A-Rod in orange and black?

By Chris Furnari

Before the Red Sox even had the chance to open a bottle of bubbly after their World Series sweep, there was one notable baseball figure who stole the show.

Alex Rodriguez announced in the final innings of the World Series that he would opt out of the last three years of his contract with the Yankees and enter the free agent market.

I wonder if the Giants were paying more attention to the celebration on the pitching mound or the waiver-wire. Now that A-Rod is officially on the market, the Giants could officially be interested in making an offer.

Are the Giants ready to enter the exact same situation they just left? Getting rid of Bonds after 15 years meant getting rid of many things that came with having Bonds in the clubhouse.

In exchange for not renewing Bonds' contract, the Giants will get the $15.8 million dollars they awarded him in 2007 and lose the drama he brought to the clubhouse, but also potentially lose a few ticket sales.

Here is where the situation begins to unfold.

Now that there is more money to spend, shouldn't the Giants look to the future, build up their farm team and invest in two or three above-average players for the 2008 season?

Or should they replace the high-profile star with an even more expensive, media grabbing superstar. Hey, at least fans would be more excited to watch the Giants lose!

Should the Giants make a bid for the ex-Yankee, they would be paying nearly double what they paid for Bonds in 2007 for the next ten years. However, if there is one player who can break Bonds' home run record, it's A-Rod, and that would put fans in the seats.

As is the case with most teams these days, business almost always takes precedent over baseball affairs. In Peter Magowan's case, baseball is almost certainly second on the list of priorities.

Wouldn't that be sweet -- another 10 years of underachieving, spending way too much money and watching history happen all over again?

I don't think so.

Sure it was great to have Bonds around for the past 15 years, and I will surely hold many memories of his time as a Giant, but what the organization needs right now is youth.

The Giants would be better off developing some younger talent and creating a team like the Rockies or Diamondbacks that actually advances to the postseason.

Plus, I think A-rod looked better in pinstripes.