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A-Rod: Why The Tigers Should Consider Signing Him

By Will Burchfield
Twitter: burchie_kid
Alex Rodriguez will play his final game with the Yankees on Friday, but not everyone's convinced he's ready to walk away from baseball.

A-Rod, for one, hardly committed himself to retirement in his farewell press conference last Sunday. He made it clear it was the Yankees' decision to part ways, and indicated a departure from the Bronx doesn't necessarily mean a departure from the game.

And at least some baseball executives agree – a good percentage of them, in fact, per a poll conducted by ESPN's Jayson Stark.

Baseball runs thick in A-Rod's blood, thicker than any supplement he's ever injected, swallowed or consumed. If a team, any team, presents him with the opportunity to return, one has to assume Rodriguez would eagerly climb aboard.

Might the Tigers be that team? And should they at least entertain the idea?

In short, why the heck not?

Rodriguez could likely be had for the league minimum and he's hardly the tabloid poster-boy he used to be. Rosters expand on Sept. 1, from 25 players to 40, so he wouldn't obstruct helpful farmhands from joining the big-league club. He would be eligible for the postseason roster so long as he is signed by August 31, leaving the Tigers a month to evaluate whether it's worth keeping him around.

If they like what he offers as, say, a pinch-hitter or part-time D.H., they can move forward with him on board. If he stinks, they can cut him loose.

Really, what's the harm?

A-Rod, the 2016-Arod, won't be a threat to the Tigers' team chemistry, however you quantify such a thing anyway. He is past the point of making the game about himself, done with seeking attention and stirring up headlines. This transformation in his personality has occurred over the past two years, beginning with his 162-game suspension in 2014, and by all accounts it's genuine and real.

If the Tigers are fully committed to their win-now philosophy, as they so clearly seem to be, it's incumbent on the front office to explore every option in making the team better. There is no such thing as too much depth, especially in the playoffs, and A-Rod, despite his woeful 2016 season, could actually enhance the Tigers' bench.

I know, I know. It's moronic. It's insane. It's totally idiotic. Except it's not.

Think about it.

Right now, the team's primary options off the bench are Mike Aviles, Andrew Romine and either Jarred Saltalamacchia or James McCann (depending on who's starting). That list figures to include Tyler Collins once Cameron Maybin returns from his thumb injury as well as Steven Moya once rosters expand at the end of this month.

So imagine a late-game scenario, sometime in September, in which Brad Ausmus wants to send up a pinch-hitter against a left-handed pitcher. At his disposal are Aviles, Romine, Collins, Moya and Saltalamacchia/McCann. Wouldn't Rodriguez strengthen the manager's hand?

He has a .672 OPS against lefties this season, which is a legitimate improvement over most of the aforementioned players. And he has nine homers overall, which, though a paltry total by itself, is actually pretty impressive against A-Rod's limited playing time; his 24.1 at-bats per home run would rank sixth among Tigers' hitters. Rodriguez is a shell of the slugger he used to be, but he still has above-average power and a discerning eye and the undeniable ability to run into a few balls if his bat gets hot.

There would seem to be room for that on a 40-man roster.

Look, no one's suggesting the Tigers should sign A-Rod to fill in for the injured Nick Castellanos at third base. And no one's suggesting they should bring him in to be an everyday hitter. But if he stands to make the team better in a limited role, doesn't Al Avila, at the very least, have to consider it? Isn't that his duty?

A-Rod to the Tigers is a long-shot, a pipe-dream, a nightmare, an idea as crazy as it is unlikely. But it's not without a reasonable defense.

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