Monday, November 24, 2003
THREE YEARS LATER...
Alex Rodriguez finally wants to play for a real winner, as the Red Sox and Yanks are on his wish list. I'd link this, but the Dallas Morning News is a subscriber-based site, so to save you the hassle, here's the article --
A-Rod's wish list: Red Sox, Yankees
Hurdles, including shortstop's big contract, make trade unlikely
11:43 PM CST on Saturday, November 22, 2003
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON – In the latest chapter of the Alex Rodriguez saga, the unhappy star shortstop told reporters in the Dominican Republic on Friday he has informed the Rangers of two teams to which he would accept a trade.
Those teams, a major league source said Saturday, are Boston and the New York Yankees, which makes the latest development in the story pretty much no development at all. A trade to the Yankees or the Red Sox is nearly impossible, according to multiple sources.
Both teams already have elite shortstops. Both have other priorities. While the Red Sox did investigate Rodriguez, it went nowhere after Manny Ramirez went unclaimed on waivers and the Rangers passed on taking Ramirez's $20 million salary. The Red Sox have spent more time on pitching. The Yankees are worrying about right field and the rotation.
"Shortstop is not a hole," one source said.
Rangers owner Tom Hicks, bedridden with the flu, was too ill to comment Saturday. General manager John Hart did not comment. Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras also were not available.
The reason a trade remains a virtual impossibility – at least this year – is because of Rodriguez's contract. When the Rangers signed him three years ago, they were the only ones willing to pay $25 million per year. They still are.
And that is why, despite tensions between Rodriguez and manager Buck Showalter, the duo will probably be together again at spring training in February.
Rodriguez has bristled at the idea of more rebuilding, more losing and relinquishing more clubhouse power to Showalter, so the Rangers are willing to listen to offers. But the few inquiries got no further than "kicking the tires," according to Hart.
Numerous major league officials confirmed what Hart and the Rangers have said for weeks: There are no serious talks for Rodriguez because his contract is too hefty for most teams.
Perhaps by next month's winter meetings, when the issue is likely to be revived, Rodriguez's unhappiness could grow to the point he'd add more teams to the list. Anaheim and the Chicago Cubs could possibly make room to afford Rodriguez, though neither has talked with the Rangers.
The Rangers aren't yet motivated enough to make the deal more palatable for other clubs. They've indicated they won't eat any of Rodriguez's salary.
"It's that extra $5 million a year that makes it [untradeable]," said one GM. "At the time they signed him, $20 million wouldn't have been that bad, but there's nobody else over $20 million."
The Rodriguez contract was signed at the height of baseball's economic bubble. Salaries have retreated ever since, making the figure obsolete. There have been no $20 million contracts signed since Rodriguez hit the jackpot.
And you can rule out Rodriguez restructuring his contract in order to close a deal. The Major League Baseball Players Association does not allow players to restructure their contracts to reduce the value.
Boras said last week there were teams interested in Rodriguez. But Boras said he has heard nothing about talks moving past preliminary.
"We're not going to worry about the trade rumors because we haven't heard anything from the Rangers about waiving the no-trade clause or anything like that," Boras said.
E-mail egrant@dallasnews.com
--I guess the tidbits here are that the Rangers won't eat any of the salary, so there's no way in hell Alex gets traded. The other is that I didn't know the MLBPA had a no-reduction contract clause for the players, but then again it doesn't surprise me.
A-Rod's wish list: Red Sox, Yankees
Hurdles, including shortstop's big contract, make trade unlikely
11:43 PM CST on Saturday, November 22, 2003
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON – In the latest chapter of the Alex Rodriguez saga, the unhappy star shortstop told reporters in the Dominican Republic on Friday he has informed the Rangers of two teams to which he would accept a trade.
Those teams, a major league source said Saturday, are Boston and the New York Yankees, which makes the latest development in the story pretty much no development at all. A trade to the Yankees or the Red Sox is nearly impossible, according to multiple sources.
Both teams already have elite shortstops. Both have other priorities. While the Red Sox did investigate Rodriguez, it went nowhere after Manny Ramirez went unclaimed on waivers and the Rangers passed on taking Ramirez's $20 million salary. The Red Sox have spent more time on pitching. The Yankees are worrying about right field and the rotation.
"Shortstop is not a hole," one source said.
Rangers owner Tom Hicks, bedridden with the flu, was too ill to comment Saturday. General manager John Hart did not comment. Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras also were not available.
The reason a trade remains a virtual impossibility – at least this year – is because of Rodriguez's contract. When the Rangers signed him three years ago, they were the only ones willing to pay $25 million per year. They still are.
And that is why, despite tensions between Rodriguez and manager Buck Showalter, the duo will probably be together again at spring training in February.
Rodriguez has bristled at the idea of more rebuilding, more losing and relinquishing more clubhouse power to Showalter, so the Rangers are willing to listen to offers. But the few inquiries got no further than "kicking the tires," according to Hart.
Numerous major league officials confirmed what Hart and the Rangers have said for weeks: There are no serious talks for Rodriguez because his contract is too hefty for most teams.
Perhaps by next month's winter meetings, when the issue is likely to be revived, Rodriguez's unhappiness could grow to the point he'd add more teams to the list. Anaheim and the Chicago Cubs could possibly make room to afford Rodriguez, though neither has talked with the Rangers.
The Rangers aren't yet motivated enough to make the deal more palatable for other clubs. They've indicated they won't eat any of Rodriguez's salary.
"It's that extra $5 million a year that makes it [untradeable]," said one GM. "At the time they signed him, $20 million wouldn't have been that bad, but there's nobody else over $20 million."
The Rodriguez contract was signed at the height of baseball's economic bubble. Salaries have retreated ever since, making the figure obsolete. There have been no $20 million contracts signed since Rodriguez hit the jackpot.
And you can rule out Rodriguez restructuring his contract in order to close a deal. The Major League Baseball Players Association does not allow players to restructure their contracts to reduce the value.
Boras said last week there were teams interested in Rodriguez. But Boras said he has heard nothing about talks moving past preliminary.
"We're not going to worry about the trade rumors because we haven't heard anything from the Rangers about waiving the no-trade clause or anything like that," Boras said.
E-mail egrant@dallasnews.com
--I guess the tidbits here are that the Rangers won't eat any of the salary, so there's no way in hell Alex gets traded. The other is that I didn't know the MLBPA had a no-reduction contract clause for the players, but then again it doesn't surprise me.
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