Grade the Trade: Rangers trade Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano

The Rangers trade of Alex Rodriguez for Alfonso Soriano is legendary, but who won the deal?

Has there ever been a trade of one player for another where they combined to hit over 1,000 home runs? It happened at least once in MLB history when the Texas Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano.

A-Rod spent so long in New York, a whole generation probably forgot his time in Texas. Love him or hate him, Rodriguez was involved in one of this century’s biggest blockbuster trades.

Like many trades, this one involved lots of money. The root of all evil was the main purpose the Rangers wanted to move on from Rodriguez. His historic contract didn’t do the payroll any favors. To relieve some burden, they turned to the team that never shies away from spending: the Yankees.

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Obviously, the Yankees won this trade in regards to the smaller picture. Rodriguez continued his Hall of Fame career for 12 more seasons. While it did end a little less ceremoniously, the dozen years he spent with the Yankees included 351 home runs. This helped Rodriguez reach 696 in his career, putting him fourth all-time. Only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth have gone deep more often.

Rodriguez’s career also included the controversial 2014 suspension which held him out from baseball action for a full year. Despite missing an entire campaign, he returned and hit 33 home runs for the Yankees. Sure, he was a shell of the star he was in the early 2000s. Still, he produced at the plate.

The Rangers didn’t come away completely empty-handed. Soriano was pretty fantastic in the two seasons he spent with them before they traded him to the Washington Nationals. Soriano smacked 64 home runs in this two seasons and went to the All-Star Game both times. Unfortunately, the haul they got back from the Nationals wasn’t very great thus leaving a more sour taste in their mouths.

From the big picture perspective, the Rangers are the runner-ups. Even with the payroll cleared they failed to make it to the World Series, let alone win one, while Soriano was present. The Yankees captured only one championship with Rodriguez when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.

However, the Rangers did see World Series action in 2010 and 2011. It’s a bit of a stretch to relate that appearance to this trade since it didn’t happen until several years later.

One can only wonder what fate these two teams would’ve had if the trade never happened. What if Soriano stuck with the Yankees? Would Robinson Cano have been held back? Would Rodriguez have propelled the Rangers to their only championship?

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As it stands, Brian Cashman got this trade right even if it emptied the Steinbrenner fortune.