Doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but Alex Rodriguez will be the full-time designated hitter for the Yankees this season. General manager Brian Cashman made the proclamation today during a phone interview with The Associated Press. It’s pretty simple, with the signing of Chase Headley yesterday, the Yankees have no room for A-Rod at third base. Cashman confirmed today that Headley will be the Yankees’ everyday starter at third, pushing A-Rod into the DH role.
“I can’t expect Alex to be anything,” Cashman said during the AP interview.
“I’ve got to think the worst and hope for the best. Even before the suspension, he wasn’t the same player at third base on the defensive or offensive side. And that was before the suspension. And now he’s been out of the game for a year. He’s approaching 40 years of age. And just to automatically assume given his circumstances that he’ll be able to plug right in, play third as an everyday guy and hold up and be productive, I think that would be dangerous thinking from my perspective, in the seat I’m sitting in.”
It wasnt all negative words out of Cashman’s mouth, he hopes that Rodriguez will be able to succeed as the full-time DH. “So given all that circumstance, we look forward to him hopefully solidifying himself as a tremendous DH for us, and if he shows he has retained athleticism, then he can play third as a choice when Joe decides to give Headley a rest,” Cashman said. “He can compete for Joe’s thought process, whether it’s Prado swinging over or Alex playing third.”
Cashman has once again said that he has not spoken with A-Rod regarding this news, but is confident he is aware of all the news. “I don’t need to. I’ve been very consistent with my conversations publicly from October on,” Cashman said. “I have not heard from Alex on any of that, and I know he reads all this stuff.” We are all aware that the relationship between A-Rod and Cashman is strained at best, but manager Joe Girardi will act as the buffer between the two come time for spring training. There was a report from the Daily News stating a source close to the A-Rod camp says he is heading into spring training fully expecting to compete for his old job. “In his mind, he’s still the third baseman,” the source told the Daily News.
