Rodriguez May Talk to Yankees Without Agent

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By TYLER KEPNER
Published: November 15, 2007
Alex Rodriguez said all season that he wanted to stay with the Yankees, and now he seems prepared to finally back up those statements.

A person close to the Yankees said this morning that Rodriguez, through an intermediary, told the Yankees that he wants to talk with the team about a new contract agreement without the involvement of his agent, Scott Boras. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal has been reached.

When Rodriguez opted out of his contract during Game 4 of the World Series, on Oct. 28, the Yankees insisted they would not chase him as a free agent. Club officials were bothered that Rodriguez did not return their calls and refused to meet with them in person.

On Nov. 4, the Times reported that Rodriguez was dismayed at the public fallout from his decision to opt out and was considering returning to the Yankees at a lower salary. That feeling has grown stronger since then, and Rodriguez seems to understand that his only way to stay a Yankee is to make up for the $21.3 million subsidy from the Texas Rangers that the Yankees lost when he opted out.

The Yankees are wary that Rodriguez’s new stance might be a trap to lure them into negotiations and thus drive up his price in the marketplace. But they seem to believe he is sincere in his desire to return.

Rodriguez is free to negotiate with other teams, but no team – except, perhaps, the Los Angeles Angels -- has seemed willing to give Rodriguez a raise over the $32 million he could have made in 2009 and 2010 under his original Rangers deal.

The Yankees are also now free to negotiate with the free-agent third baseman Mike Lowell of the Boston Red Sox, the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, who could replace Rodriguez at third in the Bronx. Rodriguez has struggled in the postseason, but he is a far better player than Lowell in the regular season.

“There’s a shot they could get Lowell, but there’s a shot they could still get A-Rod,” a person close to Rodriguez said on Tuesday night, speaking on condition of anonymity because Rodriguez had not authorized him to speak publicly. “I think Alex is so scared, he might still come back. It would have to be on a discount, and he knows that.”

Labels: a-rod, scott boras