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A-Rod opts out of Yankees contract

BY KAT O'BRIEN | kat.obrien@newsday.com

October 29, 2007

Say goodbye to Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes.

As first reported by SI.com's Jon Heyman, Rodriguez opted out of the final three years of his 10-year, $252-million contract last night. And if the Yankees stick to their oft-repeated mantra that they would not negotiate with A-Rod if he were to opt out, his career as a Yankee is over.

"Alex called me today and instructed me to send notice to the Yankees to that effect," Boras said by phone last night in confirming the opt-out.

Boras said he spoke with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman at about 10:30 last night and that Cashman said he appreciated the call.

As recently as Friday, Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner reiterated the Yankees' stance regarding the opt-out clause. Said Steinbrenner: "I don't think there's any secret that we want A-Rod to stay, but it's also not a secret that Brian made it clear a long time ago, and I've made it clear after him - if they opt out, goodbye. The fact of the matter is, obviously, we want him to stay, of course we do, and I think he wants to stay."

The reason the Yankees have been so adamant that they would not negotiate with A-Rod in the event of an opt-out is that the Rangers, who signed him in December 2000, were due to pay more than $21 million of the money owed by the Yankees in the next three years. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an e-mail last night, "We haven't been informed of anything officially. Clearly it would be welcome news from our perspective if the reports are accurate."

The Yankees were preparing to make a giant contract extension offer in an attempt to keep A-Rod without allowing him to opt out. They planned to make an initial offer of about five years at an amount slightly above the average annual value of his current contract.

Boras emphasized that it was important to Rodriguez that the team he signed with be able to contend for a World Series. Given the up-in-the-air status of Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte, who can become free agents, he wasn't ready to commit to the Yankees.

"Essentially he just didn't feel he could make any decision in the short period of time because he wanted to know the composition of the team," Boras said. "He wanted to know what Rivera and Posada and Andy Pettitte were going to do."

Boras said he and Rodriguez are open to negotiating with the Yankees once the composition of their team is more resolved.

Rodriguez would have been able to exercise the opt-out clause until 10 days after the conclusion of the World Series. It's unlikely that the futures of Rivera, Posada and Pettitte will be resolved by then.

Rodriguez, 32, batted .314 with 54 homers and 156 RBIs in one of the best seasons ever by a Yankee - or by any hitter, for that matter. He is a virtual lock to be named Most Valuable Player next month for the third time in five seasons and the second time in four seasons as a Yankee.

A-Rod regularly had said he felt comfortable playing in New York and hoped to continue playing there. In a phone interview Saturday, Boras repeated that, saying: "Alex has always said he's comfortable playing in New York. He enjoys playing in New York, and it's certainly a place that he played well at. When you have that combination, he enjoys it and he played well there, it certainly is in his consideration."

Rodriguez and Boras now will see if the Yankees were bluffing. Only a big-spending team could even contend for his services. Potential destinations include the Angels, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Tigers and White Sox.

This year, A-Rod won over Yankees fans, who lauded him with chants of "MVP!" If he winds up in another uniform, he can expect the loudest of boos.