Cash OK with A-Rod praise of Red Sox
Among his numerous jobs since retiring from baseball in 2016, Alex Rodriguez serves as both a special adviser to the Yankees’ front office and as a game analyst on ESPN.
So was Yanks GM Brian Cashman peeved that A-Rod publicly dubbed Boston’s Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez “the best 1-2 punch in baseball” ahead of two stars within the organization that employs him -- Bombers sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton?
“No, not at all. He’s being paid a lot more by them to give strong opinions than he’s being paid by us,” Cashman joked before A-Rod was in the TV booth for Sunday night’s series finale between the Yankees and Red Sox. “I think Alex is wearing a lot of hats. He’s now A-Rod Corp.”
As Cashman referenced, the PED-tainted slugger has kept busy well beyond his baseball duties; he’s also further transitioned to television work with guest appearances on “Shark Tank” and hosts his own reality show on CNBC, “Back in the Game,” in which he offers financial advice to former professional athletes.
“Listen, he’s now transitioned from obviously being an excellent major-league baseball player to obviously being a dominant force in the business world,” Cashman said. “So with that, comes a lot of areas and all that time. He’s got time for us, but not as much time as maybe he’s got for others… I’m just happy that he’s available as a contributing member (of the organization), but he’s a man of many talents.”
The offensive numbers through Saturday night backed up Rodriguez’ contention about Betts (ML-best 1.110 OPS) and Martinez (1.033), with each boasting an OPS figure ahead of Judge (.942) and Stanton (.841). Martinez, who was signed as a free agent, also leads the majors in home runs and RBI.
“While (Giancarlo) Stanton and Aaron Judge get a lot of attention, the Red Sox have the best 1-2 punch in baseball in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez,” A-Rod told the Boston Globe ahead of the series, while also giving edges to Boston in the starting rotation and the Yankees in the bullpen. “If you asked the insiders in the game, they would put Mookie in the top three players in the game, and that’s a hell of a compliment for a guy who goes under the radar. And the reason he goes under the radar is because he’s a consummate professional. He does everything really well and he gets better every year and does it with class, elegance and stealth.”