-Rod like-ability breakdown:

People who don’t like A-Rod: Bud Selig, Yankees’ upper management, New York baseball writers
People who do like A-Rod: Contrarians, some fans, Mike Francesa, New York tabloid headline writers
People who don’t have an opinion on A-Rod: 99.9 percent of planet earth.

Mostly this might actually end up being a lot of fun. For one, it’s always fun to see Yankees ownership grumble. Let’s hope that a poor social media intern is tasked with filming a Vine when Hal Steinbrenner signs off on A-Rod $6 million home run bonus check.

Beyond that, the exception back in August 2013 when he earned his 200+ game suspension was for A-Rod to take the Mike Tyson route and fade away into “Bolivian.” Instead, he’s back. He’s hitting. And he’s not creating any unnecessary controversy.

Sure A-Rod’s legacy is tarnished. Odds are, unless there’s a massive sea change in the BBWWA, one of the best all-time players in baseball history will never get a plaque in Cooperstown. Even so the next three years of A-Rod should produce loads of entertainment.

Since I just watched WrestleMania earlier this week — shameless plug — pro wrestling is on the brain. A-Rod’s impending 2015 feels like a wrestling plot. Management wants everyone to hate A-Rod. Instead it’s done the compete opposite, making A-Rod a heel in name, but one that will still be cheered wildly by fans whenever he does something good on the diamond.

[Photo via Getty]