Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The A-Rod Dilemma...


It’s this simple: the Angels need Alex Rodriguez. They need his .400 OBP and his .600 slugging. They need someone who can provide 3rd base production from the 3rd base spot, because. I love Chone Figgins, but a .700 OPS from a corner infield spots puts the Angels at a distinct disadvantage when they play the Sox, Yanks, Tigers, etc.

The Angels also need to come out of the shadows of the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers are not the superior baseball team anymore, but they are still the top draw, and Southern California on aggregate bleeds Dodger Blue. Alex Rodriguez can absolutely shift that power to the Angels, and if the Angels can also swing a deal for another slugger (Adam Dunn, Barry Bonds maybe?), or a big arm, (Johan Santana or Mark Prior if the Cubs non-tender him), then LA becomes the Angels’ town.

We all know how much that means for Arte Moreno, seeing how quickly he turned the team into the LA Angels. The man made his billion in advertising, and he has always made a point of growing the Angels brand. Alex Rodriguez legitimizes the Angels as a world-beater. It may hurt clubhouse chemistry, among other things, but it makes sense from an “Angels Brand” aspect.

Arte Moreno will probably go from pocketing $5-$10 million a year from the team to losing $15-20 (since they’re almost maxed out revenue wise), but if he can run his team on a loss short-term it can pay off in the long-run. The team is worth $431 million in the latest Forbes estimate, up from $184 in 2003 when Arte bought the team. Signing A-Rod would only make the team worth more, and help give them a chance at a more lucrative television deal.

In short…it comes down to how badly Arte wants to grow the team. If he’s thinking big, and his billion dollars leads me to believe he thinks big, he’ll get his man.

1 comment:

John McClory said...

Agreed. Three questions: 1.) Does Moreno's previous statements about not wanting a contract like Arods concern you?
2.) What about Torre being a huge draw for Arod going to the Dodgers?
3.) You couldnt have found a more homosexual picture of arod. could you?