The Measure of a Man

The Boston Red Sox hadn't even finished putting the Colorado Rockies to bed and Alex Rodriguez was already stealing the spotlight. Game 4 wasn't even in the books and Scott Boras was announcing that Rodriguez had decided to opt out of the remainder of his 252 million dollar contract and go to free agency. No sooner had that hit the headlines when A-Rods asking price made the rounds, ten years and 350 million dollars. Keep in mind Rodriguez is 32, meaning he would be in his early forties when the contract finished but still making 35 million per year. No one sure who exactly is willing to shell out that kind of money for Rodriguez' services but that hasn't stopped the players union from already crying foul.

The MLB Players Union made a statement Thursday saying "Over the past few days, press reports coming out of the general managers' meetings relating to the sharing of information between clubs as to their plans regarding players potentially raise serious questions concerning the fairness and integrity of the free-agent market." Concluding with this "Such questions are amplified by reports stating that the commissioner is attempting to influence the market for at least one player." That player of course being Alex Rodriguez. The union believes that collusion is occurring between the teams and Bud Selig to keep A-Rods contract down, and Donald Fehr hasn't been shy about saying so.

Now I'll stand by the union on just about anything, after all it is their sweat and blood making the money, but this is just ridiculous. If anyone is working to keep Rodriguez' contract down, it is Alex himself. Just look at the three biggest deals made last year. Barry Zito, Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano each signing massive deals worth over 120 million each and none of them will ever be mistaken of A-Rod. It's obvious teams have no problem shelling out huge deals for players, but even the filthy rich owners in baseball have their limits. The size and length of the contract demands of Rodriguez will be the determining factors when he signs on with a new team, assuming he even does switch jerseys.

So far the only team to have made contact with Boras has been the New York Mets. C'mon, the Mets? Don't insult me Alex, we all know there is no way in hell you're moving to Shea Stadium. What's in it for you there? An old pitching staff, a group of players who range from good potential to past their primes, and few in between and the same crushing media. Sure the Mets are the bumbling younger brother of the Yankees, but don't think for one second the murderous New York media wouldn't love to taunt Rodriguez' futile efforts to make the Mets legit. Every Mets loss would end up taking second stage to every Yankees win if it meant twisting the knife even more, and don't think A-Rod doesn't know this.

Of course the usual stories about the Red Sox are also surfacing, but let's get real here, why would Boston want to rock the apple cart? They still have Ortiz and Manny, Varitek isn't going anywhere same with Youkilis, Pedrioa and Ellsbury. The Red Sox still have one of the best batting line-ups in baseball and with Schilling back they also have a formidable pitching rotation. The simple truth is the Red Sox don't need Rodriguez and the rumors are meaningless. The Angels have also been mentioned, but that story along with the Mets lends to another possibility that many are over-looking, that Rodriguez isn't going anywhere at all.

Think about it. The three teams that are said to be looking at him are the three biggest rivals the Yankees have. The cross town Mets, the divisional opponent Red Sox and the regular and post-season nemesis Angels. Does anyone seriously think that the Yankees are going to let that happen? Let's not forget the incredible egos at play when it comes to the Steinbrenners. These are the guys who like to call themselves the Tampa Bay Mafia. They spend money like it's going out of style and it's usually on the biggest name they can get their hands on. Of course the three teams being mentioned are the Yankees biggest rivals, how else is Scott Boras going to convince the Yanks to fork over all the dough he's asking for? Has everyone forgot Kobe Bryants threat to sign with the Clippers a few years back?

In the end I don't see Rodriguez going anywhere. The contract is to big, to long and to unyielding for any team outside of the Yankees to take on. Sure we all know how much money some owners have, but few of those owners identify themselves by their pro sports team, they just like the status symbol of having one. Let's also keep in mind that A-Rod is on pace to shatter the home run record, and do we seriously think the Yankees are going to let that pass them by?