[新聞] A-Rod not thinking about opting out of deal now
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2756407
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez sidestepped whether he plans to opt out of his
record contract with the New York Yankees and become a free agent following
this season.
J.D. Drew, like A-Rod a client of agent Scott Boras, used an opt-out clause to
leave the Los Angeles Dodgers for a $70 million, five-year contract with the
Boston Red Sox.
During a promotional appearance Tuesday, Rodriguez was asked what he thought
about Drew's decision.
"I didn't follow the J.D. Drew situation," Rodriguez said. "My situation and my
only goal is to win a world championship, and I'm going to take it day to day.
And that's about it."
Rodriguez is owed a $23 million salary this year, including $1 million deferred
without interest until June 30, 2011, and then is due $24 million in each of
the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract.
Texas, which traded A-Rod to the Yankees after the 2003 season, is partially
funding the deal, paying the Yankees $7.1 million this year, $8.1 million in
2008, $7.1 million in 2009 and $6.1 million in 2010.
"I think when you put things like that in the contract seven years ago, the
intent was that it would give the player a choice, knowing full well the player
may not use the provision, and also understanding, too, it gives him an option
to consider," Boras said in a telephone interview. "At this point in time, Alex
has certainly reflected to me he's very happy in New York. We have not talked
about anything like that and probably will not until the season is completed."
Boras left the impression that Rodriguez could get more than the $72 million he
is owed in the final three seasons of his deal.
"There's a class of player that has not been fitted into this new market,"
Boras said. "Obviously when Alex's contract was done, the revenues of the game
were around $3 billion. Now they are around $6 billion. The elite position
player has not been really graded in this new revenue stream we've seen."
Rodriguez has gone through turbulent times with the Yankees. While he won the
AL MVP award for the second time in 2005, he is 4-for-41 (.098) without an RBI
in his last 12 postseason games dating to 2004.
He was dropped to eighth in the batting order for the first time in a decade as
the Yankees were eliminated in Game 4 of the first round against Detroit last
season.
Rodriguez doesn't see a need to speak to manager Joe Torre about being dropped
that low.
"I'm an employee. If Joe says take out the garbage, I take out the garbage," he
said. "There's no attitude. That's just the bottom line. I've very old school
when it comes to that. And I've never been a person that ever questions my
authority. ... The first thing I've got to look at in the mirror is me."
Rodriguez is pleased with the offseason moves made by general manager Brian
Cashman.
"I'm excited to play with Andy Pettitte and I'm also excited about what Brian
Cashman has done, kind of gotten us a little bit younger, a little bit more
athletic," Rodriguez said. "I'm also excited to see some of these young
pitchers. We haven't had this type of spring, where we're actually curious
about what these young pitchers are going to be all about."
He cited the example of the Tigers, who won the AL pennant behind hard-throwing
pitchers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya.
"Without those two guys, they obviously don't get into the postseason and
almost win a World Series," Rodriguez said.
As he prepares for the start of spring training this month, his goal is to
get a World Series ring for the first time.
"My burden has always been the same since I was 18," he said. "The only reason
I play the game is to win a world championship. That hasn't changed. From year
to year it hasn't changed."
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