The news that Stephon Marbury is heading back to the Knicks may be only the second-biggest reconciliation in New York sports this week. There are reports that Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees are talking again and discussing what it would take to bring Rodriguez back to the Yankees.
Apparently stung by the reaction to the timing of his opt-out, A-Rod has approached the Yankees and at least discussed the possibility of a new deal. The Yankees have insisted that Boras not be part of the negotiations with a source within the organization stating, “he cannot be in the room.” If he did return, A-Rod may have to give back the money the Yankees lost when he opted out, going against Scott Boras' advice like he did in 1996.
Before you go and retrieve your #13 jersey from the trash, keep in mind a couple of things. First, the Yankees can’t negotiate with A-Rod without Boras being present unless A-Rod fires Boras. And, free agents have had only 40 hours to receive monetary offers from other clubs, could A-Rod be giving up in his quest to receive $350 million so soon? The whole thing smells like an attempt to inflate A-Rod’s value on the market. Boras is known as a master manipulator and A-Rod is clearly not above cheap tricks, so believe any of this at your own risk, though it does appear that some form of meeting took place this afternoon.
Update: Alex has released a statement on his website which confirms the meeting and states that there will be further conversations between him and the Yankees.
Photo of Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez in 2003, when Rodriguez was still a member of the Texas Rangers by AP/Kathy Willens
