A-Rod Opts Out of Yankee Contract

Baseball's Best Player, Alex Rodriguez, is Now a Free Agent

Oct 29, 2007

Alex Rodriguez opts out of the remainder of his contract to become a free agent. It looks like his days as a Yankee are finished.

Alex Rodriguezjust walked away from $230 million. And he is probably going to get more. A lot, lot more. Last night, right smack dab in the middle of Game 4 of the World Series,A-Rod's agent, Scott Boras announced that Alex Rodriguez is opting out of the final three years of his contract with the New York Yankees. The remaining years would have paid him up to $81 million. By exercising the opt-out clause from his existing $252 million contract, Rodriguez is now a free agent, who will seek a contract worth between $500 million and $1 billion over the next decade.

The move came as a surprise to some. All week, sources have claimed that the Yankees were prepared to offer their MVP third baseman a five-year, $150 million extension if he didn't exercise the free agent opt out clause. That means, in total, Alex Rodriguez just left $230 million on the table.

A-Rod's Opt Out Handled by Voice Mail

There are a number of questions raised by the timing of the decision and manner in which Boras chose to convey A-Rod's message to the Yankees.

First, Boras made the announcement in the middle of Game 4 of the World Series between the Indians and the Rockies. The move seems to have been an attempt to capitalize on the attention being paid to the Fall Classic, and as an effort to steal some thunder from the storm trooping Red Sox.

"That is kind of strange timing," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said after Boston completed its sweep of Colorado. David Ortiz said: "Man, I never would walk away from all those millions." Upon hearing the news, Red Sox fans at Coors Field chanted: "Don't sign A-Rod!"

Furthermore, Boras let the Yankees know by leaving a voice mail for general manager Brian Cashman. The agent told reporters that he attempted to notify Cashman of the decision but couldn't reach him, so he left the voice mail. "He was traveling and I was traveling," Boras said.

A-Rod Blames Yankees Uncertain Future

Boras said during a telephone interview that Rodriguez made his choice because he was uncertain whether Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte would return to the Yankees. Boras said it became clear that the others wouldn't make a decision by Rodriguez's deadline to opt out -- 10 days after the World Series.

"Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer, his catcher and one of his statured pitchers was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing."

A-Rod's decision also came before the Yankees announced a replacement for their departed manager, Joe Torre. Broadcaster Joe Girardi and bench coach Don Mattingly are the top contenders for the job, and A-Rod's decision may affect both or either of the candidates' own thought processes.

Alex Rodriguez's Yankee Career Highlighted by Brilliance; Turmoil

2007 was clearly A-Rod's best year in pinstripes. He hit .314 and led the majors with 54 homers and 156 RBI. It is widely expected that when the American League MVP winner is announced in November, Rodriguez will be the hands-down winner. Rodriguez also won the award in 2005, when he hit .321 with 48 homers and 130 RBI.

But is wasn't all days of wines and roses for Alex Rodriguez in the Bronx. He struggled in his first season at Yankee Stadium, and heard boos for the first time in his career. Although he hit a respectable .286 with 36 home runs and 106 RBI, his overall play was not up to par with the typical Alex Rodriguez season.

2006 was even worse. Highlighted by a long slump, poor fielding, and unremarkable hitting (by A-Rod standards), Rodriguez became a target for frustrated Yankees fans who hadn't won a World Sereis since 2000.

A-Rod's Postseason Failure

But perhaps the most turbulent aspect of his Yankee days was the postseason. From the time that the Yankees collapsed and lost four straight games in the 2004 ALCS to the Red Sox through the end of the 2007 American League Division Series, Rodriguez struggled mightily. He hit just .133 with one Double, one HR, one RBI, and 19 strikeouts in 60 at-bats during that time period.

The Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and even the New York Mets could be possible new teams for Rodriguez. Teams have declined to comment, citing tampering rules that prevent them from discussing players who aren't free agents.

The Yankees have said, time and again, that they would be done with Rodriguez if he opted out. But Boras said he remains willing to talk with them. "The lines of communication for us are open," he said. "Our position is that we have told New York all along that we will continue discussions with them. Alex enjoyed playing in New York. He played well there. He was comfortable there."

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