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A-Rod, Yankees Finalize $275M Deal

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The Associated Press

Published: December 14, 2007

NEW YORK - 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 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 in early November without agent Scott Boras.

"It seemed like the whole thing was a roller coaster. It was very emotional," Rodriguez said on a conference call. "All along, I knew I wanted to be a Yankee."

The three-time MVP said opting out was "a mistake that was handled extremely poorly."

"It was a huge debacle," he said, calling the timing "distasteful and very inappropriate."

Officials in the commissioner's office were livid, and Boras quickly apologized. A-Rod said he told Boras how he felt.

"The one time we spoke, I conveyed that message," he said.

Rodriguez said Boras gave him the impression the Yankees weren't interested in bringing him back, which surprised him.

"Our goals were not aligned," Rodriguez said. "It felt funny to me."

Rodriguez will get a $10 million signing bonus and could receive an additional $6 million each for five milestones that the team designates as historic achievements. Under the deal he opted out of, A-Rod earned $185.45 million over seven years.

Marlins, Miami Move Forward On Stadium

MIAMI - Florida Marlins president David Samson said Thursday that his team was the closest it has been to securing its own ballpark, after city commissioners voted to go ahead with a large public works project that includes a new baseball stadium on the site of the Orange Bowl.

"I think over the past 13 years and three ownership groups, this is certainly the closest," Samson said.

Miami commissioners voted on the agreement, which also included a performing arts center, port tunnel project and soccer stadium, after 2 1/2 hours of debate.

Miami-Dade county commissioners will meet Tuesday and discuss the matter.

"It's a huge day for the city of Miami and the county of Miami-Dade," Samson said. "What's next is, we have to get together and finish the baseball stadium agreement, because a lot of what happened today is dependent on that agreement being completed."

The project calls for a 37,000-seat retractable-roof ballpark. According to a revised county proposal, the ballpark would be funded, in part, by hotel bed tax dollars and a large, upfront contribution from the Marlins.

."Finally, after eight years, I think we're very close to building a baseball stadium," said commissioner Joe Sanchez, whose district would house the proposed ballpark.

The city, county and team would all help fund the new ballpark.

Black Sox Papers Sold For $100,000

BURR RIDGE, Ill. - The Chicago History Museum won a collection of rare documents, letters and memos detailing the Black Sox scandal at an auction that ended Thursday.

The museum offered about $100,000 for the collection, topping 35 other bids, said suburban Chicago auctioneer Mastro Auctions.

Experts say the papers offer insights about the Chicago White Sox and their notorious alleged actions in a betting scandal during the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds that was one of the darkest events in baseball history.

BLUE JAYS: Shortstop David Eckstein agreed to terms on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. Eckstein had a career-high .309 batting average for the St. Louis Cardinals last season with three homers, 31 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Eckstein, who was the MVP of the Cardinals' World Series triumph in 2006, is expected to bat leadoff for the Blue Jays.

CUBS: Pitcher Mark Prior became a free agent after the Cubs declined to offer him a 2008 contract before Wednesday's deadline.

Also, left-hander Neal Cotts agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract, avoiding salary arbitration.

NATIONALS: Free-agent utility players Rob Mackowiak and Willie Harris agreed to 2008 contracts and former Rays right-handed pitcher Jesus Colome avoided arbitration by settling on a $1.25 million, one-year deal.

RED SOX: Did not tender a contract to reliever Brendan Donnelly on Wednesday, hours before he was named in the Mitchell Report about the illegal use of performance-enhancing substances in baseball.

TWINS: Shortstop Adam Everett agreed to terms on a one-year contract Thursday, a day after he was non-tendered by the Houston Astros.

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