Do You Put Alex Rodriguez on Your Fantasy Team?

A mixed bag, for sure, to put ARod on your squad or not.  He is the only big name player appealing the suspension.  According to all of the reports I have heard he is not taking this lightly.  His camp is ready to hammer back at MLB.  We shall see how that unfolds, most likely over the late Fall and Winter months.  The last I heard is that the speculation is that they will not hear his appeal until November, at the earliest.

That aside, you as the quintessential fantasy owner, has to decide whether you play the guy or not.  I'm sure he was drafted in your league.  I would be shocked if he wasn't.  You may be his owner, waiting out whatever waiting period your league has to decide whether to activate him, or not.

Or, you are wondering whether to try and make a deal for him.  Perhaps there is something inside you that says that you just can't bring yourself to put him on your roster.  You feel he's as guilty as MLB says he is, and he won't play on your club.  Others who have that competitive fire might think that, "but hey, the dude might help me win my league."  So there are moral dilemmas that may sway one owner over another in their decision to play him, or not.

If you play him, or want to try and go after him in a trade, can he really help you?  You have about a month and a half left in the season.  Does he enough left in the tank to put your team over the top?  My knee jerk answer to that is "Yes."  I think he feels he has a lot to prove.  He wants to prove to the public and MLB that he's clean and that he can still put up big numbers, which will show that he didn't use PED's to put up the monster seasons he has.  I feel like he will be playing with a huge chip on his shoulder and that may drive him for the remainder of the season.

I know he's coming off of major injury and he's 38, but he still has put up some pretty good numbers over the last few years.  I know what you're thinking...he put those numbers up because he was juiced, but I still think he's got enough raw talent to be a good player.

If your competitive fire is such that you need another bat in your lineup to help grab you some points, then maybe you do take a shot at him.  A tough decision, but hey, that's why you're in this business of fantasy ownership, right?

Let me know what you're doing or would do with ARod on your fantasy squad.