Bob Nightengale, Rising star at rising price Texas signs Rodriguez to baseball's richest contract ever. , Baseball Weekly, 12-13-2000, pp 05.

DALLAS -- The Texas Rangers didn't give him his own suite at
the ballpark. There was no plane. No private public relations
staff. Certainly no memorabilia tent.


Nope, all Alex Rodriguez got instead was cold, hard cash.


Lots of cash.


Rodriguez became the highest-paid athlete in team sports history
on Monday when the Rangers signed him to a 10-year contract that
guarantees at least $252 million.


Just how staggering is the deal?


It was nearly $100 million more than the offer free-agent outfielder
Manny Ramirez received from the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
Ramirez is set to sign an eight-year, $160 million contract that
includes two option years that would push the package to $200
million over 10 years.


A-Rod's deal actually is $2 million more than the $250 million
that Rangers owner Tom Hicks paid for the franchise three years
ago, and more than what 17 franchises are estimated to be worth
by Forbes magazine.


In other words, it would have been cheaper for Hicks just to
give the Rangers franchise to his new shortstop than pay him.


''It's an awful lot of money,'' Hicks says, ''but obviously we
think he's worth it or we wouldn't have paid it. He's the only
player in baseball that deserves this type of contract, in our
opinion.


''We hope now he can help us fulfill our dream of winning a World
Series.''


The Rangers, who had been only third on the totem pole of importance
in the Dallas sports world behind the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and
recently the Dallas Stars of the NHL, now might be the kings
of the Lone Star State.


Certainly, they have forever changed the franchise's image, and
perhaps the expectations that go with it.


This is a team that has won one playoff game in franchise history
and went 71-91 this past season. It might have won three of the
last five AL West titles, but all it has meant is a longer distraction
for the folks serious about their football.


Things could be changing in a hurry.


''I think we're the team to beat now, definitely,'' All-Star
first baseman Rafael Palmeiro says of the AL West. ''You look
at this lineup, and there are no holes. None. Who's got a better
lineup?


''What can you say, man? We've gotten so much better. I know
good pitching beats good hitting, but we've got great hitting.


''The power of the league has shifted to the West.''


Well, it's a little early for the Rangers to be printing any
World Series tickets. They might not be more than a slight favorite
to win the AL West. If you take a good look at their starting
rotation, you might wonder how they'll finish higher than third.


Sorry, but a starting rotation of Rick Helling, Kenny Rogers,
Darren Oliver, Doug Davis and Ryan Glynn hardly is intimidating.
They went a combined 43-48 last season, including just two victories
in 21 starts by Oliver.


If that's not sobering enough, they plan to open the season with
Tim Crabtree as their closer. He had two saves in 2000 to go
along with his 2-7 record and 5.15 ERA.


''This is a great start getting A-Rod,'' Rogers says. ''It's
going to be a tremendous help to our offense. Our infield defense
will be tremendously improved. And our team will be better.


''But we can't ask A-Rod to carry this team on his back. We need
more pitching. And hopefully, with the kind of offense we have,
we can attract even more pitching here.''


The Rangers have nearly four more months before Opening Day.
They have plenty of time. It would be like driving a new Rolls
Royce out of the lot and worrying about the price of gas.


''I'm too excited to worry about that stuff now,'' Rangers manager
Johnny Oates says. ''I just know where we were two or three months
ago, and I'm very excited about this ballclub.


''Christmas came early to Texas.''


Then again, every day will be a holiday for Rodriguez for the
rest of his life. He's just 25 years old. He's single. He's got
the looks of a fashion model. He's got the charisma of royalty.


And he's filthy rich.


''Superstars always get true value,'' says Scott Boras, the agent
who negotiated the historic deal.


Rodriguez, who has a clause in his contract that permits him
to become a free agent again after the 2007, 2008 or 2009 seasons,
will be paid a minimum of $23 million a season.


If he decides to stay with the Rangers after his seventh season,
the team must give him a $5 million pay hike to $32 million in
the final two years of his contract, or pay him $1 million more
than the highest-paid non-pitcher in the game.


Then again, it's hard to imagine anyone will be higher paid than
Rodriguez, isn't it?


''Well, maybe the little guy in Boston,'' says Boras, laughingly
referring to Pedro Martinez. ''You never know.''


Rodriguez, according to terms of the contract, will have $36
million deferred during the contract, and that will be paid at
3% interest. His contract, which includes a $10 million signing
bonus, breaks down as follows:


2001: $21 million.


2002: $21 million.


2003: $21 million


2004: $21 million.


2005: $25 million.


2006: $25 million.


2007: $27 million.


2008: $27 million.


2009: $32 million or at least $1 million more than the highest-paid
position player in the game.


2010: $32 million or at least $1 million more than the highest-paid
position player in the game.


Gulp.


Little wonder why the baseball world was gasping for breath at
the news of the deal, predicting doomsday and wondering if this
will be the contract that brings the game to its knees.


''I was stupefied,'' says Sandy Alderson of the commissioner's
office, ''and I don't even know what that word means.''


The greatest worry, Alderson says, is that Rodriguez's contract
could have the same impact in baseball as Kevin Garnett's six-year,
$121 million deal had on the NBA. The next thing you knew, the
league was shut down, and Garnett's contract was to blame.


It doesn't matter that Rodriguez might be the greatest player
to hit the free-agent market. Or that he could be the game's
finest spokesman. It was just too much money, Alderson says.


''This contract will affect every ballclub. It affects the teams,
the players, the fans, everyone.


''Its just incredible. In two days, we doubled baseball's most
lucrative contract.''


One of Rodriguez's new teammates didn't feel much sympathy for
baseball's owners.


''If the money wasn't there, it wouldn't be offered,'' Palmeiro
says.


Still, it didn't matter. The Rangers were ridiculed throughout
the industry, and Boras once again was painted as the villain.
It might have been celebrated that Rodriguez went to a mid-sized
market club, rather than the Yankees, Mets or Dodgers. But instead,
the Rangers took the Dodgers' place as Public Enemy No. 1.


''I know there are some people who will say, 'Stop whining.'
But clearly we are in a crisis situation,'' Alderson says. ''It
is time for us to deal with it.''


That time might come next Oct. 31, when the current labor agreement
expires, perhaps leading to baseball's ninth work stoppage since
1972.


''It scares me that the contract is up next year,'' Phillies
manager Larry Bowa says. ''I pray there isn't another work stoppage,
because if there is, baseball is in trouble.''


Says Mets general manager Steve Phillips, who dropped out of
the bidding in November when he accused Boras and Rodriguez of
asking for off-the-field perks: ''I didn't think we'd ever see
those kinds of numbers for a baseball player. Really, it's unbelievable.''


Then again, didn't baseball say the same when Nolan Ryan cracked
the $1 million barrier? Or when Jose Canseco pulled down an annual
salary of nearly $5 million? Or when Kevin Brown pushed the ceiling
to $15 million a year?


''I'm the whipping boy that will cause the game to destruct,''
Boras says. ''It happened with (clients) Kevin Brown and Bernie
Williams. We work our whole life to create these kind of stars,
and the very person who brings this up, made bad decisions himself.''


Indeed, it was Alderson while he was general manager of the Oakland
A's who signed Canseco and Rickey Henderson to record-setting
contracts.


Alderson acknowledges they were mistakes. He is equally convinced
that Rodriguez's signing is a grave mistake.


''For every Texas, there are four or five teams that had to trade
their starting second baseman or had to watch their No. 2 starter
sign a $40 million contract with another team,'' Alderson says.
''I suggest you ask a player on one of those teams if the game
is healthy.


''I'm open to persuasion that it's good for the game. But someone
would have to spend more time than I can imagine to convince
me of that case.''


New York Yankees president Randy Levine says, ''It seems the
height of hypocrisy for the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies (who
got Mike Hampton) and now the Boston Red Sox (Ramirez) -- three
members of the so-called Blue Ribbon Commission on Economics,
who have been whining about 'out-of-control payrolls' and who
seek to limit their own revenue-sharing exposure -- to complain
about anything again.''


Hicks and GM Doug Melvin hardly were apologetic. They talked
about paring their payroll of a year ago to put themselves in
position to acquire Rodriguez. They also will turn a profit in
2001. So why should they apologize for wanting to be able to
compete with the Yankees?


''We submitted a budget to Major League Baseball, and this transaction
was within our budget,'' Hicks says. ''I like to win. I like
to build things, whether it's a corporate acquisition or winning
the World Series. The Texas Rangers will be a profitable team
next year.''


Oates says: ''I certainly understand the need for competitiveness.
But it's free enterprise and a free market. Evidently, the money
is there, or (Rodriguez) wouldn't get it.


''We haven't been able to sign pitchers, but we've been able
to sign offensive players. That's all we can do.''


Perhaps most troubling to baseball, however, is that it appears
that the Rangers were bidding against themselves. The Seattle
Mariners, who were expected to at least match, if not exceed,
any offer, came in with a bid of only five years and $85 million.
The Atlanta Braves offered $180 million but refused to include
a no-trade clause and were eliminated. The Rockies dropped out
after signing Hampton. The Dodgers and White Sox were never in
it.


Yet, it didn't stop the Rangers from increasing their bid until
reaching an agreement in the wee hours of Monday morning. It
was then that Boras officially severed ties with the Mariners.


''The Mariners have done everything possible to keep Alex in
Seattle,'' Mariners GM Pat Gillick says. ''Last year, at his
suggestion, we helped put him in a position of leadership in
our clubhouse and with our team. We are disappointed that he
could not remain a leader for us, but of course, we wish Alex
well.''


The strangest part of the Mariners' efforts, however, is that
they appeared to give up at the end. They were the only team
to offer less than a seven-year contract, Boras says. The Mariners
actually offered a much stronger deal last winter when they tried
to keep Rodriguez with a seven-year contract for about $130 million.


''They never made (a serious offer),'' Boras says. ''They said
they didn't want to change their philosophy, but they offered
a seven-year contract last winter.


''So their philosophy changed. Maybe they thought he had a bad
year.''


The Mariners say that the offer wasn't designed to be an insult,
but a way to provide Rodriguez a short-term contract. Still,
it was apparent something happened along the way, leaving Texas
as Rodriguez's only dance partner.


''Alex was very interested in Seattle, and we did everything
we could with Seattle,'' Boras says, ''but they didn't have the
intention to sign him, not with that offer.''


The Mariners did not publicly reveal why they made such a low
offer. Instead, they quietly parted company, insisting they still
were glad they kept Rodriguez during the 2000 season instead
of trading him.


''We have no regrets about what we did last season,'' Gillick
says. ''We said we were going to keep Alex and try to win. We
were only two games from the World Series. You can't regret that.


''But we just couldn't go there (to match the Rangers' offer).
Everybody has to run their own shops. Other clubs do what they
need to do.''


The toughest part, Boras says, was the end of Rodriguez's relationship
with Mariners manager Lou Piniella. They hugged each other in
an emotional embrace last week when they knew it could be the
final time together on the same team.


''It's a huge loss,'' Piniella says. ''I've seen him grow up
from a pup to a dominant force in the game.''


It was the same type of emotional parting for Ramirez, who said
goodbye to the Indians when he agreed to join the Red Sox. Ramirez
has been with the Indians his entire career and said that his
first preference was to re-sign with Cleveland.


The Indians were willing to come close to paying Ramirez $20
million a year, but the Red Sox's overall package was more attractive.


''It was wild and crazy,'' agent Jeff Moorad says. ''It was a
dead heat.


''A couple of hours ago (on Monday night) he was going to Cleveland.
In the end the dollars were comparable. In total dollars, the
Indians actually offered more than Boston, but the cash flow
and economic punch was the compelling reason for Manny's decision.


''It was a grueling day of decisions and without a doubt, Manny's
loyalty to Cleveland was tested to the max. But in the end, he
made a decision based on economics, as well as the challenge
of playing for a new team. He hopes it will be for the balance
of his career.''


Ramirez will make $13 million in 2001, along with a $16 million
signing bonus spread over the length of the contract. He gets
$15.5 million in 2002, then between $18 million and $20.5 million
a year over the rest of the contract.


It was the second time in four years that the Indians lost a
marquee free agent. They failed to re-sign power-hitting free-agent
outfielder Albert Belle after the 1996 season, losing him to
the Chicago White Sox.


It left the Indians sharing their misery with the Mariners, knowing
that although they still have a strong team, they suffered damaging
losses. They simply didn't have the money to keep their own stars.


''We've been saying this for a long period of time,'' Gillick
says. ''You can't really fault the players. If someone is willing
to pay, the players shouldn't be bashful. Nobody is holding a
gun to any of our heads.''


The only real difference this time is that it was the Rangers,
of all teams, that won the grand prize of the free-agent market.
The Rangers' previous most prominent free-agent signing was Nolan
Ryan -- in 1988. Now, they have an All-Star shortstop who seems
headed Cooperstown and likely hasn't even reached his peak yet.


''In my six years here, we've had some good signings, but I don't
think that they created as much excitement as this,'' Oates says.
''He's the whole package. He's so advanced as far as leadership
goes. That's part of the reason why Mr. Hicks wanted him so badly.


''But I actually did lose sleep the other night thinking about
the possibility of messing up I-Rod (All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez)
and A-Rod and having them in the wrong order.''


Who ever would have thought it?


Rodriguez never really considered Texas when he contemplated
his future. He thought he'd end up in New York. Maybe Los Angeles.
Hopefully Atlanta. Possibly Chicago.


Instead, Hicks and the Rangers swept him off his feet. He arrived
in town two weeks ago for what appeared to be just a courtesy
visit. It turned into a love fest.


''He thought Texas was boots and belt buckles,'' Boras says,
''and he found out that Dallas was a very sophisticated city.
When he got here, the whole staff did an excellent job of introducing
him to an area he didn't know. Tom Hicks took him out personally
and showed him the city. He even picked up his luggage.


''And the staff did a remarkable job of showing off their minor
league system. When Alex left here, he had a whole new vision
of what the Texas Rangers were.''


So does the rest of America these days.


The Rangers are on the baseball map, perhaps to stay.


They made sure of that, showing that money was no object, in
signing first baseman Andres Galarraga ($6.25 million), third
baseman Ken Caminiti ($3.25 million) and right-hander Mark Petkovsek
($4.9 million) at the winter meetings.


The scary part is that they say they're not done.


''It's unbelievable what this could do for us,'' Kenny Rogers
says. ''I think we could get a lot of players now. But I'll be
honest. I really didn't think he'd come here. I thought when
he came here, it was just for show. I thought it was just a stop
on the way to the Mets.


''I think he saw things differently here. He saw how many players
live here in the offseason. He found out what kind of organization
it is.''


Winning, of course, has a funny way of making everything all
right. The way the Rangers figure it, they could be winning for
an awful long time.


''I've been in this game for 33 years,'' Oates says, ''and when
you meet this young man and talk to him for five minutes, you
realize how special he is. He was that way from the moment I
met him.''


Oates actually met Rodriguez when he was a senior in high school.
Rodriguez showed up one day to watch Cal Ripken in spring training
and initiated a conversation with Oates, then the Orioles manager.


''He said, 'Mr. Oates, do you think I should go to college or
play professional baseball?' '' Oates recalls. ''And I said,
'Alex, that's up to you. But you've got so much talent that someday,
you could buy your own college.' ''


Neither man realized that one day he would be wealthy enough
to buy a heck of a lot more than that.



The richest deals


Baseball contracts worth $80 million or more. Figures were obtained
by the Associated Press from player and management sources and
include all guaranteed income but not income from potential incentive
bonuses. There is no distinction for money deferred without interest:


Player, club 		Years 	  Total package
Alex Rodriguez, Tex. 	2001-10   $252,000,000
Manny Ramirez, Cle.	2001-08   $160,000,000
Mike Hampton, Col.	2001-08   $121,000,000
Ken Griffey Jr., Cin. 	2000-08   $116,500,000
Kevin Brown, L.A. 	1999-05   $105,000,000
Mike Piazza, N.Y.-N 	1999-05   $91,000,000
Chipper Jones, Atl. 	2001-06   $90,000,000
Mike Mussina, N.Y.-A 	2001-06   $88,500,000
Bernie Williams, N.Y.-A 1999-05   $87,500,000
Shawn Green, L.A. 	2000-05   $84,000,000
Mo Vaughn, Ana. 	1999-04   $80,000,000