Alex Rodriguez is in the news all the time about something and today is no different. Currently fighting a 211-game suspension, he has reportedly been telling teammate Robinson Cano that he should test the free agent market and sign with another team in the offseason. Cano is on the verge of free agency and could either sign an extension with the Yankees or see a deal nearing $200 million on the open market.
The third baseman's spokesman Ron Berkowitz says:
A-Rod plans to be with the Yankees for the four years left in his contract and "obviously would want Robbie right next to him. This rumor is 100% not true."
While I highly doubt Alex Rodriguez is telling Cano to leave the organization, I'm absolutely sure he's told him to test the open market and see what kind of deal is out there for him. Many players test free agency, especially when they reach it for the first time, so this isn't too big of a deal. The only problem would be if A-Rod was purposefully trying to destroy the clubhouse from the inside and that sounds like a little too much conspiracy for me.
Alex Rodriguez is a lot of things; immature, cheater, liar, whatever, but first and foremost is that he's a competitor. He's stuck on the Yankees for the next four years and even if the team is noncompetitive for the next few years, he's still going to want the best team around win to give him the a chance to win. If there is any truth to this it's probably nothing more than a friend giving out advice.
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- Mark Montgomery and the terrible, no good, very bad season
- Mariano Rivera's blown saves: Is it time to worry about the greatest closer ever?
- Alex Rodriguez will fight MLB's claims that he has been using steroids for years
- Yankees prospects: Cito Culver finally makes it to Tampa
- Boone Logan and his maddeningly Janus-like season