Talk Bronx New York

 Alex Rodriguez won his third AL Most Valuable Player award last month after hitting .314 with 54 homers and 156 RBIs.

A-Rod Hanging In The Bronx For $275M 

Alex Rodriguez set another record for baseball’s highest contract, finalizing his $275 million, 10-year agreement with the New York Yankees on Thursday.

A-Rod set the previous mark with his $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in December 2000. Traded to the Yankees in 2004, he opted out of that contract Oct. 28, during the final game of the World Series.

Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said New York would not negotiate further with Rodriguez because his decision eliminated the $21.3 million subsidy the Yankees were to receive from Texas from 2008-10, a figure negotiated at the time of the trade.

But Rodriguez then approached the Yankees through a managing director at Goldman Sachs and negotiated his new deal without agent Scott Boras.

Rodriguez won his third AL Most Valuable Player award last month after hitting .314 with 54 homers and 156 RBIs.

SOURCE: wcco.com

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A new boss in the Bronx

As the parties convene to commemorate the historic document — Alex Rodriguez’s record-breaking contract with the New York Yankees — expect more sanctimony than celebration. This signing will be interpreted like an armistice.

Erstwhile über agent Scott Boras has already been cast as the capitulator, a peculiar role for someone whose client now has a contract worth as much as $300 million. The victor remains less well known: Hank Steinbrenner, the once reluctant heir. Whatever else Rodriguez’s contract portends — whether prescient, profligate or just plain unfair — Steinbrenner’s signature also signifies dynastic change. The new boss has arrived.

It was a job he never much wanted. But a little more than a month into this new reign (he shares power with his kid brother Hal, who tends less visibly to the business side), Hank Steinbrenner has distinguished himself as a worthy, if welcome successor to his father. He is quotable, sure, but also very much in charge.

Just last month, in the wake of Joe Torre’s departure, the sporting press was rife with predictions that the House of Steinbrenner was in for a great fall. It was thought that the beloved and much-admired manager would take with him the aura of stability and success that made the Yankees so attractive. The free agents would flee, it was said. There would be Yankee turmoil reminiscent of the Eighties, when Hank briefly served as an advisor without portfolio before leaving — chastened, disillusioned, and without question, relieved.

But none of those predictions have come to pass. The Yankees hired a much-desired manager for less than half the price of Torre. Jorge Posada will return to the fold for top dollar, as will Mariano Rivera. Still, in relation to those October forecasts, the biggest surprise of all is A-Rod.

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A-Rod In Dialogue With Yanks’ Top Brass

November 14, 2007

Alex Rodriguez’s Bronx tale may not be over just yet. The Yankees confirmed Wednesday that there has been dialogue between the shortstop and top team officials.

The Yanks have said they would talk with Rodriguez only if his agent, Scott Boras, was not involved in the conversation.

Baseball fans NY1 spoke with said they thought Alex Rodriguez was a solid player, but they believe his contract negotiating off the field has some serious errors thanks to his agent.

“Half the teams in baseball won’t even deal with him because [Boras is] such a ridiculous negotiator,? said one fan. ?He, like, does anything he can to get the most money for the players, but things like announcing on the last game of the World Series is the worst behavior. You don’t want to see that.”

“I think it’s more his agent that’s the head hunter that gives him the bad press that everyone seems to want to beat him up for,? said another. ?But if we watch him on the field he’s a pure player, fielder, batter, the whole nine.”

Rodriguez released a statement saying that he and his family decided to talk with the Yankees about his option to stay with the team.

“We know there are other opportunities for us, but Cynthia and I have a foundation with the club that has brought us comfort, stability and happiness,” he said. “As a result, I reached out to the Yankees through mutual friends and conveyed that message. During these healthy discussions, both sides were able to share honest feelings and hopes with one another, and we expect to continue this dialogue with the Yankees over the next few days.”

The Yankees attempted to offer Rodriguez an extension last month but were never able to meet with him.

A-Rod has reportedly said he understands that he will have to make up the $21 million subsidy from the Texas Rangers, which the Yankees lost when he opted out of his contract. The Yankees front office said it would not negotiate with Rodriguez if he opted out of his remaining three years with the team.

A-Rod has not begun negotiating with other teams.

Source: NY1 / Bronx

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