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Arod is as good as gone.


madmike1

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/03/21/scoop.wednesday/index.html

Alex Rodriguez will attract interest from at least a handful of teams if he opts out of his $252 million contract at the end of the season, with the Angels perhaps first in line. But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made clear in an interview on Tuesday that Rodriguez's current team will not chase A-Rod and will not be part of any bidding war.

"He has a significant contract as it is," Cashman told SI.com. "So I don't anticipate any dialogue regarding an extension."

In other words, Cashman is leaving the ball in A-Rod's court. If Rodriguez wants to remain a Yankee and keep the $81 million and three years remaining on his contract, he can do that. But if he wants to forego that $81 million to seek even greater riches, that's his choice, too. He just won't be getting those extra riches in pinstripes -- at least not this winter.

"I hope he stays," Cashman says. "He knows how I feel about him."

Cashman is a proven A-Rod fan, one of the main powers behind the megatrade that moved Rodriguez east from Texas. But Cashman has shown since taking over full GM powers in recent months that he is fully cognizant of the bottom line, and that means dollars and cents as well as wins and losses. He traded away Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson (though those are two players he appeared far less enamored of than A-Rod), and the only megabucks deals he signed off on this winter were for Andy Pettitte (one-year, $16 million with a player option for 2008) and Kei Igawa (five years, $20 million, with a $26 million posting fee).

Cashman likes Rodriguez enough that it's believed he'd consider an extension at some point, but not an extension merely to prevent A-Rod from opting out of his current deal. "That's smart," one competing GM says. "This way all the pressure's on A-Rod, and there's no blood on [Cashman's] hands."

With plenty of teams likely to line up, including the Angels (the favorite for Rodriguez can offer a contending team, a stadium where he hits big, the American League and probably even a chance to switch back to shortstop), no one should be surprised if A-Rod does opt out. And no one should blame him if he does, though plenty will.

There's nothing wrong with exercising an option that was bargained for in good faith. J.D. Drew opted out of the $33 million that remained on his Dodgers deal, and more than doubled it, to $70 million, with Boston. And Aramis Ramirez more than tripled his pay, from $22 million to $75 million, when the Cubs made the opposite call and decided to re-sign him after he opted out of his deal.

Some Yankees fans might applaud A-Rod's departure, but his loss would sting since they'd also lose the $29 million Rangers owner Tom Hicks has to contribute toward A-Rod's contract through 2010, so long as he remains a Yankee. And perhaps even worse for Yankees fans, there isn't much right-handed power available, except Andruw Jones, who'll have plenty of suitors. As for right-handed power, not counting free-agent switch-hitter Jorge Posada, the Yankees will be down to Derek Jeter if A-Rod leaves.

Some will criticize Cashman if A-Rod walks away after at least eight teams called last year to inquire about acquiring the superstar in trade, including both Chicago teams and both L.A. teams. However, it wasn't really Cashman's call to keep him then; A-Rod made it clear to Cashman last summer that he wouldn't consent to a trade -- and as long as the Yankees are in the race, he still won't.

That was all A-Rod's call last summer. And once again, it will be his call again this winter.

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Bad year, he runs. Good year he bolts for the money. Either way he's gone. The yankees made a HUGE mistake not trading him this past offseason.

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Nobody else is wrting him checks this big. He's here for the length of the contract. This is all media-driven nonsense. It's March, and they have nothing to do all day other than write this type of drivel. Plus Cashman knows for better or worse there isn't a good alternative at 3rd base. Eric Duncan would be here otherwise.

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You guys will think a whole bunch differently when some Mike Lowell-type is hitting .255 with 12 hrs. and 65 RBIs while doing a worse job with the glove. All this about is the Yankees looking to hold him to this contract and go from there. There isn't anyone out there that's gonna match this deal, so he isn't opting out. Only curveball is if Piniella dangles Aramis Ramirez and some more stuff to get his pal to Wrigley, which could happen.

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At this point, I don't give a **** what A-rod does. I'm tired of hearing about him. He can go, stay, win mvp, piss on home plate... I don't care. I'm tired of hearing about him and his quarter of a billion dollar problems.

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At this point, I don't give a **** what A-rod does. I'm tired of hearing about him. He can go, stay, win mvp, piss on home plate... I don't care. I'm tired of hearing about him and his quarter of a billion dollar problems.

ARod will be great this year and all will be forgotten....after all that is the Yankee way.

They will however be dealing with ARod as a Free Agent next winter.

Mike- I never saw anything where ARod said he was open to a trade. Cashman's hands were tied and as a Mets fan I feel Cash had a excellent off season(cept for Mienke at 1st) as long as MO does not walk next winter.

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ARod will be great this year and all will be forgotten....after all that is the Yankee way.

They will however be dealing with ARod as a Free Agent next winter.

Mike- I never saw anything where ARod said he was open to a trade. Cashman's hands were tied and as a Mets fan I feel Cash had a excellent off season(cept for Mienke at 1st) as long as MO does not walk next winter.

Agreed..

All Alex has to do is come through once, JUST ONCE in a playoff game and he will be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The question is though will he ? The last two post seasons he has looked absolutlely lost out there and you can see him pressing at the plate.

My feeling is that this is going to be a constant distraction all season. Alex doesn't know when to as Barton would put it "Shut the Fawk up".

You just hope that is doesn't affect the way the team performs on the field.

It is going to be an interesting summer.

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The last thing AROD wants to hear for the rest of his life if he leaves NY is how he failed on the sport's biggest stage while his arch nemesis Jeter will have a monument out in left field when he's done playing. And if he opts out that'll make it much worst on him as he wont have the excuse of saying "I wanted to stay, but they got rid of me."

The guy is so image conscious he aint leaving until he makes it here. He aint going anywhere.

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ARod will be great this year and all will be forgotten....after all that is the Yankee way.

They will however be dealing with ARod as a Free Agent next winter.

Mike- I never saw anything where ARod said he was open to a trade. Cashman's hands were tied and as a Mets fan I feel Cash had a excellent off season(cept for Mienke at 1st) as long as MO does not walk next winter.

He said after the Tigers series that if the yankees want to get rid of him that he would go. The yankees never made him feel like they wanted to get rid of him.
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The last thing AROD wants to hear for the rest of his life if he leaves NY is how he failed on the sport's biggest stage while his arch nemesis Jeter will have a monument out in left field when he's done playing. And if he opts out that'll make it much worst on him as he wont have the excuse of saying "I wanted to stay, but they got rid of me."

The guy is so image conscious he aint leaving until he makes it here. He aint going anywhere.

He doen't care about him image enough to leave 100 million on the table.
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He said after the Tigers series that if the yankees want to get rid of him that he would go. The yankees never made him feel like they wanted to get rid of him.

Did he call you and tell you this himself? All I read was saying that he was a Yankee -- end of story.

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The Yankees don't obviously feel it is best to get rid of him. Lost in all this is they have a 3B that could hit 50 HRs this year. All he needs is one hot postseason and all is well.

Trading him isn't (wasn't) the right answer.

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The Yankees don't obviously feel it is best to get rid of him. Lost in all this is they have a 3B that could hit 50 HRs this year. All he needs is one hot postseason and all is well.

Trading him isn't (wasn't) the right answer.

No max all isn't well. He's gonna leave even if that happens and the yankees will get nothing.
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A-Rod after the Detroit series

"My commitment is 100 percent. Unconditional," he said. "I want to be a Yankee. I don't want to go anywhere, and I can't be more clear. I hope they don't want to trade me, because I don't want to go anywhere."

"I mean, if they're dying to get rid of me," he said when asked whether he would consider it. "I hope not. I mean, I'm 100 percent committed to being a Yankee and that's the only place I want to play. & I believe I can be part of the solution here. I've had success in New York -- in the regular season. I have to find it in the postseason."

Yep, clear as day that he wanted out...the Yanks really dropped the ball on this one

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Go back and look at the quotes.

ARod isn't going anywhere. That's the message agent Scott Boras said he received from New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman in a phone conversation about Alex Rodriguez recently, according to a report on the New York Daily News' Web site.

"Brian Cashman and I had a discussion and he made it clear that he has no intention of trading Alex," Boras told the Daily News, "and I told him that Alex Rodriguez has a no-trade clause.

"There will be no movement of Alex Rodriguez this offseason," Boras said.

However, baseball executives are unsure whether Boras' statements are believable, particularly given Rodriguez's postseason struggles and the media scrutiny in New York. "There's nothing about playing in New York City that he finds as a negative," Boras told the Daily News.

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Sit him down and explain to him that they feel the best situation for both of the parties would be to get him out of town.

That would be a terrificly STUPID thing to do.

You would essentuilly have told a player, one that you are paying a lot of money to, that he is not wanted on the team. You are then FORCED to trade him, and accept low-ball offers.

And don't think, that other clubs knowing that this conversation has taken plce, won't look to take advantage of you.

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That would be a terrificly STUPID thing to do.

You would essentuilly have told a player, one that you are paying a lot of money to, that he is not wanted on the team. You are then FORCED to trade him, and accept low-ball offers.

And don't think, that other clubs knowing that this conversation has taken plce, won't look to take advantage of you.

Not true. The yankees would've had a deal worked out before they even came to him.
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A-Rod after the Detroit series

"My commitment is 100 percent. Unconditional," he said. "I want to be a Yankee. I don't want to go anywhere, and I can't be more clear. I hope they don't want to trade me, because I don't want to go anywhere."

"I mean, if they're dying to get rid of me," he said when asked whether he would consider it. "I hope not. I mean, I'm 100 percent committed to being a Yankee and that's the only place I want to play. & I believe I can be part of the solution here. I've had success in New York -- in the regular season. I have to find it in the postseason."

Yep, clear as day that he wanted out...the Yanks really dropped the ball on this one

The key was the make him feel they were dying to get rid of him.

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Not true. The yankees would've had a deal worked out before they even came to him.

And he could have very easily vetoed that trade. THEN where do they go?

His trade value is not great on the open market. Funny to say, but it is so.

Any team that trades for him, realizes that he may very well be only a one year thing. Of course, they have the option of opening up to his demands, but who wants to pay that exhorbitant amount, ON TOP of giving up players in a trade?

The way you desscribed the process is not reasonable

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