New York Yankees Began Trade Talks for Alex Rodriguez NEW YORK - Now it's the New York Yankees (news) who are trying to trade for Alex Rodriguez. The American League (news) champions began preliminary discussions with the Texas Rangers (news) this week on a deal that would bring A-Rod to the Bronx for second baseman Alfonso Soriano, a high-ranking baseball official said Saturday. While the talks began Wednesday night, it's still too early to tell whether they will lead to a deal, the official said, speaking to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Rodriguez has a no-trade clause but has said he would be amenable to a deal to the Yankees, the official said. Rodriguez, the AL MVP, would be moved from shortstop to third base by New York, seeking to fill the hole created when Aaron Boone hurt a knee last month in a pickup basketball game, an injury that will require surgery. Derek Jeter, the Yankees' captain, would remain at shortstop. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wouldn't discuss Rodriguez but said New York always is exploring opportunities. "I won't comment on specific trade rumors or rumblings," he said. "It's my job to float ideas, weather balloons, out to my counterparts. Ninety-nine percent of them fall to the ground helplessly." Texas officials did not immediately return telephone calls. "I can't comment on the situation," said Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras. The talks were first reported Saturday by The New York Post and Newsday. Boston, the Yankees' perennial rival, nearly acquired Rodriguez in December, but a proposed deal that would have sent outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Rangers fell through because the players' association blocked Boston's attempt to restructure Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract. The union said the proposal by the Red Sox would have lowered the deal's value by $30 million to $32 million. Boston then rejected the union's plan to lower the contract by $12 million to $13 million in exchange for Rodriguez gaining the right to use Boston's logos in merchandise deals. After the deal collapsed, Texas owner Tom Hicks said Rodriguez would remain with the Rangers, and the team announced Jan. 25 that it was making the seven-time All-Star its captain. Rodriguez, 28, is owed $179 million in salary over the remaining seven seasons of his contract, $4 million from his signing bonus and $12 million deferred at 3 percent annual interest from salaries during his first three years with Texas. Soriano, 26, will make $5.4 million this year and has two more years of salary arbitration eligibility remaining. The two-time All-Star can become a free agent after the 2006 season. New York wants Texas to pick up part of the money Rodriguez is owed and wants A-Rod to make concessions, one of the sources said. New York's payroll currently is at $170.3 million, not including left-hander Gabe White, who remains in arbitration and will earn at least $1,825,000. A swap of Soriano for Rodriguez would leave New York's payroll at about $190 million. Rodriguez, who was born in New York, lives in Florida. He was disappointed when the New York Mets (news) failed to pursue him when he became a free agent after the 2000 season. He was frustrated following three last-place finishes in Texas, but has said in recent weeks that he was content to remain with the Rangers. "I feel like we have a great plan in hand," he said Feb. 6. "I feel very comfortable about where the Texas Rangers are going." Rodriguez hit .298 last season with 47 homers, 118 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, and Soriano batted .290 with 38 homers, 91 RBIs and 35 steals. If the deal is made, Enrique Wilson, Miguel Cairo and Erick Almonte would be among the candidates to play second base for the Yankees. New York opens spring training Tuesday, and Texas starts two days later.
I don't get the part about the Sox lowering the deal from 30 to 32 mill or the union's 12 mill to 13 version, but I can't believe the deal was killed because the Sox wouldn't let A-Rod wear their logo in ads. That is freaking stupid. Why would any team no want thier players wearing their logo national ads? Free advertising!!! Stupid, now the evil empire is close to domination again.
I doubt this trade would make the Yankees any better then they already are... Sure they'd have easily the greatest player in baseball but 190m payroll should buy them a better rotation then they have.
Tom Hicks has boxed himself into a corner. He went into the Steinbrenner mode with his spending and suddently realized he spent all his $$ on offense, and had no pitching. It's a perennial Rangers problem..........somehow they just don't get it. They score 9 runs a game, sometimes they win and sometimes they lose! Now he's decided to "watch his budget" and therefore has to try to unload his franchise cornerstone to free up dollars for pitching. Seems to me that Soriano was a strikeout waiting to happen in the World Series last year. I would hope that A Rod would command more in return. D R
Why do I have a feeling this is more of the NY media trying to find something to talk about? As a Yankee fan, I would love to have A-Rod in pinstripes, but I am not holding my breath on this going any further than newspaper babble.
espn just reported newsday is now reporting that the yankees and rangers have agree in principle to the arod deal
Smart move by the Rangers in my opinion. A-Rod is the best player in baseball, but its a team sport and paying him 25m a year isn't smart for a team in such a small market.
I hate the Yanks, but for their payroll, their rotation is mighty ordinary. ??? They have 4 guys with ERA's under 3.4 last year, including one of the top 3 or 4 pitchers in baseball in Kevin Brown. They replaced Clemens and Pettite with two pitchers who, statistically, are far and away superior to those guys. I'm not sure what more they could expect to do?
None of the pitchers you mentioned that they added pitched in the AL East. Kevin Brown is a great pitcher if he can stay healthy, but he is no longer in the elite class because of his health concerns. I'd put money on him taking 2 trips to the DL this season. He has great stuff, and is extremely dominating but two out of his last three seasons have been sub-par. John Leiber is coming off of Tommy John surgery and a trip to the 60 day DL last season, Javier Vazquez had a horrible record and a pretty high era for pitching half of his games in a pitcher friendly dome and Jose Contreras had a season of injury and incosistency and is far from a sure thing. Mussina and Brown are the only proven vets out there with a good history, and Brown MUST stay healthy something he has done only one season out of the last three. There are at least 5 rotations I'd take ahead of the Yankees, and I'd have 100m less in payroll too.
Yankee Stadium is better suited for the left hand pitchers. You lose Pettitte and Wells, then replace them with 2 rightys. There rotation is solid, but i won't hand them the AL East crown yet.
Small market? The Rangers are hardly a small-market team. They aren't the Yankees, but neither is anybody else, as the Yankees have a $50 million lead in revenues over any other team in baseball. The Rangers have one of the most lucrative television contracts in baseball, they have a sweetheart stadium deal and good attendance despite being a crappy team for most of its existance (though attendance has been going down since prices have skyrocketed since the Ballpark opened while the team has been getting worse and worse and less responsive to its fans) and have good corporate support. The only reason the Rangers can't afford A-Rod anymore is because Hicks needs cash. It's the same story with the Stars who don't have attendance problems. Personally, I'd say paying Chan Ho Park and Rusty Greer a combined $20 million is a bigger problem than paying A-Rod his $22 million.
The Rangers are a small market team, as-is 90% of the league. Hicks needs money because regardless of his TV contracts and attendence he is coming up in the negative. Small market teams are those who CAN'T spend freely. The teams that can spend freely have national followings and teams like the Stros and Rangers just don't have that. Meanwhile teams like the Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Bo Sox and Yankee fans everywhere and the national coverage to prove it.
Interesting that two of the best shortstops in the game will be on the same team, basically in their prime. I remember some of the negative comments a few years ago that A-Rod made about Jeter. http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2001/0302/1121992.html That's probably smoothed out though. What I don't understand is how we were led to believe that A-Rod's contract made trading him so extremely difficult, that lawyers and teams had to go over so much to try to get a deal done. The Red Sox spent all that time trying to get him, and now the Yankees land him in like 24 hours (as far as we know)? The Curse of the Bambino lives.
LOL indeed Clutch, the curse lives on. There are BoSox everywhere sending death threats to the Sox front office as we speak.
Wrong!!! The Rangers are not in the 90%. Here are the facts: 2003 Team-------------------- Total payroll NEW YORK YANKEES -----$152,749,814 NEW YORK METS-------- $ 117,176,429 ATLANTA BRAVES-------- $ 106,243,667 LOS ANGELES DODGERS- $105,872,620 TEXAS RANGERS --------- $ 103,491,667 BOSTON RED SOX------- $ 99,946,500
