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.