Rangers Say A-Rod Available

My response to this “exclusive” from the NY Times is “no shit.” A player making $25 million a year until the cows come home under contract to a last-place team? They would be insane if they weren’t trying to get rid of him. But as the Red Sox found when they waived Manny Ramirez, no one wants to be locked into a multi-year, multi-insane contract in the current economic environment.

Two general managers said the Rangers had told clubs they would listen to offers for Rodriguez, who has seven years and $179 million left on his $252 million deal. While the Rangers say they do not want to trade Rodriguez, a 28-year-old shortstop considered the best player in the game, they apparently believe they will be better served using the $25 million Rodriguez earns each season to add several lesser players.

“It would be less than honest for me to say we’re not listening,” Manager Buck Showalter said. “If people call you about a player, even if it’s a player you love the way we love Alex, you have to at least listen.”

How the Rangers would persuade another team to assume Rodriguez’s record contract could get complicated. Newsday reported on Tuesday that the Rangers could send Rodriguez to the Boston Red Sox, who would trade shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to Anaheim before the Angels dealt David Eckstein and some pitchers to the Rangers to complete the massive deal.