When you are the best player, highest paid and team leader and something goes wrong, fingers are automatically going to be pointed in your direction. That is what happened this week with the New York Yankees.
Alex Rodriguez is a superstar player who has found himself in a bit of a slump come the playoffs, like many of the other Yanks. However, they aren't the ones that took the brunt of the criticism when the teams play starting going south in the ALCS versus Detroit. It was all on Rodriguez's shoulder. He was the one that got pulled during a crucial late inning at bat and then benched for the remainder of the series. Would the Yankees have won with A-Rod on the field? Doubtful, but it is likely he would have done better than his replacements. Will fans second guess manager Joe Girardi? Probably not, most fans love the fact that the superstar has to ride the pine, but the people that will second guess Girardi is management. Not making it to the World Series is pretty close to a fireable offense in New York.
Girardi has also sealed either his fate or A-Rod's in New York for the 2013 season. With what happened during this post season, it looks like only one of the two can remain in the big apple. There have already been rumours swirling that the Yankees are talking to the Miami Marlins about trading for Rodriguez. Other teams with deep pockets or those in need of a media splash could include the Cubs, the Dodgers or maybe down the street with the Mets. Rodriguez will not be easy to move. He is on the downside of his career, with an ever increasing cost. His play has declined from year to year, but is approaching many career milestones that could be good for turnstile numbers at least.
If it is Girardi that moves on, don't expect him to be unemployed for long. There are several franchises looking for a new bench boss, including the Red Sox and this would be an interesting move to say the least. That Red Sox job might not be open for long though. The Sox are interested in Blue Jays manager John Farrell and the sports news cycle is already saying the Sox and Jays are talking compensation. If that works out, could Girardi end up in Toronto? I don't think Jays fans would be upset with that move.
What could have Rodriguez and Girardi done differently, well for starters hit the ball out of the infield, but basically when you have a star, you can sit him for one game, but if it goes beyond that, you end up creating a situation that you can't reverse. Rodriguez isn't the first victim of this, look at the Roberto Luongo situation. The Canucks benched him and now the coach and fans don't have trust in him, so he needs to be moved. Girardi has created the same situation with Rodriguez and probably Curtis Granderson. However this ends up playing out we will probably see a new look New York next season.
