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Is A-Rod's Baseball Career Turning Into A Giant Insurance Scam?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 27, 2013
Modified Jun 27, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 27, 2013
Modified Jun 27, 2013
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This week, the hobbled Alex Rodriguez jumped back into the headlines thanks to some overexcited tweeting about his rehab process that led to Yankees management asking him to kindly "shut the f*** up." Both sides have spent the last 24 hours trying to walk back that tense public moment, but it's pretty clear that there's a major fracture in the A-Rod/Yankees relationship. And it's starting to appear like the whole thing is turning into a giant insurance scam.
There are now two schools of thought about what's happening behind-the-scenes between the sides: ESPN sources (likely someone close to A-Rod's camp) say that A-Rod thinks the Yankees don't want him back this season so they can collect insurance. "Alex thinks there's something really off about this situation," a source told them. "Here we have a doctor declaring him fit to play. You think they would be happy about that." GM Brian Cashman's "over the top" response to his tweet cemented his belief that the Yankees have been looking for ways to rid themselves of his albatross-like, $275 million contract: "Alex thinks it's all about the insurance," the source said. "How could it not be?"
But on the other hand, the Daily News' sources (likely someone close to the Yankees camp) say that A-Rod fears a long ban due to HGH, and is hoping to cash out and retire with four years left on his contract. If he retires, then he can still get the $86 million he's owed from 2014-2017—and 80 percent would be covered by insurance, which would be a boon to the organization.
So now, two days after he tweeted how excited he was to start playing again, sources tell the Post that's not the case: “He is not ready to play in games,’’ a person with knowledge of the conversation said. “He is worried about his health.’’ But the Daily News' source claims it's all about the money: “It’s all about him getting his money and not losing it to suspension,” their source said. “He knows he’s never going to the Hall of Fame. All that’s left for him is to make sure he gets his money — all of it.”
Tagged
a-rod
alex rodriguez
baseball
insurance scam
scams
sports
take the money and run
Yankees
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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