If he is asked to do so, Alex Rodriguez will play first base.
In need of an offensive boost, the New York Yankees traded for Chase Headley before last year’s MLB Trade Deadline. Even though Headley didn’t make the biggest impact, the Yankees still re-signed him this offseason to a four-year deal worth up to $52 million. With Alex Rodriguez coming back this season, even though he isn’t the player he was once, he will still likely play an important role for this team.
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However, with Headley coming back as well, Rodriguez might have to play somewhere else. Well, he might end up taking some reps at first base in 2015.
According to the New York Daily News, Rodriguez is all in for the Yankees and he will play first base if he’s asked to do so. Considering what manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees, and Yankees fans have had to deal with over the past few years, Rodriguez has given numerous apologies. Rodriguez and Girardi had a conversation the other day regarding the 2015 season and Rodriguez had this to say about the talk.
"“Whatever he needs, I’m all in. Whether Joe wants me to play third base, first base, DH, ball boy, I’m all in,” Rodriguez added. “Whatever it takes. While Rodriguez also noted, “I love Joe” and said “I would go through a wall for Joe,”"
It’s no secret that Mark Teixeira is one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. While Teixeira has lost a step with his bat, he truly has an excellent glove. Teixeira has said this offseason that he feels great and his gluten-free diet has made him feel like a kid again. Teixeira talked about the idea of Rodriguez playing first and how it could gratefully help the team.
"“I’ll enjoy working with him over there,” Teixeira said. “He got to teach me some things; now I’m going to be able to teach him some things at first. “Having a decent backup is important,” Teixeira said. “I know there were times last year that I was just out there for my defense. Offensively, I wasn’t going to be able to produce much at all because of the injuries. Having Alex out there – or whoever it might be – playing decent first base is big for the team.”"
With all that A-Rod has made Yankees fans go through, it’s good to know that he’s flexible and he’s well aware of his role on this team. The MLB season is just around the corner and for A-Rod to make 25-man roster, he might have to play positions other than third base. The Yankees will start their season on April 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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