If the Houston Astros need a loan, they can always give Alex Rodriguez a call.

The Yankees third baseman will make $29 million, more than the entire roster for the Astros, at $25 million.

Of course, the Astros roster is flush with guys so unknown it's like they're enrolled in the Witness Protection Program. Seriously, Brad Peacock and Marwin Gonzalez are not exactly names that command seven-figure salaries.

A-Rod is the highest-paid player in baseball for the 13th straight season and what makes it truly remarkable is that he may not even play this year while he recovers from hip surgery. With youth no longer on his side, diminished power and the cloud of steroids hanging over him like a big, fat breaking ball, you don't need to be Warren Buffett to see Rodriguez's contract makes little financial sense.

The second highest-paid player in baseball is Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, who will collect $25 million. Not bad for working every fifth day, huh? If you tried to get away with that in any other job, you'd get pink-slipped by the end of the week.

Cliff Lee
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Three of the six highest-paid players in baseball will begin the season on the disabled list, proving that while their wallets are healthy, their bodies are not. A-Rod is joined in that dubious club by Mets pitcher Johan Santana ($24.6 million) and Yankees teammate Mark Teixeira ($23.1 million).

With the Yankees’ recent acquisition of Vernon Wells ($24.6 million), they now have four of the six highest-paid players in 2013. Joining Rodriguez, Wells and Teixeira is CC Sabathia, who will pull in $24.3 million.

And as for all the talk the Yankees would cut back on their spending, well, that’s just gobbledy-gook. For the 15th consecutive year, they’ll lead the majors in payroll, this time at $228 million.

But, hey, if they need some healthy bodies, they can always try to work out a deal with the Astros, right?

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