A-Rod opts out of contract

[TMTTR]

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In the end A-Rod is assured more money... because he's going to get a long-term contract that even if it is less annual $$ than his Yankees one, it'll be better because he'll make up for it in years. He wouldn't get the same $$ if he waited to become a FA at 36 or whenever.

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The same old song...

One of many articles. The deal could have been worth even more than the $250 mil he got from Texas.

[Vyse]

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A-Rod left an 8 year $230 million contract on the table

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when

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When the Yankees wanted to offer a $150 million extension. They wanted A-Rod to come in at the beginning of the week and talk to him. He opted out instead Sunday night.

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I don't remember this as clearly as I normally do if I heard / read it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Still, it was widely considered A-Rod would get $30mil-plus. I wasn't really sure how, but MLB has a ton of revenue, apparently approaching NFL status. So you figure one team out there would do it.

Yanks are cowards, they really do need A-Rod more than A-Rod needs him though. Wouldn't be shocked to see them back in it; they're really just playing hard ass, not being logical.

[TMTTR]

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I don't remember this as clearly as I normally do

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That's a pretty low standard.

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Still, it was widely considered A-Rod would get $30mil-plus.

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Which is basically what the Yankees were offering. It certainly deserved a sit down and a little respect before opting out.

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Yanks are cowards

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Huh? How?

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Wouldn't be shocked to see them back in it;

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Here you could be correct -- but it won't be until the very last minute if they are.

[Matt Williams]

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A-Rod left an 8 year $230 million contract on the table

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when

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When the Yankees wanted to offer a $150 million extension. They wanted A-Rod to come in at the beginning of the week and talk to him. He opted out instead Sunday night.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't remember this as clearly as I normally do if I heard / read it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Still, it was widely considered A-Rod would get $30mil-plus. I wasn't really sure how, but MLB has a ton of revenue, apparently approaching NFL status. So you figure one team out there would do it.

Yanks are cowards, they really do need A-Rod more than A-Rod needs him though. Wouldn't be shocked to see them back in it; they're really just playing hard ass, not being logical.

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Personally, I think A-Rod burned his bridges w/ the Yankees and the NY fans in general. If he thought he had it bad before, it will be 10x worse if he indeed comes back.

Rob Neyer keeps saying in his blog that it's quite possible that A-Rod just doesn't want to play in NY. If that's the case, it doesn't matter what the Yankees do.

[Vyse]

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That's a pretty low standard.

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Probably. Whatever gets me to sleep at night, right?

(PS: You're trying too hard.)

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Which is basically what the Yankees were offering. It certainly deserved a sit down and a little respect before opting out.

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You obviously underestimate the draw of becoming a free agent. A-Rod said he was going to opt out from the get-go. I'm sure they sat down and talked about it like... before last year? A-Rod was set to do this in spring training, dude -- it was known the entire year A-Rod was opting out.

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Huh? How?

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"If you opt out you are never coming back here!" That's a stupid PR campaign that makes no sense for the team. To not even weigh the possibility of re-signing him now that he's a FA is pompous and silly, because, again, the Yanks need A-Rod much, much, much more than A-Rod needs them. Really, without A-Rod (who will they replace him with? Mike Lowell?), unless they magically get Miguel Cabrera (and to do that they'll have to give up one of Kennedy / Hughes / Joba) they have a LOT of work to do to make the playoffs next year.

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Here you could be correct -- but it won't be until the very last minute if they are.

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It's their funeral. Either way A-Rod wins.

[Mondogarage]

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In the end A-Rod is assured more money... because he's going to get a long-term contract that even if it is less annual $$ than his Yankees one, it'll be better because he'll make up for it in years. He wouldn't get the same $$ if he waited to become a FA at 36 or whenever.

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A-Rod left an 8 year $230 million contract on the table and left. You think there's a team out there that is willing to beat that knowing that NY told him to f off and won't get involved in the contract negotiations?

Fact is, A-Rod called the Yankee bluff and lost. Now Boras is starting to realize just how important having the Yankees in the mix is. The double whammy was pissing off Boston. Now you have the 2 teams with the most money pissed at you. Not Boras's finest hour if you ask me.

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Yup. The best part of this is, if he ends up having to sign at, say, $22m a year for 5-6 years (probably wishful thinking, but possible if the Yanks and Red Sox stay out of bidding), this makes Boras look very bad and could potentially make it easier for the Rockies to nail down Holliday long term. Hell, Holliday could even dump Boras as an agent.

[owsley]

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Rob Neyer keeps saying in his blog that it's quite possible that A-Rod just doesn't want to play in NY. If that's the case, it doesn't matter what the Yankees do.

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I think this is pretty clearly the case, and why the yankees' plan of offering an extension/ not participating after that is a good one.

[Matt Williams]

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You obviously underestimate the draw of becoming a free agent. A-Rod said he was going to opt out from the get-go. I'm sure they sat down and talked about it like... before last year? A-Rod was set to do this in spring training, dude -- it was known the entire year A-Rod was opting out.

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A-Rod never said he was opting out. He said all summer long that he loved playing in NY and wanted to stay. He said he was going to keep his options open and discuss things with his family and Boras once the season was over. Last week the Yankees told him they wanted to sit down with him and discuss what he wanted to do and they were prepared to start the negotiations by offering a 5 year extension for $150 million. Boras/A-Rod waited until the 5th inning of Game 4 to text the Yankees and say we are out. A TEXT message. WTF? They totally upstaged the WS and embarrassed the Yankees.

There was about a 30 day period from NY's last game until 10 games after the WS ended. Why did they opt out 1 hr. before the WS ended? It's clear Boras and A-Rod were trying to create waves. If A-Rod sincerely wanted to stay in NY, he would have at least listened to what NY was offering before opting out. If the 2 sides tried to negotiate and couldn't come up w/ something by the deadline, the Yankees would still try to make something happen. But he did this in the worse way possible. And now it is obvious to everyone that Boras/A-Rod realize their mistakes because both are now backtracking.

[TMTTR]

You keep moving the line...

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Which is basically what the Yankees were offering. It certainly deserved a sit down and a little respect before opting out.

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You obviously underestimate the draw of becoming a free agent. A-Rod said he was going to opt out from the get-go.

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I was just pointing out that the amount you thought he was trying to get was what the Yankees were offering. Free agency is important -- but A-Rod and Boras also knew that if they came to a deal before opting out it would make it a lot easier for the Yankees to justify giving him a bloated contract. The proper thing would have been to sit at the table and, if the offer was not mind blowing, tell the Yankees: "Thank you, but we need to test the market." They took a different road.

Boras did say that A-Rod was going to opt out... At the same time, A-Rod talked all season about being a Yankee lifer.

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Huh? How?

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"If you opt out you are never coming back here!" That's a stupid PR campaign that makes no sense for the team. To not even weigh the possibility of re-signing him now that he's a FA is pompous and silly, because, again, the Yanks need A-Rod much, much, much more than A-Rod needs them. Really, without A-Rod (who will they replace him with? Mike Lowell?), unless they magically get Miguel Cabrera (and to do that they'll have to give up one of Kennedy / Hughes / Joba) they have a LOT of work to do to make the playoffs next year.

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You said the Yankees were coward. That was what I was responding to. I think it was played poorly -- and maybe even stupidly -- by the Yankees. I was just asking how it was cowardly. I guess you just used the wrong word...

[Matt Williams]

I just wanted to add, even Rosenhaus (the Super Agent in the NFL) thinks Boras f'd up. And that guy is as cocky as cocky gets.