Alex Rodriguez is a free agent now after opting out of his contract and the Yankees have reasserted they will not negotiate further with the slugger. Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera likely will file for free agency, and the Yankees will negotiate with them.
“Intellectually, Alex is tying to understand the difference between his free agency and that of Mariano and Posada,” Boras said by phone yesterday. “Alex Rodriguez has never said he does not want to be a Yankee. Filing for free agency doesn’t mean that. Because Rivera and Posada are free agents doesn’t mean they don’t want to be Yankees.”
Boras also noted that after the 1998 season, another of his clients, Bernie Williams, filed for free agency and the Yanks ultimately re-signed him.
However, Hank Steinbrenner said: “There is a little difference there. When you take in Alex’s salary, comparing that (to Rivera and Posada) is like comparing apples and oranges. They are all great players. There is a huge difference in Alex’s contract.”
Rodriguez is likely to seek a contract in the $300 million range; Posada and Rivera are going to be more in the $40 million-plus area. In addition, the Yanks were concerned about negotiating throughout the winter for Rodriguez, losing him and then not having a full slate of candidates still available from which to obtain a replacement.
Boras announced Rodriguez was opting out of the final three years of his contract during Game 4 of the World Series, the Red Sox’s clincher over the Rockies. Major league COO Bob DuPuy lashed into that decision in a statement.
“We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premiere baseball event of the season with his announcement,” DuPuy’s statement read. “There was no reason to make an announcement (Sunday) other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game.”
Boras, who said he made the announcement Sunday because he was traveling yesterday, conceded, “I should have been more sensitive.”
Regardless, this decision from Rodriguez means the Yanks never got a chance to make an offer that would have paid Rodriguez better than the $25.2 million average he makes now. There was a feeling in the game that Boras must have received a strong signal from elsewhere that another team was willing to do much better, which would be tampering.
“I have not talked to any other teams,” Boras said. “My discussions have only been with the Yankees.”
Boras spoke last week with Hal Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman. Hank Steinbrenner said he, his brother and Cashman tried to get in touch with Rodriguez, apparently via text message, Rodriguez’s favored form of communication, but there was no response. Boras, though, claimed no messages were left for his client.
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There is a big immediate winner from Rodriguez’s decision: The Rangers get out from under the $30 million subsidy they would have had to pay had Rodriguez remained a Yankee.
“You know that feeling when you wake up in the morning, put on your pants, put your hand in your pocket and unexpectedly find $20?” Texas GM Jon Daniels asked by phone. “Seriously, it is obviously a serious debt we are freed from. It is a positive for us. But it does not directly impact what we are trying to do (rebuilding wise).”
Additional reporting by George King
WHERE WILL A-Rod GO?
The Yankees yesterday reiterated that now that Alex Rodriguez (counting his cash yesterday in Miami) is going to be a free agent they will not negotiate further with him. If they hold to that vow, A-Rod is going elsewhere. But where? Here are the 10 main options:
ANGELS – Generally considered the frontrunner because he fits their top need (lineup protection for Vlad Guerrero) and with reluctant GM Bill Stoneman now out of the way, bold owner Arte Moreno could act.
CUBS – A reunion with Lou Piniella. But there are doubts that A-Rod wants to play shortstop or move to the NL, and wonder if such a huge decision can come without a firm owner in place.
DODGERS – A reunion with Joe Torre? Dodgers owner Frank McCourt seems the type that Scott Boras could sell the icon thing to.
RED SOX – They will check in on this, but might not want to upset their championship ecosystem by bringing in an attention/controversy magnet like A-Rod.
TIGERS – A long history now of doing deals with Boras clients.
GIANTS – A bunch of execs think this is the landing place because the Giants want an instant replacement for Barry Bonds to keep the fans coming.
MARLINS – A wild card. A-Rod‘s hometown. And they are looking for goodwill to get a new stadium finally built.
MARINERS – Back to the future?
METS – It would take an incredible alignment of stars to get A-Rod over the Triborough – and, thus, David Wright to second base.
YANKS – George Steinbrenner wakes up.