A-Rod and Scott Boras earned the ire of the sporting world, as they announced during the World Series that he would be becoming a free agent.
Buster Olney, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Yankees were over $100 million short of even talking to A-Rod.
The Yankees offered the slugger a 5 year $150 million extension, which when added to the last three years of the contract, would have totaled 8 years and $231 million.
According to Olney, A-Rod wanted a $350 million offer just to come to sit down at the bargaining table.
As far as the Yankees are concerned, his career in pinstripes has ended. They have thus far maintained their refusal to negotiate with Rodriguez post-opting out of his contract.
This leads to two possible conclusions. Boras already knows that he has a massive deal in place with at least one club. Or, he is bluffing like crazy in the hope that he can tempt a Tom Hicks-like figure to bite.
There has been speculation about many clubs, though with nearly all of them there is as much of a reason not to sign Rodriguez as there is to sign him.
The Angels have welcomed over 3 million in attendance the past three seasons. He would give them much needed star power and cache in LA. They could also dearly use another power bat in the lineup to pair with Vlad. A-Rod mysteriously praised Mike Scioscia when the Yankees played the Angels earlier in the season. However, does Arte Moreno really want to invest that kind of money and cause the division in the lockeroom of having someone making twice as much as their current hall of fame players.
The Giants have also been mentioned. They need a bat to replace Barry Bonds’ swollen presence in the lineup. They need a star player to fill the seats. The numbers are not so bad, given that Bonds is coming off the books. However, they also look to have gotten seriously burned by Scott Boras on the Barry Zito deal. It would be unclear, after the Bonds fiasco, whether they really want to deal with A-Rod’s shenanigans.
A-Rod would also be a great fit on the field with the Dodgers. They need a power bat like his in the lineup. There is also the added incentive of manager Joe Torre and bench coach Don Mattingly. He would once again give them a star in a star city. But, does McCourt want to invest that much cash?
The Cubs have been cited as a possibility. He would be loved in Chicago. Rodriguez also has a great relationship with Cubs’ manager Lou Pinella. However, the unstable ownership situation strongly suggests that the Cubs will not be making a $350 million investment.
Then, there is perhaps the most outrageous with the Marlins. Despite two World Series victories since their inception, the Marlins haven’t been able to develop a fan base. A-Rod is a local boy from Miami, and his presence might arouse interest in the club and keep it in South Florida. However, he would make nearly as much, if not more, than the entire rest of the team in Florida. Why would it make sense to be so frugal and then so profligate?
All of these teams have as much of a reason not to sign A-Rod as they do to sign him. There isn’t exactly an obvious candidate that would have agreed to an outrageous contract. Could Boras be bluffing? If he is, where does A-Rod end up?
Two answers, the Tigers or the Red Sox.
The Tigers have been a go to team for Boras in a time of need. They offered Pudge a 4 year $40 million deal when no other teams would give him a multi-year deal. They signed a 5 year $75 million deal with Magglio when his next best offer was 2 years $16 million. They also negotiated a contract. They also have prominent Boras client Gary Sheffield.
They could certainly work him into the lineup. Newly acquired Edgar Renteria will certainly be the shortstop, meaning defensively declining Carlos Guillen would probably be the third baseman. However, Guillen could easily replace Sean Casey at 1st who, though a nice veteran guy to have a round, is a sinkhole in the lineup, leaving the hole for A-Rod at third base.
Though Detroit is not exactly a desirable destination, he would be on a team that should be set to compete for the playoffs over the next five years with all of their young pitching. He would also get a much more favorable media market and an adoring fan base.
The question would be whether or not the Tigers could come up with the money to make the deal happen, which would basically be up to how much Illitch is willing to spend. However, they have finally seen the benefits of having stars on the team and a winning club, in terms of attendance and merchandise. Adding a megastar like A-Rod would only help that. It could make sense.
The Red Sox should also be considered a possibility.
They have the Boras pedigree. They made two big deals last summer for Boras’ clients J.D. Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka. They also have successfully negotiated with Jason Varitek and Craig Hansen.
They have a gaping hole at third base, and will be clearing a significant amount from the payroll when Ramirez’ contract ends after 2008.
And, besides the Yankees, they are the most well off club financially and have the money to get the deal finished.
A-Rod is not very well liked in Boston, but would he really engender that much hatred if he switched sides? Would the Red Sox fans really be that irate after he started putting up crazy numbers? Would Theo be crazy enough to do it?
