The Miami Marlins are reportedly interested in adding recently released Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez to their lineup after losing Giancarlo Stanton for the season.
Although it was reported a week earlier that it “appears highly doubtful” that the Miami Marlins would sign Alex Rodriguez, on Sunday the club’s president of baseball operations Michael Hill confirmed that they were exploring the possibility of signing the 41-year-old slugger.
The match was just too perfect. There was no way it wasn’t going to happen. Al from Miami is going home.
The news of Miami’s interest came hours after the team announced their star player, slugging rightfielder Giancarlo Stanton, would miss the remainder of the 2016 season due to a groin injury.
When asked how they would replace Stanton’s production as they vie for a Wild Card spot, Hill told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com:
“I think we’re going through that process right now. We’re putting our list together of options. [Rodriguez] is available, so he will be on that list. We’ll see where that goes.”
While Alex Rodriguez hasn’t said whether he wants to continue playing or not, this could be the perfect situation for him. A-Rod already lives in Miami, so he would be able to spend more time with his family. His good friend Barry Bonds is the Marlins hitting coach, which could also be a draw.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is a well known Yankees fan who loves to make headlines. He pulled out all the stops to bring in Yankees legend Don Mattingly as manager before this season. A-Rod’s former teammate Ichiro Suzuki has also experienced a late career renaissance with The Fish.
Stanton is not the only Marlin on the disabled list. They are also without their starting first baseman Justin Bour.
Mattingly sounded enthusiastic about the idea of bringing in A-Rod. The skipper didn’t think Rodriguez would have any trouble handling first base duties down the stretch, telling Frisaro, “He moved over to third, almost seamlessly. There’s no reason he couldn’t play first.”
Rodriguez hadn’t played the field at all this season until his final game with the Yankees. He has only one career start at first base, but he reportedly has worked out there periodically since the All Star break to increase his versatility. The last time he played regularly in the field was a few months in 2013.
Although it will be sad to see Alex Rodriguez playing with another club, this move could end up being a win for both A-Rod and the Marlins. Alex is just four home runs from reaching 700 and 18 from tying Babe Ruth for third place on the all-time list.
For the injury plagued Marlins, this is a low-risk, high-reward move. A-Rod will be highly motivated to show he still has something left, and the extra ticket sales he will inevitably generate won’t hurt either.
[
yanksgoyard.com]
