[新聞] A-Rod will get big payday with new deal
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The deal is done. Or darn near close to it.
I don't know the team. I don't know the terms. But I know this much: There is
no way Alex Rodriguez would have opted out of his contract with the Yankees
unless he and his agent, Scott Boras, knew they had a bigger score coming.
Boras doesn't act on impulse. He routinely hoodwinks owners because he outworks
and outsmarts them. And even if he doesn't know exactly how this will play out
— which I doubt — he surely has, uh, surveyed the landscape.
Some will be outraged that Boras chose the final game of the World Series to
drop his latest — and greatest — stink bomb. The more serious concern for
baseball is the possibility that Boras already has shopped A-Rod to other
clubs, winking and nodding if not outright tampering.
When baseball gets done with the Mitchell investigation, perhaps it can start
another one. Fans seem to care little about which players used steroids. But
they sure would like to know how Boras made $70 million magically appear for
J.D. Drew from the Red Sox — and how he will make $300 million magically
appear for A-Rod from the next Tom Hicks.
The thing is, Boras can't be stopped. Baseball can discipline clubs for making
major announcements during the postseason, but not players and agents. As for
tampering, baseball could hire everyone from CIA operatives to SWAT teams and
still not prove that Boras did anything wrong.
So, Arte Moreno, is that you getting ready to make A-Rod an Angel? If not, the
Tigers, White Sox, Dodgers and Giants could jump in, and don't forget those
World Series champion Red Sox. Right about now, the Sox are probably feeling
smug enough to think that they even could win a Series with A-Rod, who now
trails Manny Ramirez, two rings to none.
The Red Sox's current third baseman, Mike Lowell was the World Series MVP. The
team's fans lingered at Coors Field Sunday night chanting, "Re-sign Lowell!"
and "Don't sign A-Rod!" But the possibility of striking a death blow against
the Yankees no doubt appeals to certain sinister hearts in the Sox's
braintrust.
The Yankees reportedly were prepared to offer Rodriguez a five-year extension
in the range of $140 million, bringing his total package to eight years and a
possible $230 million.
And Rodriguez chose to opt out anyway — without even negotiating!
Boras, ever the facilitator, says that he is open to continuing talks with the
Yankees. Yet, he knows full well that the Yankees repeatedly have said that
they would end discussions if A-Rod voided the final three years of his
contract, which included a $21 million subsidy from the Rangers.
Rodriguez, Boras says, was unwilling to commit to the Yankees when the status
of the team's top three potential free agents — catcher Jorge Posada, closer
Mariano Rivera and left-hander Andy Pettitte — was unlikely to be resolved
before his opt-out deadline.
That deadline was 10 days after the conclusion of the World Series, not in the
middle of the clinching game, but details, details. The uncertainty of the
Yankees' ownership transition also influenced A-Rod's decision, Boras says.
And, lest anyone forget, the team has yet to name its new manager.
Maybe A-Rod, like many of us, thinks the manager still should be Joe Torre.
Without question, his concerns about the state of the Yankees are valid. But if
he truly wanted to stay in New York, he would have accepted the Yankees' offer
of a meeting, questioned the Sons of Steinbrenner about their plans, then made
a decision.
Instead, it's game on.
Boras and A-Rod not only crashed the World Series, but also the announcement of
the Yankees' next manager, which could occur on Monday. If Joe Girardi is the
Yankees' choice, maybe he'll want to reconsider. His team just got a whole lot
worse, and other defections are possible.
Lowell hit the jackpot Sunday night, becoming World Series MVP on the same
night the Yankees lost their third baseman. The Rangers also hit the jackpot,
getting a $21 million payback from Boras in return for their original $252
million commitment. But the biggest jackpot is coming, and you-know-who is
going to get it.
If the deal isn't done, it will be.
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