On Wednesday, rehabbing Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez told New York sports-talk radio station WFAN that he plans to return to the big-league club on Monday when the 20-day clock on his rehab assignment expires.
A lot could go wrong between now and then. Rodriguez has become inextricably linked to baseball’s Biogenesis scandal, and some reports have suggested he may seek a plea deal to avoid a longer suspension. Other reports claim the Yankees would do anything possible to get out of their massive monetary commitment to Rodriguez, meaning A-Rod and the team could determine the player unfit to continue playing after the rehab assignment ends and return him to the 60-day DL for years — allowing Rodriguez to get his money but the Yankees to collect insurance payments covering a large part of his contract.
But assuming there’s no conspiracy afoot and Rodriguez really does intend to return to the Yankees on Monday, the club stands to gain a massive offensive boost. While that may be something the suddenly cost-conscious Yanks would be happy to forgo for salary relief over the next five seasons, it will impact the pennant chase in the American League East.
To date, Yankees third basemen have a miserable .589 OPS in 2013. And the best of the team’s third-base contributors — Kevin Youkilis and Jayson Nix — are both on the disabled list, leaving the club regularly trotting out the putrid-hitting Luis Cruz to the hot corner.
Alex Rodriguez, for all his warts, is a much, much, much, much, much better hitter than Luis Cruz. Even last season, in the worst year of his professional career, Rodriguez’s OPS was nearly 200 points higher than the Yankees’ crop of fill-in third basemen. He’s a year older now and he’s been on a steady decline since his MVP season in 2007, but at the very least his bum hip should be improved in 2013.
Moreover, the Yankees could really use right-handed power in their lineup. The Bombers have mustered only a .649 OPS against lefty pitching in 2013, good for second-worst in the American League. Their slugging percentage against southpaws is worst in the circuit, which is borderline ridiculous given the bandbox in which they play their home games.
Rodriguez is one of the best right-handed hitters of all-time. Even at his age and in his diminished condition in 2012, he managed a .924 OPS against lefties.
The Yankees are 51-44 in 2013 despite a recent cold stretch. They are six games back of the Red Sox in their division and three games behind in the Wild Card chase. If they mean to contend in 2013, they should absolutely look forward to the return of a third baseman who can hit like something better than a pitcher. Say what you will about Alex Rodriguez, but don’t say he can’t help his team win games in 2013.
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