Alex Rodriguez Denied Entry To The 700 Home Run Club

There have only been three players in MLB history who have hit over 700 home runs in their careers: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (756) and Babe Ruth (714). The next man up on that list is 41 year-old Alex Rodriguez, who will most likely be denied membership.

All signs pointed to Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees going their separate ways sooner rather than later, and on Sunday we got our answer . Alex Rodriguez will play his final career game Friday, ending his 22-year career. Next season would have been Rodriguez’s last under contract with the Yankees, and was set to make $21 million.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has confirmed Rodriguez will receive the remainder of his contract in full saying, “He gets everything he deserves , the contract he negotiated in full force.” The most recent indicator that the Yankees no longer needed Rodriguez’s services came on August 4 th against Bartolo Colon and the New York Mets. Rodriguez has owned Colon over the course of their careers , sporting a .442 career average (23-52) with 8 home runs and 20 RBIs. Joe Girardi decided to sit Rodriguez in favor of one of the Yankees top prospects, Gary Sanchez.

Even though Rodriguez would obviously love to play baseball as long as he could, the writing was on the wall. A-Rod cannot play the field and cannot pinch run. If Girardi isn’t going to start him against the likes of Colon, he was just essentially taking up space on the 25 man roster. When Brian Cashman traded Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran for young and promising prospects, it signaled that times are changing in the Bronx. The Yankees are making way for these players to come up and develop in the majors. We saw that with the immediate call-up of Sanchez, with power-hitting Aaron Judge soon to follow. If this is the game plan, Rodriguez could not take up a valuable roster spot.

With Rodriguez sitting only four home runs shy from the joining the illustrious 700 home run club, combined with the Yankees seemingly moving on from him, it was thought that Rodriguez could possibly hit number 700 in a different uniform. Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees brass must have talked and decided it was time to part ways with Rodriguez.  Just last week Cashman said, “You just have to flat-out admit, it is not easy to eat – meaning release – that kind of money.”

With three games remaining in his career, combined with no assurance from Girardi that he will be starting, it is likely that A-Rod will be denied entrance to the 700 home run club. If Rodriguez wasn’t suspended for the entire 2014 season, it’s interesting to imagine what his career home run total would be at right now. He would have certainly passed Babe Ruth’s 714 mark but I don’t think he would be closing in on Hank Aaron’s 755 mark.

We will have to wait to see how history will treat Alex Rodriguez. We will get the first definite answer in 2021, his first year eligible for the Hall of Fame. The writers who vote for the Hall of Fame have been defiant in not allowing steroid users in, as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have not come close to the 75% voting ballot threshold.  Coming just short of 700 home runs is just another story to add to the pile of Alex Rodriguez’s polarizing career.