A-Rod Opts Out

It's official, folks. Alex Rodriguez is leaving $72 million in guaranteed salary on the table and opting out of the remaining three years of his contract with the New York Yankees. Apparently, $25 million a season isn't enough.

First of all, this isn't shocking news. Most people in the baseball community saw this one coming. A-Rod is represented by uber-agent Scott Boras and Boras has let it be known that he thinks A-Rod is underpaid at $25 million per year. Underpaid at $25 million per year. You've got to say it twice for it to even start making sense.

Second of all, $72 million in guaranteed salary, for three years, is a hell of a lot of money. The opt out begs the questions: is A-Rod smoking that good stuff? I'm not sure. I think this has more to do with Boras - he thinks he can turn that $72 million over three years into $90 million. Boras works night's as a magician, evidently pulling rabbits out of his freaking cap.

A-Rod is now officially a free agent, his services available to the highest bidder. His career with the New York Yankees seems to have come to an end. They had said they would not attempt to re-sign A-Rod if he opted out. Well, he's done just that. The Yankees, still stinging I'm sure from watching the Boston Red Sox, their arch rivals, win another World Series, are now arguably losing the best player in all of baseball.

A-Rod had one fine season in 2007. He's going to win the Most Valuable Player award next month after leading baseball in home runs and runs batted in while batting .314.

Boras announced the decision during game four of the World Series. He said A-Rod's decision was based on the fact that Joe Torre is no longer the manager in the Bronx, and that none of Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte are sure to return to New York.

But that, my friends, is just plain old bullshit. It's all about the dollars to Boras and A-Rod. Anything they say otherwise is just a lie.

Baseball should, however, teach A-Rod and his agent a lesson. All 30 Major League Baseball teams should agree not to offer A-Rod more than the money he was scheduled to make in the remaining years of his previous contract. He was owed $72 million over three years, and no team should offer him a penny over $60 million. Let it be a lesson to the greedy Rodriguez and his arrogant agent.

A-Fraud talked all season about wanting to stay in New York and play in the pinstripes and, eventually, win a World Series in New York. It was all talk. He doesn't care where he plays, or whether or not he wins a championship. All he cares about is his paycheck.

I'm off A-Rod, huge.