ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Let it be recorded that July 31, 2016, is the date when the Yankees began to reap what they sowed nearly a decade earlier.
The seeds for the great sell-off -- and the Yankees can call it whatever they like, but if it quacks like a duck, please pass the sauce a l'orange -- were planted in December 2007, when someone in Yankees ownership (read: Hank Steinbrenner) decided to override the recommendation of GM Brian Cashman and reward Alex Rodriguez with a contract extension and a raise.
This is not to be interpreted as blaming A-Rod for the Yankees' current plight; neither he nor his then-agent, Scott Boras, marched up to Hank’s office with a gun and a mask.