Where will Alex Rodriguez land?
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2007 2:59 PM
Every so often something happens to remind us how close pro sports are to becoming the hedonistic, narcissistic world of entertainment.
Which brings us to Alex Rodriguez deciding to opt out of the final three seasons of his contract with the Yankees. We expect nothing less from A-Rod's agent Scott Boras, but I submit that the player should be held accountable.
The decision to upstage the World Series by making the announcement during Game 4 and move the spotlight from the magnificent story of Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester to grotesque talk about hundreds of millions bound for one player whose next World Series game will be his first and who drove in one run in his last 13 postseason games, is a stain on A-Rod’s permanent legacy.
What this decision tells me is two things: 1) A-Rod has no interest in returning to the Yankees, whether it is because of a cool-at-best relationship with Derek Jeter or because he's fed up with the city's tabloids (remember this summer’s front page photo of A-Rod with woman who was not his wife in Toronto). By refusing to meet with the Yankees in person, he likely insured the team would stand by its position of opt out and it means goodbye. Team officials are on record as saying the Yankees would not attempt to re-sign A-Rod if he opted out.
2) Boras has something in the works. No way the agent walks away from a top spender like the Yankees without some indication about a potential deal elsewhere. (See J.D. Drew -- also represented by Boras -- opting out of his deal with Dodgers last winter to sign a very lucrative contract with the Red Sox).
Where will A-Rod land? Here's five possibilities in no particular order:
GIANTS. This is the “marquee” factor. No team understands more about the importance of having a top draw than do the Giants. Why? No other team is paying for its own ballpark. And no team has an easier payroll fit for A-Rod than the Giants with the money saved from the discarded salaries of Barry Bonds, Matt Morris and Armando Benitez -- an amount in the range of $30 million. That puts San Francisco in the conversation and I believe the Giants will be calling upon A-Rod (remember it was the Giants who last winter gave Boras’ client, Barry Zito, an astounding contract).
METS. They were A-Rod’s preference in 2000. No move could better stick it to the Yankees and try to fulfill Boras’ claim (regarded as absurd in television circles) that A-Rod enhances the value of a regional sports network (the Mets are majority owners of SportsNet New York). Question: If A-Rod's added, what to do with David Wright?
ANGELS. Owner Arte Moreno has publicly declared no interest in one player consuming so much of the payroll. But recent playoff failures could change his thinking.
CUBS. They spent $400 million to get back to the playoffs this year, but the reality check is they were an 85-win team in a bad division. A-Rod could be the player who pushes them to the top of a very even league. And the Cubs employing A-Rod's favorite manager, Lou Piniella, doesn’t hurt either.
TIGERS. Lots of Boras clients play on this team and there's a willingness to spend by ownership. They have decided to move Carlos Guillen to first base and on the day after the World Series they filled the hole created by Guillen's move by trading two highly regarded prospects to the Braves for Edgar Renteria. But A-Rod would be quite an upgrade at third base for a team with a veteran core that seeks to win now.
