Yankees, A-Rod finally come to an agreement on who gets his bonus money
The New York Yankees and Alex Rodriguez have decided how to divvy out his performance bonuses, and everybody seems to win.
As his usage of steroids and performance enhancing substances have come to light over the years, there has been plenty of debate about Alex Rodriguez’s true place among the historic record book. That debate extended to the sometimes third baseman’s contract, a debate that ended on Friday according to a joint statement from Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
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At odds were the performance bonuses that the Yankees and Rodriguez negotiated into the contract extension that the two parties agreed to on December 12, 2007. That language indicated that Rodriguez would receive $6 million for each predetermined historical milestone passed. The first of those occurred earlier this season, when Rodriguez surpassed Willie Mays on the all-time home run list after hitting his 661st career home run.
However the Yankees balked at paying that first bonus, something many felt was inevitability after Rodriguez’s involvement with the Biogenesis Scandal and was subsequently suspended for all of the 2014 season for his actions. The Yankees felt the statistics were perhaps dubious and therefore didn’t justify being paid out as laid out in his contract. The Yankees had some grounds for their fight as well, with A-Rod having previously admitting in 2009 to using steroids during the 2001-2003 season. The team felt that with the previous admission of guilt and his subsequent involvement with BioGenesis, A-Rod and the milestones were no longer marketable, taking away any gains the Yankees could receive from the bonuses.
That said, this agreement between the Yankees, A-Rod, and the Union assures that there is at least some benefit from the ordeal. Now, all of the monies that were being argued over will go to worthy charitable organizations that seek to grow the game of baseball and provide for the well-being of today’s youth. That’s a strong message that will surely help rebuild some of the conceptions around Rodriguez and the effects of his repeated involvement with performance enhancing substances to the long-term longevity of the game.
Rodriguez has enjoyed a nice little comeback from his suspension, hitting .281/.381/.506 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI while playing primarily as the Yankees DH in 2015. This new decision is part of a significant makeover for the slugger as he tries to rebuild him image during the waning years of his career. Whether or not it’ll have much effect on his place in the history of the game remains to be seen, but it is a sizable step forward in the near-term.
Of course, that could all change as the other $24 million in potential bonus money comes into play.
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