A-Rod, Ichiro- Worth the Money?

By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- With constant talk of contract negotiations and extensions thrust upon us, it is only fair to break down the situations at hand. Are these guys worth the money they are getting?
Let’s start with A-Rod. Yesterday the Yankees agreed to go against what they normally do and talk about contract extensions during the regular season. However, Rodriguez was not interested, saying “I think it would be selfish on my part to talk about my contract status when our team desperately needs wins.” The latest estimates have A-Rod getting anywhere between 30 and 40 million dollars a year with a new contract. There are only about four or five teams that could afford to pay him that kind of money, but is he worth it? Absolutely not. The Yankees do not need Rodriguez. They already have Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, and other big names that will put fans in the seats. A-Rod has never been a part of a winning program and it won’t start now. The Yankees would be wise to spend the money on pitching, something they need more than anything else right now.
However, if a team like the Angels wanted to bring in A-Rod, then I could maybe see them spending that kind of money. The Angels need another star that will get people talking about them, but like the Yankees, they would be smart to spend their money on pitching.
Ichiro’s situation is in a whole other ballpark. It has been reported that the Mariners have agreed to pay Ichiro $100 million over the next five seasons, which would average out to about $20 million a year. This is a very smart move by Seattle for a couple of reasons. First of all, Ichiro is a great player who gives this team a chance by getting on base. He is the best hitter in the game, and arguably the best lead-off man. The second, and biggest reason this is a good move is because of the fans the Mariners get from Japan. Ichiro is one of the most popular men in his native country, and Seattle gets a much larger fan base with him around. He puts people in the seats, and that is what it is all about, being a business and all. Smart move by the M’s, now if they could just figure out what happened to Mike Hargrove. But that’s a topic for another day.