New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is the most polarizing player in baseball and things have become even more intense since his 211-game suspension from major league baseball for his past use and with him appealing, an interesting question that has come up over the years has new meaning.
What If Alex Rodriguez Stayed In Seattle? What if he played out his old contract, signed as a free agent back in 2001 instead of going to Texas? While no one can really know what could have happened, some speculation is always fun and after the Mariners went on to win 116 games that season, one can wonder whether they would have won more with Rodriguez.
A-Rod leaving wasn't that stunning for Mariners fans, as they saw Randy Johnson and Jen Griffey Jr. shipped out of town as well, but the fans still held out hope that he would return. Obviously that did not happen and instead he signed a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, something the team and likely A-Rod regrets to this day (apart from the whole $200 million thing.)
At the time, The Rangers were in the bottom part of the AL West and they remained there during Rodriguez's time with the team, although he put up monster numbers. Rodriguez later admitted to PED use while playing with the team and eventually he was traded to the Yankees. Rodriguez signed the biggest contract in baseball at the time and became one of the highest paid players in all of sports, but the expectations and the contract clearly got to A-Rod and eventually he was shipped to the Yankees.
A-Rod continued to win MVPs and put up massive numbers, but it didn't translate into a World Series until 2009 and of course there was the intense press conference when he admitted PED use. But what if he stayed? What if he signed a five, six or seven year deal with $150-200 million instead of his massive contract? Would he be where he is today? Based on rumors, the Seattle clubhouse wasn't much cleaner than anyone else's back in the 90's and early 2000's, but if A-Rod stayed with his original team and signed a lesser deal, would the pressure get to him as much?
The Mariners have never been to a World Series and the closest they came was that season in 2001. Could they have defeated the Yankees with A-Rod? I guess no one will ever know.
