Should Arod Get His Historic Home Run Bonuses?

When Alex Rodriguez resigned with the Yankees for $275 million dollars after the 2007 season, the Bombers threw in a nice little incentive package worth $30 million if he could set a new all-time home run record.

And why not? After all if he did accomplish the feat it would have been a big deal and the Yankees surely would have profited enough to toss him that bonus and then some.

But that was before his positive steroids tests from 2003 surfaced and his would be historic home run chase became tainted.

Now it will be a big deal, but instead of a historic run at reclaiming the record from the evil Barry Bonds it is now just one junky passing the baton to another.

According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, there are grumblings around baseball that side with the idea that the Yankees should try to stiff Arod on his $30 million bonus when the time comes.

Suppose, given his admission of steroid use and the other furor that has swirled around this man, the Yankees were to argue that he’s no longer a “historic” figure?

Wouldn’t that mean that those milestones were no longer “historic” accomplishments?

And wouldn’t that then mean that they no longer would have to pay him his 30 million “historic” bucks — or any portion thereof?

These are not questions the Yankees are asking — yet. But they’re questions we have heard asked around baseball lately, as A-Rod’s reputation, approval rating and marketability have plunged to somewhere south of Rio de Janeiro.

“If I’m the Yankees,” said an official of one team, “I think I’d be doing everything I could not to pay that money, and let him sue me for it.”

“I think the Yankees ought to challenge it and baseball ought to challenge it,” said an executive of another club. “And then it’s up to A-Rod and the union to determine how much they want to fight it. Does this guy really want to continue to go through this stuff? Does he really want to continue to explain himself?”

It’s a good point. If the Yankees are no longer marketing something historic, but rather something any jerk with the right kind of dedication and drugs could pull off, do they really have to pay him?

What do you think?