 |
|
|
| |
« Odds and Ends: Hunter, A-Rod, Bedard | Main | The Yankees' Next Third Baseman »
Alex Rodriguez Opts Out
Let the hot stove insanity begin. Alex Rodriguez has opted out of his contract with the Yankees, according to Scott Boras. The timing is odd - most folks expected A-Rod to wait until the November 10th deadline. Boras must be confident that multiple clubs will turn this into a historic bidding war. The Red Sox will certainly be flush with cash with another World Series win.
The reasoning cited by Boras is suspect - uncertainty over Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte. Also interesting is that Boras did not communicate the decision to Brian Cashman directly, rather leaving a voicemail for him.
Just yesterday Buster Olney was saying the Yankees were set to offer Rodriguez a five-year, $150MM extension to result in a total of $230MM over eight years. The sides never met and the offer was never officially made. As you know, the party line from the Yankees has been that they would not negotiate with Rodriguez if he opted out and they lost the Texas money. If the Yanks can't sign Mike Lowell, maybe they'll attempt to trade for Miguel Cabrera, Garrett Atkins, or Miguel Tejada.
The Rangers save more than $20MM in payments on the contract, increasing their chances of signing Torii Hunter.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834515b9a69e200e5550144598834
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Alex Rodriguez Opts Out:
Comments
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Top Stories
Search MLBTR
MLBTR Features
Recent Posts
Rumors By Team
Monthly Archives
Live Chats
Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST
Sweet move by Boras. Call the Yankees' bluff and get a bidding war started at the end of a career year. I say Sox, Angels, Cubs, and Yankees driv e up the price
Posted by: bosox10 | October 28, 2007 at 10:30 PM
With arguably their best player now gone, does this cause a domino effect? Will Mo and Possada follow suit and thus leave the Yankees?
Could/would the Mets make a bid for 2 or even 3 of those players mentioned? Possada would be a nice addition behind the plate for the Mets and AROD at 3b with Wrigt moving across the diamond to 1b with Delgado traded to the AL for a reliever? I guess anything is possible. The Yankees are crumbling!
Posted by: BaLLooNNoT | October 28, 2007 at 10:32 PM
Hope you don't mind me copying my comments from the other thread:
Very hard to believe, and frankly, idiotic on his part.
There is absolutely no reason to opt out now and not wait until the deadline.
If he's telling the truth about the makeup of the Yankees, there is a good chance that by the deadline, most, if not all, of Rivera, Posada, Pettitte, and the manager would be signed.
If he's lying, why not keep negotiating with the Yankees until the deadline?
Even if the Yankees ARE bluffing about not negotiating with him if he opts out, this is still stupid on ARod's part, because the Yankee offer as a FA is likely to be less than their offer as part of an extension would be.
I just don't get it. Idiotic on the part of Boras and ARod. And I know that Boras is too smart for that, which is why I don't believe the report.
Also, the timing is suspicious. The Yankees aren't allowed to name the new manager but Bud Selig is fine with this news coming out in the 8th inning of the deciding game of the world series?
It doesn't add up.
Remember, all the reports were saying that Torre re-signed as well.
Posted by: bobo | October 28, 2007 at 10:16 PM
Ah..I get it.
By opting out before the Yankees could make an official offer, Boras avoids the embarrasment that would result if he opted out and ended up signing a contract for less than what the Yankees offered.
Oh well. As a Yankee fan, I'm shocked, but honestly not terribly upset.
I just hope they don't make stupid panic moves now. They don't need to trade the rookies for Santana or Cabrera to win the WC next year.
And yes, I would rather concede the division to the Red Sox now than trade our young players.
Posted by: bobo | October 28, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Posted by: bobo | October 28, 2007 at 10:33 PM
This is gonna be really interesting.
What are the Yanks going to do? I think the only realistic option now is going with Cano at 3b and maybe trying Betemit or a FA vet at 2b.
And where does ARod go? His only real chance for BIG money to me is to go back to SS (with the Cubs I guess) and I just can't see him being able to do that. Mets and Sox I don't see him going to since they're set at 3b (I don't see anyway Lowell isn't back for Boston). Cubs are too. Perhaps Boston makes a play for him at SS to REALLY stick it to the Yanks?
Otherwise, the only other real darkhorses to me are the Angels/Dodgers/Giants.
Posted by: djskilbr | October 28, 2007 at 10:34 PM
A-ROD TO THE MARLINS.
Posted by: Barroid_Bonds | October 28, 2007 at 10:35 PM
I've defended Arod as a Rangers fan and a Yankee fan, but this is too much. The media is going to have a field day with this, and this time he deserves it. I could type a huge paragraph but it's not even worth my time. I guess that leech Boras finally got in his head. Good riddance to this tool and I hope his salary weighs his next team down like it did the Rangers.
Posted by: BrianTX | October 28, 2007 at 10:36 PM
bobo, Rosenthal's pretty reliably generally. I seriously doubt he would make up just talking to Boras.
An interesting theory out there is that maybe ARod got wind of Girardi getting announced manager. If that's the case, not surprised. I couldn't see them co-existing at all. Rough waters ahead for the Yanks to be sure.
Only real option now is to either trade for Crede and hope he can stay healthy, or move Cano to 3b.
Posted by: djskilbr | October 28, 2007 at 10:37 PM
Like Bobo, copying from previous thread.
Posted by: henry14theking | October 28, 2007 at 10:38 PM