Alex Rodriguez Traded to The Yankees: Would I Still Do It Today?

In 2004, the New York Yankees were coming off a heart-breaking World Series loss to the Florida Marlins.

One man in particular got them to that spot in the World Series.

Aaron Boone hit a home run in the 11th inning of Game Seven of the ALCS to send the rival Red Sox packing again. This home run is probably the greatest I remember ever seeing.

The significance that Boone has to the team is not only that home run, but also what happened in the offseason.

Boone was injured in the offseason in a pick-up game of basketball, which was in violation of his contract, resulting in the Yankees releasing him.

Boone has since bounced around the game to different teams, such as the Indians, Marlins, and now the Astros.

But when Boone was injured, it opened up a gap at third base. This situation would bring in the center of controversy for the New York media in the past four years.

On February 15, 2004 the New York Yankees traded second baseman Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias to the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez.

Since the trade, while A-Rod has created mounds of controversy, the Yankees missed the playoffs, and the Red Sox broke the curse.

But how have the teams and players themselves benefited?

Alfonso Soriano: Since the trade, Soriano has played for the Rangers, Nationals, and now the Cubs, where it seems he will be to stay for some time. He has also adjusted from his place at second base to the outfield.

He won the Silver Slugger award with the Nationals in 2006 and has gone to the All-Star game every year.

Soriano has also become one of the more dependable players on the Cubs, averaging a .289 BA, 72 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.

Alex Rodriguez: Since the trade, A-Rod has been one of the best players and nothing he does off the field can hide that.

He has won two MVP awards, Silver Slugger awards in '05, '07, and '08. He averages 41 home runs, a .302 batting average, and a .572 slugging average.

So obviously A-Rod's stats are much better than Soriano. With that said, conventional wisdom points towards taking A-Rod, right?

Not necessarily, because I am not sure if all of the media attention and drama are worth it. Since the day he got to the Bronx, he tore a rift in the locker room by starting a little childish rivalry with Derek Jeter.  And that was just the beginning.

He is the New York media's favorite player, as the writers get to find new ways to make his nickname into an insult. (A-Roid, A-Fraud, and my personal favorite, A-Hole)

And A-Rod has also not been reliable in the most important time of the season: the playoffs.

So I can now finally answer this question, Would I still do this trade today?

And the answer to that is yes. While Alex has been a pain to alot of New York fans, and fellow teammates, I'm sure, he has still put up the better numbers than Soriano.

Adding to the worth of the trade, it is also important to point out the fact that the Yankees found a good replacement for Soriano at second base in the form of Robinson Cano.