Rangers

Rangers and Red Sox Updates

11/24/03 Courtesy ESPN.com

Click Logo For PG. 2

"THE HOT CORNER"---Miller's Take
Like most Ranger fans I was happy when A-Rod came to Texas; unlike most fans I really didn't expect him to do more than he's done. I knew that without some decent pitching he wouldn't lead us to the World Series and I knew that if the Rangers weren't winning that he wouldn't be happy. His attitude really soured over the off-season---his dislike of manager Buck Showalter was made public--- and the Rangers brass really had no choice but to push for this deal as Rodriguez kept going to the press with his "desire to play for a winner". I think that I can speak for a great many fans of the Texas Rangers when I say that A-Rod never really became a fan favorite, the way Pudge or Raffy did...there was respect for his immense talent and the feeling that he was a genuinely good guy but he wasn't embraced by the public. Most of us feel that it really is time for him to move on and let team management get on with building a complete team instead of surrounding a "superstar" with spare parts. Baseball fans need look no further than the 2002 World Series Champs, the Anaheim Angels, to see the direction the Rangers should and will take: Cultivate young players, make shrewd trades, sprinkle in a few veteran free agents who are all willing to play for a smart, tough but fair manager. I don't expect the Rangers to complete the makeover before the start of the 2005 season but if you're a fan and you have patience it should be rewarded by then.



	THE DEAL IS OFF---RODRIGUEZ REMAINS A RANGER ESPN.com news services ARLINGTON, Texas -- Alex Rodriguez was ready to go to Boston, and the Texas Rangers were doing their part to make it happen. But after nearly two months of discussions, the American League MVP is staying in Texas. Attempts to complete a trade of baseball's only $20 million-a-year players -- Rodriguez to Boston for outfielder Manny Ramirez -- ended Tuesday after Rangers owner Tom Hicks' deadline passed without a deal. "We both recognized there was too big a gulf to bridge," Hicks said. "Neither one of us thought it would take the public profile it did, or get as complex as it did." Talks collapsed last week after the players' association rejected a proposal by the Red Sox to cut $28 million to $30 million off A-Rod's record $252 million contract. Red Sox owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, president Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein issued a joint statement Tuesday saying "no further discussions regarding this transaction are planned." Rodriguez's agent also agreed that the talks were finally over. "Tom Hicks has indicated he would not consider a trade for Alex Rodriguez in the immediate future," said the shortstop's agent, Scott Boras. Hicks spoke several times Tuesday to Rodriguez, and said the shortstop was "happy" to remain with the Rangers. "I'm 100 percent certain that when the Rangers show up for spring training in Surprise, Ariz., the guy that will be working the hardest and the guy that will be our team leader will be Alex Rodriguez," Hicks said. While the Associated Press reported that no talks were taking place as the latest deadline approached, ESPN's Peter Gammons reported late Tuesday afternoon that Rodriguez appealed to Hicks to drop his demand of $13 million from the Red Sox. Rodriguez was willing to give up $27 million -- $13 million in givebacks to the Red Sox and $14 million in Massachusetts state income taxes -- to get to Boston and what's shaping up to be a winning team there. Hicks agreed to drop some of his asking price, but not all, and the Red Sox apparently could not make the deal happen without further concessions from the union, which weren't forthcoming given Larry Lucchino's personal attack last week on Gene Orza, the union's No. 2 official. Finally, as Hicks' self-imposed deadline approached, and after a month of negotiations, the Red Sox turned down the Rangers' offer of Rodriguez for Ramirez and left-handed pitcher Jon Lester. Rodriguez's average annual valued salary is approximately $6 million more than Ramirez's, so with the $13 million concession approved by the union, Boston ownership decided that Rodriguez was not worth an extra $4 million a year, reports Gammons. Hicks is adament that the deal is now over, dead -- but, of course, this deal has had a half-dozen deaths. However, a source close to the negotiations told ESPN that not only is Hicks dead serious, but that Rodriguez has doubts now about Boston as well. If the deal was to be revived, Henry had said, "I don't believe there are any public statements I could make that would be helpful to the process other than to say that although there have been disagreements, I believe the principals involved on all sides have had good intentions thus far." Lucchino proclaimed the trade "dead" last Thursday, blaming the players' association for not approving a steeper proposed reduction in Rodriguez's contract. Texas also blamed the union, but didn't give up on the deal. If Rodriguez went to Boston, the Red Sox presumably would then trade longtime shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, possibly to the Chicago White Sox. Rodriguez's 10-year contract has seven years and $179 million remaining. Ramirez has five years and $97.5 million left on the $160 million, eight-year contract he agreed to the same day Rodriguez signed his record deal. During negotiations last week, the players' association said Rodriguez's agreement could be restructured but not reduced. Instead, the union said it would approve a change that would lower the contract by $12 million to $13 million in exchange for Rodriguez getting the right to use Boston's logo and trademarks in marketing deals. In addition, he'd be able to become a free agent after the 2005 season. With the A-Rod situation resolved, the Rangers are moving forward to fill some immediate needs for 2004, such as a corner outfielder, utility infielder and, as always, pitching. General manager John Hart has been talking to potential players over the past few weeks, but most of those talks were contingent on what happened with Rodriguez. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. NO DEAL RESULTS IN REGRETS FOR MANY By Tim Kurkjian ESPN The Magazine Editor's note: This story originally aired on SportsCenter. Now that the biggest trade in the history of baseball has fallen through, it's going to be a big disappointment for a number of teams, a number of players, countless fans and for the game. The discontent begins with Alex Rodriguez , who essentially was the first to push the idea of this trade. He wants to win, and returning to the Rangers means at least a couple of more years of losing. His return also means that financial handcuffs remain on the Rangers, preventing them from using the money saved on A-Rod's contract -- roughly $100 million -- to go out and get what they seriously need: pitching. The regret also includes the Red Sox, who lose out on the chance to add the game's best player and one of baseball's premier outfielders, Magglio Ordonez , to a team that's already filled with stars. Manny Ramirez , who has been placed on waivers and nearly traded by the Red Sox this offseason, will have a difficult time returning to Boston. Not as difficult, however, as it will be for star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, whose job was given to someone else without his knowledge. Plus, he didn't exactly receive compassion and support from certain teammates when it appeared he might be traded. The White Sox are unhappy, also. They are cutting payroll, and this was their chance to move Ordonez's $14 million salary in 2004 in exchange for Garciaparra, who, then could be moved to the Dodgers for pitching help, including Odalis Perez and Guillermo Mota .The Dodgers, more than perhaps any team, desperately need a hitter. Now that the trade is off, they won't get Garciaparra, which continues their offensive woes. Commissioner Bud Selig has to be sad, too, now that the trade is nixed. Having the Red Sox in the playoffs brings big TV ratings -- they would have been even higher if A-Rod had joined the Red Sox rather than being lost in Texas. And the Players Association likely is disappointed because of the disappointment shared by so many of its star players. Still, rules are rules, and Gene Orza of the Players Association won't bend rules to approve the deal. It is a trade that would have benefited so many if it had happened, and now depresses so many that it didn't. Tim Kurkjian is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a regular contributor to Baseball Tonight. COMEPETING INTERESTS DERAILING DEAL By Peter Gammons Special to ESPN.com Dec. 21 The book will be titled, "The Seduction," and as this was written, the ending had not been determined. The seduction of the Red Sox by Alex Rodriguez, aided and abetted by Tom Hicks, became a tapestry of the 30-something years of the labor-management cold war, monumental egos, teammate fragmentation and sports' greatest rivalry played out in New England as the biggest story of the year -- above the incredible run of a local football team that might be the best-run team in any sport. Understand, this all started with A-Rod's desire to play on a winner, and his understanding that Boston was his best (and perhaps only) alternative. It fit with Hicks' financial stability and his impending problems with the 60/40 debt-equity rule. It fit that the two biggest contracts in sports history could be played against one another, since Red Sox owner John Henry had made a private promise to Manny Ramirez that he would try to trade him. Rodriguez and Theo Epstein did reach an agreement under which A-Rod would restructure his contract by $28 million. But Gene Orza, still fighting the "30-Year War," nixed it. Then when Larry Lucchino, another cold-war warrior, blasted Orza and made a statement that separated Rodriguez from his fellow players, it blew up any immediate compromise or the hope that someone rational like Michael Weiner and Rob Manfred could be brought into the equation. It should be said that for one man, Orza, to anoint himself with the god-like authority to establish arbitrary valuations of benefits agreed upon by a player and general manager reeks of the height of arrogance. But when Lucchino played his Khrushchev routine there was no chance at an immediate compromise. Complicating things was Hicks' hopeless leaking of information in Texas, which clearly disgusted Henry, who does his business where it should be done -- in private. Not to mention the still-unexplained notion that Hicks should get paid to save $95 million (present-day value) when everyone from Tucson to Tucumcari knows John Hart and Buck Showalter want to make the deal and move on to Rich Aurilia and Sidney Ponson. While so much has been fixated on Rodriguez's rights, his attempt to make this trade work has essentially pushed Nomar Garciaparra out the door to a place, if the deal happens, that Nomar isn't exactly thrilled about. The South Side of Chicago isn't exactly like the Cape Cod community where he and Mia Hamm have purchased a house. If it falls through, forget Nomar signing long-term because when the Red Sox made a four-year, $48 million offer (with a demand that Garciaparra make at least eight appearances for the club) a month ago, Lucchino told agent Arn Tellem that they went from $60 million to $48 million in seven months because of a market correction that would be defined by Miguel Tejada,whose market value was set by Lucchino at $9 million. That means Garciaparra is worth 33 percent more than Tejada, which now that Tejada is getting $12 million a year from the Orioles, sets Garciaparra's worth at $16 million. Oops. Then there are the hard feelings in the locker room. Kevin Millar told that the deal was essentially done, went on ESPN and said he'd rather have A-Rod than Nomar playing shortstop. Garciaparra was not pleased. "I felt like an idiot, I shouldn't have said anything but, 'no comment,' " Millar said. "To say one would take A-Rod is like saying I'd take Mark McGwire -- almost anyone -- ahead of me. Look, I never was being critical of Nomar's game. He's a Hall of Fame player and I love his game. I just bleeped up." They talked it out. But ... Hey, A-Rod wouldn't exactly be going back to a bunch of jolly fellows with open arms. Rodriguez clearly tried to get out. That led to talks with Todd Walker until Michael Young, arguably the league's best defensive second baseman, said he didn't want to play short, which started the Aurilia talks. Hicks and A-Rod may be fine, but Alex and Buck, Alex and teammates? That may be a rough navigation, as great as he is, as hard as he plays. The Red Sox understandably were seduced because Rodriguez is the best player in baseball. But when Epstein then made the second deal for Magglio Ordonez , the seduction went further since New Englanders were mesmerized by the image of A-Rod, Ordonez, Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke standing at a podium. Now to just go to spring training with a team that set attendance records, with the addition of two extraordinary pitchers, with an ownership that continually demonstrates its respect for its audience, would be a letdown. At least until the games begin. As of Sunday afternoon, everything had ground to a halt. The Red Sox apparently will respond when and if Boras has something new to offer them from Hicks and the union, which despite the tireless effort Boras has put into making it happen may not be enough. Then again, perhaps the seduction will have a happy ending and A-Rod and the Red Sox will live happily ever after. Alex was sincere. So were Henry and Epstein and Boras. But when hundreds of millions of dollars, egos and 30 years of labor-management wars get involved, it's hard to maintain the romantic atmosphere when the soundtrack is "Lawyers, Guns and Money."