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Alex Rodriguez Blasts Yankees Roster Construction After Postseason Exit
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- Alex Rodriguez Blasts Yankees Roster Construction After Postseason Exit
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez
The New York Yankees were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series, extending their championship drought to 17 seasons.
The team has made one World Series since 2009, and one of the franchise's legends blasted their roster construction. During an appearance on "The Herd With Colin Cowherd," Alex Rodriguez noted that the front office has failed to build a roster that can win in today's game.
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"And I'm not saying you should fire (Brian) Cashman or (Aaron Boone)," Rodriguez said on Wednesday. "I don't think that's the case. But with this construction of this roster, you can bring Sparky Anderson, Joe Torre, Billy Martin. You're not going to win with this roster. When you have four or five DHs in the first basements, that's an issue. When you go into an elimination game three at home, and of the eight positions, you don't know who's going to play five, with a $330 million payroll."
Rodriguez does make a good point. The Yankees have a number of players who are too old or liabilities on defense. Their lack of concrete defensive alignments hurt them in the long run, but the good news is Rodriguez thinks the Yankees already know what the winning formula is.
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"This is a copy and paste league," he said. "The good news for the Yankees is you don't have to copy and paste anyone. Go copy and paste the last 27 championships you've won and go copy that. You've got to get players that play positions, that are elite defenders, that are elite athletes, high baseball IQ, tons of integrity, and that have an absolute play with their hair on fire with tremendous passion. And you just don't see that fear there anymore. People go into Yankee Stadium, they beat us, and then they make fun of us. And if they win, they have the right to make fun of the Yankees."
Defense has been a big issue for the Yankees in the last few postseasons. Adding elite defenders will be a goal for the Yankees this offseason. They may also want to get younger and cut ties with players like Giancarlo Stanton and Paul Goldschmidt.
Rodriguez won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009 and was with the organization for 12 seasons. The Yankees made the postseason in nine of his seasons with the team, and reached the American League Championship Series three times as well. He knows what it takes to be a real contender, and wants to see the Yankees get back to that.
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