Yankees: Time To Trade Rodriguez

It's time to trade Alex Rodriguez — not because of his strip club habit, his supposedly bush league "Ha!" play in Toronto, the coolness with which the home fans regard him, or his slipping skills. Rodriguez needs to be traded for the only reason that matters — the Yankees have a chance to be a better team without him. Not only is it their best chance to improve now, it may be their only chance to avoid several more years like this one.

At first glance, this seems counterintuitive. Rodriguez remains one of the best players in baseball. Although his bat was relatively cold in May (.235 AVG/.361 OBA/.422 SLG, five home runs), thanks to his torrid April performance, he is still tied for the major league lead in home runs. After looking lethargic and confused in the field last season, Rodriguez has dropped some pounds and recovered his agility. He's likely to pass the 500-home run mark this season, and should continue to be a gate attraction throughout his declining years as he knocks down one home run record after another, quite possibly including the career mark that Barry Bonds will set this year. This is the kind of player you want to acquire, not get rid of.

The problem is that Rodriguez offers the Yankees their one opportunity for a team repopulating multi-player swap; the team that acquires him would provide the "multi" part of the equation. Although the Yankees have been somewhat successful with pitchers in recent years, because of pathetically poor drafting and development of position players, they boast no non-pitchers above the high-A ball level who could be described as likely starters in the majors, let alone potential stars. Since Brian Cashman became the general manager in 1998, the Yankees have spent high draft picks on outfielder Andy Brown (no.1, 1998), outfielder Tommy Winrow (no. 2, 1999), catcher David Parrish (no. 1, 2000), outfielder John-Ford Griffin (no. 1, 2001), third baseman Eric Duncan (no. 1, 2003), outfielder Jon Poterson (no. 1 supplemental, 2004), and shortstop C.J. Henry (no. 1, 2005). All have been busts.

The team's one prospect that may grow into a talent too big to be held at the back of the roster, outfielder Jose Tabata, will not turn 19 until August. Tabata is currently batting .306/.372/.377 with one home run for the Tampa Yankees, and he is at least two years away. Even if he were to come faster, Tabata alone could not solve the team's manpower crisis. Moreover, first base is effectively vacant now. Right field may become vacant if the Yankees exercise their $2 million buyout on their $16 million dollar option on Bobby Abreu. Jorge Posada is unsigned. Finally, Rodriguez has the right to void his contract and become a free agent; he almost certainly will.

Patching these holes through free agency is unlikely — this winter's class will be thin. Of course, the Yankees might not see it that way — any team that concluded Doug Mientkiewicz was a viable first baseman must be drooling at the chance to sign Sean Casey. The Yankees could attempt to resolve the outfield problem by signing a Torii Hunter or Andruw Jones to play center field. This would have the effect of pushing the increasingly limited Johnny Damon to left field and Hideki Matsui to right (both are under contract through 2009), but not to designated hitter, which will once again be held in a death-grip by Jason Giambi, assuming he returns from his current injury in good working order. Hunter, despite his good season, is a poor bet to hold his value over the course of a long-term contract. Jones, despite his bad season, is more likely to rebound. The Yankees might get a shot at Adam Dunn for one of the outfield corners, but only if the Reds decline his option.

Mike Lowell is the only third baseman of note likely to be on the market. At .337/.397/.595, he's having a terrific year, but the caveat emptor is as such: he's 33 years old, has never been consistent at this level, and is batting .404 at Fenway Park. By September, the numbers will likely tell a different story — Lowell started out hot last year too, and then faded after the All-Star break.

There are no solutions to be found on the open market, only compromises that would make next year's club even more of an aging patchwork than the current edition. The Yankees could trade young pitching, but events have shown that they need all of the arms they can muster.

That brings us back to A-Rod, the only escape hatch. Should the Yankees go much longer without making up ground in the wild card race (the division title has flown), and perhaps even if they do, they can attempt to shuffle Rodriguez off to one of the competitive clubs that need a third baseman, among them the Angels, Dodgers, and the Indians. The Dodgers represent an especially tempting target. They have a ready third base prospect in Andy LaRoche, a potentially useful, Lyle Overbaystyle first baseman in James Loney, the power-hitting outfielder Matt Kemp, and one of the best pitching prospects in the minors in Low-A lefty Clayton Kershaw. The Yankees wouldn't be able to snag all of these players in an ARod deal, but getting any two would brighten the outlook for next year, and possibly the remainder of this year.

Rodriguez has a full no-trade clause, so he'll have to be convinced to go, and any acquiring club would probably want to negotiate an extension before making a deal. These will be major obstacles to negotiating a deal. That doesn't change the fact that the time is right. Better the Yankees should risk not playing this October (although having a good player each at first and third might make them more competitive now than they are with no first baseman and a great player at third) then give up on next season as well. That's the position they'll be in if they don't act quickly and decisively to turn their one bargaining chip into a multitude of prospects.

Mr. Goldman writes the Pinstriped Bible for yesnetwork.comand is the author of "Forging Genius," a biography of Casey Stengel.