A-Rod And The Angels

With the Yankees starting a series in L.A. on Monday, it was only natural for some Alex Rodriguez to the Angels speculation to surface.  Indeed, George King of the New York Post and Ben Villa of the L.A. Daily News mention the topic this morning.

King’s not completely sold that the Yankees will abstain from bidding if Rodriguez opts out.  As for Scott Boras, he’s not concerned about Brian Cashman’s assertion regarding the opt-out clause. 

Still, King notes that the Angels are one of few teams that can afford a $30MM player.  And Arte Moreno would love the marketing boost.  Moreno said in June that paying A-Rod $25MM+ would be disrespectful to other Angels players, despite the team’s seven-year, $118MM offer to Alfonso Soriano.  Most folks believe Moreno is just posturing, and I’m inclined to agree.  I think they’ll be involved if Alex opts out.

Villa simply mentions "whispers in the air" about the Angels pursuing Rodriguez this winter.

Don’t forget the Red Sox, who are expected to make a "huge push" for A-Rod if he opts out.