ARod, Nomar, 3 Team Deal?
 

On the front page of ESPN they have a hyperlink to a rumor discussing a 3 team trade including Nomar and Arod, unfortunatly it's an ESPNInsider article and I aint paying for rumors, but this is the first i've heard of this rumor, anyone from either of those cities heard anything about this?

Rotoworld. Free, with a link to the exact source:


Rangers Shopping A-Rod; Red Sox Interested

By Ken Davidoff
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

November 11, 2003


Phoenix - It was a strong free-agent crop that opened yesterday, with a flurry of attractive names hitting the market. There are starting pitchers (Bartolo Colon, Kevin Millwood), shortstops (Miguel Tejada, possibly Kazuo Matsui) and rightfielders (Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Sheffield). General managers had so many options to contemplate at their meetings at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa.

Yet the best player available is anything but free, and he could be the sparkplug for massive change in as many as three organizations.

The Rangers are determined to unload shortstop Alex Rodriguez, according to a National League source, and baseball's highest-paid player seems quite amenable to going elsewhere. Recently, Texas has discussed a potentially enormous three-way trade with the Red Sox and Angels.

In these discussions, the Rangers would send Rodriguez to the Red Sox, Boston would ship superstar shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to Anaheim and the Angels would send shortstop David Eckstein and a few pitchers to Texas.

The Rangers would get the raw end of the deal in terms of talent, but they would free themselves of the infamous 10-year, $252-million deal Rodriguez signed three years ago. He has seven years and $189 million left on the contract - he can opt out after 2007 - so the Rangers would have to ship money to the team that takes him.

Rodriguez has a complete no-trade clause, so the 28-year-old will have complete say over his destination. A source close to Rodriguez said the idea of playing in Boston, where ownership is willing to spend to win and where the fan base is passionate, intrigues him. He also would face his former best friend Derek Jeter and the Yankees 19 times a year.

Other teams that could take Rodriguez's contract include the Angels, Orioles and Dodgers. The Angels, under new owner Arturo Moreno, are intent on making an impact. If they can't get Rodriguez or Garciaparra, they could sign Tejada or the Japanese star Matsui. The Dodgers are changing owners, and once real-estate tycoon Frank McCourt takes over, they also seem inclined to make high-profile changes. Orioles owner Peter Angelos would probably have minimal reservations about investing so much in such a guaranteed performer.

The Mets and Yankees would be candidates for Rodriguez only because they could afford him. But the Mets have the promising, young Jose Reyes at shortstop, and they're looking to trim their payroll to the $90-million range, which would be impossible if they took on A-Rod's salary.

George Steinbrenner was infuriated this past summer when the Red Sox acquired relievers Scott Sauerbeck and Scott Williamson, so The Boss' temper would reach new heights if Boston could get Rodriguez. Yet with Jeter at shortstop, they'd have to ask him or A-Rod to move to third or second base. It's hard to fathom that either would agree to do so, especially since Jeter doesn't like Rodriguez anymore.

The $252-million deal between Rodriguez and the Rangers, so heavily criticized by Major League Baseball officials upon its announcement in December 2000, has fizzled because Texas finished last in all three seasons with Rodriguez. They have been unable to put together a decent pitching staff to support a lineup featuring potential Hall of Famers Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez.

Texas owner Tom Hicks, having lost much money on the Dallas Stars of the NHL, has decreed he won't spend significant money on the Rangers this offseason. That has further motivated Rodriguez to carry his talent and huge contract out of the Lone Star State.

"He also would face his former best friend Derek Jeter and the Yankees 19 times a year."

Is this just a poorly worded sentence, or is there some sort of animosity between ARod and Jeter? I had never heard anything like this before.

This rumor has been around since the end of the Red Sox season up here.. I do not remember which sportswriter broke the story, but they had said the only reason the Red Sox would not do it is that they wanted the Rangers to take Manny in a deal as well, which the Rangers refused to do. Thus it fell apart at the time.

That was just the 2 team trade though. Now they've got the Angels involved.

It still wouldn't move enough salary, A-Rod and Manny combined would be 45 million a year through 2007. The Red Sox allegedly have 12 million or so to spend this year and adding A-Rod without moving any of Ramirez's contract would chew up all of it. They need to get some pitching and potentially a second baseman.

This deal would be possible to see (especially if Nomar wanted to go back home to California and wouldn't sign an extension), but without moving some of Ramirez's contract I doubt they'll make it. Garciaparra, Martinez, Lowe, Varitek, Nixon, Ortiz, Mueller are all FA's at the end of next season, so having 45 million dollars locked up in 2 guys is not especially viable if your going to try and bring back some of your core players.

Please, let it be true.

But the article suggests that the Rangers would move money to whichever team takes ARod, making the deal theoretically possible. I agree, though, that ultimately, Manny is the wildcard that could scuttle any deal for the Red Sox.

Interesting, I have a friend who happens to be friends with Michael Garciaparra and he has let it be known to him that Nomar wants to come back to the West Coast, I always figured the Dodgers....

wow..... at first I thought no way would this happen... but after thinking about it a little bit, it does seem very possible....

Of the new FA crop, it would be interesting to see who the Pads grab.

Nomahhh is the bomb!

Am I the only one who sees a trend in Nomar that suspisciously parallel Fred Lynn's late Red Sox career?

If the Rangers only added Eckstein and a minor salary or two in the trade, they'd have the ability to throw in some cash to the Red Sox in the deal.

I think we all knew this was going to happen when A-Rod first signed the contract.

TroyF

Not necessarily. I don't think anyone truly believed that salary levels might level off or drop. I think the idea was that locking him up at such a young age for $20-25M a year would actually be a bargain by the time he was in his early-mid 30's, if salaries kept going the way they were going. It's just like the stock market - looking back on it, it seems ridiculous that any of us sunk money into the market when the Dow was at 5,000, but at the time, everything kept pointing up.

My only thought at the time was whether he might consider exercising his 2007 option to become a free agent. But that suggests that he might be worth even more, and wanted to get out of the contract.

For what it's worth, Peter Gammons has shot this deal down.

I've always been a huge Nomar fan so I'll be following this pretty closely.

This isnt about A-Rod, it is about Tom Hicks making the stupidest FA signing in the history of baseball Chan Ho Park and having the master of destroying franchises John Hart as his GM. When Hicks wakes up from whatever planet he is on, he will realize that is where his problem is.

When A-Rod goes Arlington Stadium will look sold out compared to the Ballpark in Arlington.

If I was A-Rod I would veto every deal.

From what I've read Kazuo Matsui wants to sign with the Twins. Damn that would be awesome.

I think the latest on him is that he may be staying in Japan so that he can play in the Olympics.

I don't know if this is actually breaking news but here's the article.

Report: Rangers would listen to trade offers for A-Rod

Absolutely. I've always liked Nomar, but he is 30, near the end of his prime and declining. He has no plate discipline -- not good for aging players. Plus:

2003:
Fenway road
BA .359 .243
HR 18 10
OBP .403 .286
SLG .647 .401
OPS 1.050 .687

(excuse my bad columns) I know, this is one year and probably is a greater differential than we should expect, but another sign supporting the view Nomar will be just above average for a few years then just average -- not a guy you want to sign to a multi-year $12-15 mil/yr contract.

I hope the Dodgers don't get him and won't if the Dodgers do get Billy Beane -- one rumor. A-Rod is far, far superior to Nomar and Jeter and Tejada and is worth the big salary if anyone is.

I'm a die hard Red Sox fan, and all I can say?

BRING ON A-ROD BABY!!

I love Nomar, but he's injury prone, and on the decline.