Yankees Agree to Trade for AL MVP Alex Rodriguez

[Walter Cronkite]

Alex Rodriguez is just a day or two away from joining the New York Yankees in a stunning trade that will surely rank as one of the biggest in baseball history.

The American League champions and the Texas Rangers agreed Saturday to the outline of a deal that would send A-Rod to the Bronx for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named, three high-ranking baseball officials said.

Rodriguez, regarded by many as baseball's top player, would be the first reigning Most Valuable Player to switch teams. The talks began Wednesday night, and the sides moved to the brink of a final agreement Saturday, the officials told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
The sides need to finalize the amount of money Texas will pay New York, and complete an agreement with Rodriguez on a restructuring of his contract which was described as modest.

Several of those involved said the trade was likely to be finalized Sunday or Monday. Approval of both the commissioner's office and the players association is necessary.

As part of the trade, Texas would pay about $67 million of the $179 million in salary that Rodriguez is owed over the final seven years of his contract. That leaves the Yankees to pay an average of approximately $16 million per season.

In addition to the $112 million the Rangers would clear off their books, Texas estimated it would save more than $13 million in interest for salaries that are to be deferred.

"Probably when the whole deal is done, because of the way it's paid out, it could be $125 million," one of the officials said.

Rodriguez has a no-trade clause but has said he would be amenable to a deal to the Yankees, all of the officials said. Rodriguez would be moved from shortstop to third base by New York, filling the hole created when Aaron Boone hurt his knee Jan. 16 in a pickup basketball game, an injury that will require surgery. Derek Jeter, the Yankees' captain, would remain at shortstop.
Texas general manager John Hart confirmed negotiations were ongoing, but said it was premature to call it a done deal.

"We're in a very sensitive stage right now," he said. "A deal of this magnitude, with all the moving parts, it takes time."

Hart, though, is excited about what he called a "potential win-win-win situation for the Rangers, the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez." He emphasized that Texas will benefit from greater financial flexibility, while adding a quality player.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was tightlipped.

"Without going into the specifics, I can acknowledge trade discussions are taking place with the Texas Rangers," he said. "In fairness to all parties involved, I cannot comment further at this time."

The deal would require approval of the commissioner's office because of the money changing teams, and of the union because the deferred money in Rodriguez's contract would be restructured.

"I can't comment on the situation," said Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras.

The talks were first reported Saturday by The New York Post and Newsday.

Boston, the Yankees' perennial rival, nearly acquired Rodriguez in December, but a proposed deal that would have sent outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Rangers fell through because the players' association blocked Boston's attempt to restructure Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract. The union said the proposal by the Red Sox would have lowered the deal's value by $30 million to $32 million.

Boston then rejected the union's plan to lower the contract by $12 million to $13 million in exchange for Rodriguez gaining the right to use Boston's logos in merchandise deals.
After the deal collapsed, Hicks said Rodriguez would remain with the Rangers, and the team announced Jan. 25 that it was making the seven-time All-Star its captain.

In addition to the salary owed the 28-year-old Rodriguez, he is due $4 million from his signing bonus and $12 million deferred at 3 percent annual interest from salaries during his first three years with Texas. Of the $67 million or so the Rangers will pay the Yankees, $24 million will go to money the contract called to be deferred in the final seven years.

The deferred money originally was to be paid from 2011-20. Rodriguez agreed to push back the payment schedule by five years and lower the interest rate by what the Rangers believe is a significant amount, one of the officials said. The union was examining the proposed change and didn't consider it to be a great obstacle, one baseball lawyer said.

In addition, the Yankees would like to defer some of the approximately $112 million they will owe Rodriguez.

Soriano, 26, will make $5.4 million this year and has two more years of salary arbitration eligibility remaining. The two-time All-Star can become a free agent after the 2006 season.

New York's payroll currently is at $170.3 million, not including left-hander Gabe White, who remains in arbitration and will earn at least $1,825,000.

A swap of Soriano for Rodriguez would leave the payroll at about $190 million. But the Yankees consider it breaking even because of the money they will receive from Texas, and the amounts they will save by trading Soriano, releasing Drew Henson and reworking the deal of Boone, who might get released.

Rodriguez would join a new-look roster with the Yankees, who have already added Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez, Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton since New York lost Game 6 of the World Series to the Florida Marlins. As part of the massive retooling, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Nick Johnson departed.

Rodriguez, who was born in New York, lives in Florida. He was disappointed when the New York Mets failed to pursue him when he became a free agent after the 2000 season.

He was frustrated following three last-place finishes in Texas, but said in recent weeks he was content to remain with the Rangers.

"I feel like we have a great plan in hand," he said Feb. 6. "I feel very comfortable about where the Texas Rangers are going."

Rodriguez hit .298 last season with 47 homers, 118 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Soriano batted .290 with 38 homers, 91 RBI and 35 steals.

If the deal is made, Enrique Wilson, Miguel Cairo and Erick Almonte would be among the candidates to play second base for the Yankees.

New York opens spring training Tuesday, and Texas starts two days later.

Source: AP

[Modern Arts]

Baseball is absolutely doomed!

Between the Yankees and their unstopable greed, the players union and their unstopable greed, the steroid issue, the incredible disparity among teams, baseball is in serious trouble.

The Yankees may have all the best players, but it wont matter because it will be not watched by anyone but yankee fans.

Eventually, they will keep getting more and more popular, as other teams will become less and less popular, and MLB will turn into the Yankee show.

It will be much like the WWF!

I know so many people I grew up with who were all huge baseball fans, who have totally lost interest because of the ways of baseball.

This A-Rod thing just multiplies it by 20!

Baseball is Doomed!

[AndySMC]

my thoughts

The Yankees looking to trade for A-rod has opened a lot of points, and a lot of fans of other teams curse the Yankees and how they spend their money, which I understand, but they seem to overlook a lot of other points.

Here are some of the points and the things they overlook:

1) The Yankees buy their championships.
First off anyone who brings this up in relation to the A-rod situation is not thinking clearly. This would be a trade not a free agent signing. Also the Yankees would be giving up an extremely talented offensive player in Soriano and any other player given up. But even aside of that, high salary does not necessarily mean you win. The Yankees may have one of the highest payrolls around, but they don't always have the highest. The league is filled with high salary teams that don't win, its about spending the money on players that will help you win. No one said a bad word about the Red Sox trying to buy a championship when they went after A-rod, but the moment the Yankees do it, thats exactly what they are accused of doing. While I agree that the Yankees go out and spend the money to get the best players, isn't that what you are SUPPOSED to do? Isn't that what every other team in the league tries to do? What the Yankees have succeeded at throughout this run is scouting, talent evaluation, and getting players that help their team, which may I add was not always the case, I still cringe when I think about players like Ed Whitson back in the 80's when the Yankees were still spending a lot of money and not winning anything.

2) The Yankees ruin small market teams.
The Marlins were in the world series and beat the higher payrolled Yankees. As did the diamondbacks a few years back. And the Angels beat them 2 years ago. I don't see how that ruins small market teams. If they are talking about spending money that the small market teams don't have... then the only thing I can say is that if you can't put out a winning product, either get better through the draft and the farm system, or spend your money to get better players. I don't care what anyone says, no team is losing money. If I owned a company that was losing money I would write it off my taxes, dump it, or do what i had to make it profitable, and I am sure these owners are better businesspeople than I am. If they don't want to spend their money making their team better, maybe their fans should comeplain more about that than what other teams do to make their team better.

3) The Yankees ruin competitive baseball by winning their division year after year.
There are 6 divisions, the Yankees only play in one of them. That leaves 5 Division titles and 2 wild card slots left for grabs. And why is there no outcry about the Braves? last I checked they have been to the playoffs more than the Yankees since 1990 and won more divisional crowns, but no one complains that they always win their division with what used to be Ted Turner's money.

4) The Yankees suck
Ok thats just fans talking like fans, which is fine. Even I chanted Red Sox suck back in the 80's when the Yankees weren't doing well and the Red Sox were off to the World Series in 86. But to myself I admitted my team wasn't getting the job done. But I am a loyal Yankee fan of close to 36 years so I know thats just what fans do. But you still have to give credit where its due. Maybe Jeter isn't the best SS in the game but he is still good, I will admit that Jeter may be as low as the 5th or 6th best. I will be the first to admit other teams have better players on their rosters. Right now the Red Sox may be more talanted than the Yankees, and they may have been last year too, but sometimes its more than talent, its desire, its luck, its who is riding a hotter hand, who makes better decisions.

5) If there was a salary cap, the Yankees wouldn't be as good.
Maybe, maybe not. But until a salary cap comes along, we won't know for sure. But seeing how the Yankees have won 25 championships over 100 years years of playing, my guess is that they will learn to adapt to whatever new rule system is in place as they have done.

6) Yankees just want to stick it to the Red Sox... the Mets...the Orioles... whoever
Sticking it to any given team is just an added bonus actually. The Yankees try to do what they can to win and beat everyone, not just one team. And while I would be lying if I said I didn't it especially sweet when the Yankees beat the Red Sox, or the Mets in the subway series, I would be upset if that was all they tried to do.

7) Yankee fans are spoiled, smug and overbearing.
I suffered through the 80's, only Mattingly consistantly kept me sane through those years, despite the bad back, so I have to disagree with spoiled. Smug... well any team that wins will have fans that are smug so I can't argue that one. And as for overbearing... every team has some overbearing fans. some people are just overbearing.

On a side note, if the Yankees do get A-Rod and move him to 3rd base... I read a lot about how A-rod is a gold glove shortstop and shouldn't have to move to third and that Jeter should be the one who moves. My reply to that is that its not about whether he should or shouldn't have to move, its more to the point to say that A-Rod at third and Jeter at short is BETTER than Jeter at third and A-Rod at short. Arod fields third base better than Jeter does. Yankee fans should remember Jeter started at third and was not good at that position and only started making strides when they moved him to short. So its not a knock on A-Rod's skill as a shortstop, but a compliment to how he plays third base.

I probably missed some other points, which I am sure will come up in the form of replies to this posting. And while I also admit I am biased towards the Yankees, they are playing by the rules (I can't help you if you think the rules are terrible), and winning by the rules.

[johnny trance]

lol at the state of baseball. horrible.

[johnny trance]

nah, fuck you mcbain. you don't get it.

the problem here is that the yankees can afford to do this. only 2 teams could possibly do this. baseball is so unfair w/ its current set up. without a cap like the nba and nfl have, baseball will continue to fall down the list of sports people give a shit about.

[Walter Cronkite]

Update: Selig Approves Deal Sending Texas' A-Rod to Yankees

Alex Rodriguez has hit 40 or more homers in each of the last six seasons.

It's a done deal: Alex Rodriguez is a Yankee.

Commissioner Bud Selig approved the record-setting swap Monday, allowing the reigning American League MVP to be traded to New York by the Texas Rangers.

"I'm pretty excited. This is a big, big one," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

"It ranks with when we signed Reggie," he said, a reference to when slugger Reggie Jackson joined the Yankees before the 1977 season.

Texas will pay $67 million of the $179 million left on Rodriguez's $252 million, 10-year contract, the most cash included in a trade in major league history. The Rangers get All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named -- but they also will pay Rodriguez through 2025.

"I am very concerned about the large amount of cash consideration involved in the transaction, and the length of time over which the cash is being paid," Selig said.

"I want to make it abundantly clear to all clubs that I will not allow cash transfers of this magnitude to become the norm. However, given the unique circumstances, including the size, length and complexity of Mr. Rodriguez's contract and the quality of the talent moving in both directions, I have decided to approve the transaction."

Rodriguez will move from shortstop, a position at which he's been an All-Star seven times, to third base, where he will replace injured Aaron Boone. The Yankees will keep Derek Jeter at shortstop.

"Jeter is the captain. He is the leader," Steinbrenner said at the team's minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.

Jeter didn't comment on the deal after his workout, with the team saying Steinbrenner would be the only one to speak to reporters in Tampa.

Both Jeter and Yankees manager Joe Torre were expected to attend Tuesday's news conference at Yankee Stadium to introduce Rodriguez. Torre will miss the first day of spring training.

Steinbrenner praised Rodriguez's decision to move to third.

"I was very impressed. He's an outstanding young fellow. He'll be very big in New York," Steinbrenner said.

Rodriguez, who waived his no-trade clause, was desperate to play for a winner.

"I don't think he ever thought about playing another position until the concept came up," Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said Sunday. "He decided it didn't make a difference -- shortstop, third base, center field. He wanted the opportunity to play on a competitive team."

The Rangers will wind up paying $140 million for three seasons with Rodriguez, an average of $46.7 million annually for three last-place finishes in the AL West. The Yankees will owe him $112 million over seven years.

"Since the end of last season we said we would not trade Alex unless it made sense for our organization," Texas Rangers general manager John Hart said.
"This deal is a win-win-win situation for the Rangers, the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez. This trade is about flexibility. We've traded the best player in the game, and we're getting tremendous financial flexibility."

Baseball's biggest spenders will raise their payroll to about $190 million.

"The disparity is not healthy for the sport," Arizona Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo said Sunday. "But everyone runs their team the way they see fit, and they did it by the rules."

Boras said the possibility of a trade first came up last Monday while he was talking to the Yankees about another player. Boras then called Rodriguez.
"I said, 'There may be an opportunity. We have to talk about your goals, about winning,"' Boras recalled telling his client.

"He called me back Tuesday and discussed it further and said, 'Why don't you call (Texas owner) Tom Hicks and let him know we're ready to do that,"' Boras said.

Trade talks began the following day, and the sides reached the agreement Sunday.

The Yankees will pay Rodriguez $15 million in each of the next three seasons, $16 million each in 2007 and 2008, $17 million in 2009 and $18 million in 2010, according to contract information obtained by the AP from player and management sources.

In each of the first four years, $1 million would be deferred without interest, to be paid in 2011.

The trade calls for Texas to pay $43 million of Rodriguez's salary over the remaining seven years. In addition, the Rangers will pay the $24 million remaining in deferred money from the original contract, with the interest rate lowered from three percent to 1.75 percent.

All the deferred money owed by Texas -- $36 million, including salaries from 2001-03 -- will be converted to an assignment bonus, which makes the money guaranteed against a strike or lockout. The payout schedule will be pushed back to 2016-25 from 2011-20.

In exchange for the alterations, which devalue the present-day value of the contract by $5 million, Rodriguez will receive a hotel suite on road trips, have the right to link his Web site to the Yankees' site and get a guarantee that the deferred money won't be wiped out by a work stoppage.

Source: AP

[AndySMC]

nah, fuck you mcbain. you don't get it.

the problem here is that the yankees can afford to do this. only 2 teams could possibly do this. baseball is so unfair w/ its current set up. without a cap like the nba and nfl have, baseball will continue to fall down the list of sports people give a shit about.

No you don't get it, having the biggest pay role doesn't mean you are going to win. What happened last season? And why aren't you complaining about the Red Sox's pay role? There is nothing wrong with this. Put down the hater-aid