A-Rod's contract no longer biggest, but still a burden for Yankees

With Giancarlo Stanton's 13-year, $325-million contract becoming official Wednesday, the Yankees were off the hook. No longer is Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275-million deal the sport's most expensive.

"Thank God, thank God, thank God,'' Yankees president Randy Levine said with a laugh early Wednesday afternoon.

Not that Levine, representing the club here along with COO Lonn Trost at the owners' meetings, was casting aspersions upon Stanton's big score with the Marlins.

"It's hard for me to ever really talk about other teams' deals,'' Levine said. "Every team has to make a decision based on where they are at the time and the moment. This is a great player and I think [owner Jeffrey Loria] stood up. It looks like both of them are pleased with it. Good for them.''

The Yankees long ago came to regret the commitment to the 39-year-old Rodriguez, to whom they still owe $61 million over the next three years.

A-Rod is coming off a season-long suspension for involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, and Levine repeated what general manager Brian Cashman has said all offseason: The Yankees don't know what to expect.

"He's going to be treated like every other player,'' Levine said. "We'll see what happens. Hopefully, he can contribute, but it's all speculation until we get to spring training. I'm told he's working out, getting in shape . . . Either he can contribute or he can't. Either he can play or he can't.''

That uncertainty is the reason Cashman is scouring the trade and free-agent markets for insurance at third base, with Chase Headley, a midseason acquisition by the Yankees, a top target.

"Cash is doing a lot of his work,'' Levine said. "We know what our needs are. We're looking to see where everything goes. It's really, really early. We're on our usual pace.''

The Yankees also are interested in retaining two other free agents: righthander Brandon McCarthy and shortstop Stephen Drew.

As for some of the biggest names on the market, specifically pitchers Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields, Levine wouldn't discuss the Yankees' level of interest, citing the collective bargaining agreement.

"We never say no to anyone, but I would not speculate,'' Levine said. "The reason I'm not doing that is it's inappropriate [according to] the rules to talk about who you're in on and who you're not in on. At the end of the day, you just have to wait and see.''

Although there have been reports that the Yankees will sit out the bidding for the headliner pitchers, be wary of such declarations at this time of year. Especially considering they missed the playoffs the past two years and, looking at the many quality American League teams and the questions surrounding the Yankees' rotation, a third dark October isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner has seen his club's brand take a slight hit in recent years, which helped spur last offseason's spending spree that put an end to the previously mandated goal of bringing payroll to $189 million. It's why, although the Yankees desperately want to avoid adding another burdensome long-term contract, that can't be ruled out, and certainly not in mid-November.

"It's bad,'' Levine said of missing the postseason in consecutive years. "[Winning] is in our blood. The Boss always said our goal every year is to win the World Series, and if we don't do that, the season's a failure.''

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.