Henry to meet with Rodriguez
In a breakthrough that could hasten a historic swap of baseball's only $20 million-a-year superstars, Red Sox principal owner John W. Henry has scheduled a high-stakes meeting this week with Alex Rodriguez and his agent, Scott Boras, about restructuring the MVP shortstop's extravagant contract to clear the way for a trade involving Manny Ramirez, industry sources said yesterday.
Henry and Rodriguez recently held at least a preliminary discussion after the Sox received permission from commissioner Bud Selig to waive a rule prohibiting teams from discussing business with players under contract, according to a highly placed baseball official. The Rangers, who are eager to move the $179 million balance of Rodriguez's record $252 million contract through 2010, also signed off on the highly unusual talks.
One source said Henry and Rodriguez met for as long as six hours, a sure sign both sides are eager to complete the blockbuster deal. However, Texas owner Tom Hicks, who also met recently in California with Sox president Larry Lucchino, described the session involving Henry and Rodriguez as little more than a courtesy meeting.
Either way, the development underscores Boston's sincerity in pursuing Rodriguez, widely considered baseball's premier player, even if it means shipping out star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra as well as Ramirez. Sources indicated either the Dodgers or Angels could be poised to trade for Garciaparra if the Sox acquire Rodriguez, with the Dodgers dangling a package that includes lefthander Odalis Perez and the Angels offering at least lefthander Jarrod Washburn.
Henry is expected to meet with Rodriguez and Boras after a brief trip to the Dominican Republic to inaugurate the team's new baseball academy Tuesday. If the talks go well, the stage could be set for the Sox to complete the deal during the winter meetings in New Orleans later in the week.
The Sox, increasingly sensitive to the impact of the reported talks on two of their marquee players, Garciaparra and Ramirez, issued a statement in which they effectively declined to comment on the developments.
"Public speculation about player transactions, while a natural part of the hot stove season, can be offensive and hurtful to our players," general manager Theo Epstein said on behalf of Henry, Lucchino, and chairman Tom Werner. "We respectfully cannot participate in the process of confirming or refuting trade rumors."
Amid indications the Sox and Rangers remain millions of dollars apart in completing the megadeal, Hicks told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the matter now rests in the hands of each team's owners. But a Sox source made clear Rodriguez is the linchpin. The only way the Sox would agree to satisfy Hicks, who expects to receive as much as $5 million a year in addition to assuming the $95 million balance of Ramirez's contract through 2008, would be for Rodriguez to help Boston realize a similar savings by revising his pact.
Rodriguez, for example, could agree to decline the three $27 million option years on his contract from 2008-10 and negotiate lower terms. Or he could adjust the deferred money in his contract ($36 million at 3 percent interest from 2011 to 2020). But he also would need to appease the players union, which adamantly opposes reducing the value of contracts.
The Sox have tread a fine line between exploring a rare opportunity to acquire Rodriguez and alienating Garciaparra as he enters the final year of his seven-year, $44.25 million contract. Garciaparra shopped for a new house in Boston before he married Mia Hamm last month and has said he wants to finish his career here.
The Sox also insist they want to sign Garciaparra to a multiyear contract extension, but the issue could be moot if Rodriguez lands in Boston. Not only would Rodriguez supplant Garciaparra at shortstop but the Sox almost certainly could not afford to carry both contracts even if Garciaparra agreed to switch positions. Garciaparra is due to earn $11.5 million next season, and the Sox could need much of that money to acquire a reasonable replacement for Ramirez in left field.
Still, shipping Garciaparra to Los Angeles or Anaheim is not necessarily a lock. Despite the prospect of acquiring Perez and spinning him elsewhere to fill other needs, the Sox are wary of how much power LA general manager Dan Evans may have to close the deal while the Dodgers undergo a change in owners. And the Sox are not sold on unburdening the Angels of Washburn, who backslid last year after a strong 2002 season, going 10-15 with a 4.43 ERA.
The Sox are not alone in hungering for Rodriguez to switch zip codes. One reason Selig may have approved such a rare negotiation between Henry and Rodriguez is Major League Baseball's preference for A-Rod, one of the sport's most magnetic personalities, to escape the obscurity of Texas and play on the big stage in Boston.
Rodriguez, 28, who appears destined to become the most productive shortstop in history, said amid his unhappiness over the failed rebuilding plan in Texas he would accept trades either to Boston or New York. And since the Yankees have no plans to move Derek Jeter, the Sox are the only match for the Rangers, who hope to invest the savings from his contract in their abysmal pitching staff.
The Sox, meanwhile, are trying to invest in Oakland's All-Star closer Keith Foulke, though he may delay his decision until the winter meetings. The Sox and A's each have offered the righthander three-year deals valued at about $20 million. The A's, who may have the last shot at the free agent, have yet to decide whether to offer a fourth year.
If the Sox lose out on Foulke and their fallback option, Eddie Guardado, stays with the Twins, they have not ruled out using Byung Hyun Kim again as their closer depending on Scott Williamson's status. Kim converted 16 of 19 save opportunities last season, an 84.2 percent success rate.
The Sox also plan to cut their ties with second baseman Todd Walker by declining to offer him salary arbitration before tonight's midnight deadline. They are expected to seek a replacement on the free agent market.
Dan Shaughnessy of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
