My first thought was this was a negotiating trick. Maybe he wasn't getting ANY traction at all before? Now, there is some pressure being put on, supposedly, and you might see someone else make an offer. I think ARod was getting nothing but crickets and tumbleweeds and decided to make a little news himself.

I don't get it either. The Mets should be jumping in here, offering $30-32 a year to stay in NY (and play short if he wants).

A couple points:

(1) Apparently Arod believes playing for the Yankees maximizes his other business opportunities, endorsements, car dealerships etc
(2) It sounds like the Yanks are giving him hefty incentives at the back end of the deal. Perhaps even a % of the gate or something similar during the run for the home run record.

I'm suspecting that Boras has already been in touch with teams and found out that they couldn't or wouldn't pay as much as Boars-Rodriguez wanted... and then devised a plan to soften the Yankees position and make them re-interested without losing face. Because this whole situation just doesn't make sense outside of that scenerio. Of course, he doesn't want the Yanks knowing nobody would've paid nearly as much as the Yanks are willing to spend...until sometime after the deal is done.

I think the fear is that if they offer it, he'll accept it. Only the Yankees have the money and the will pay him that kind of money at the tail end of his career. There are some teams that have one or the other but no one has both. Can you imagine what would happen to the Angels when they are paying A-Rod $30m 5 years from now to DH? It would cripple them. Same thing with the Mets although I suspect with them it's more a question of will than money.

Is everyone forgetting that A-Rod by all statistical measurements was overpaid until this, a career, year?

Yes A-Rod is worth 30 million next year and probably the two years after that, but then as his skills appreciably decline, so does his value. We already know he brings no fan love so you pay for what you get, no mystical intangibles like Boras sold Tom Hicks. A ten year contract to a 25 year old on the precipice of a hall of fame peak is one thing, but to a 32 year old entering the decline phase?!? A 300 million dollar investment on two legs that are slowing, a glove that is below average and a body that could break down at any time for all time!?!

Sherwood, the contract will be insured so that if A-Rod entirely breaks down (or is incapacitated for a while), the Yankees won't be on the hook. Also, just 'cause the fans don't love him, doesn't mean A-Rod doesn't bring additional revenue streams. Certainly not to the extent Boras claims, but even Bonds (much more universally hated than A-Rod) brought the Giants extra revenue this year.

No it won't, billy. The insurance companies have limited the duration of these policies. At best the Yanks will get the first 4 seasons covered.

Let' s face it. The Yankees can afford to overpay someone any day of the week and not bat an eyelash. They could pay Mike Lowell $60 million over 4 years and still have bushels of money left in the coffers to use for lighting cigars at parties.

The strategy for the Yankees in 2007, as compared to previous years, is that the kind of wild overspending they're doing on A-Rod is for the best player in the sport. They would probably open the bank for Johan Santana, Albert Pujols, and maybe no one else like they are for Alex. They've made an investment, as a billion dollar corporation, in a 4 or 5 year stud with additional late career ticket drawing power thanks to the home run record. It means a lot to the organization and its fans to have the home run king in the Hall of Fame, and rightly so. Outside a World Series title, that's the best thing going in the sport.

A-Rod knows all of this too. His image was taking a beating, and that's what he's going to count on down the road when he's trying to put fannies in the seats on his way to the HOF. If the stigma of his opt out and subsequent upstaging of the WS was the enduring image of his last contract, that would be in doubt. He realized his mistake from a financial standpoint, and from a situational standpoint as well. It is worth a lot, and means a lot, to walk around with a Yankees championship ring and your bust in Cooperstown with an interlocking NY.

Because nobody wants to get tied up for 10 yrs in a contract they can't move

Why does everyone assume he is the next home run king? He really does have a long way to go still. More guys then not looked destined yet they fell well short. Not saying he is not going to make it however lets keep this in perspective.