Now that the New York Yankees have regained the upper hand with Alex Rodriguez, they are feeling pretty confident in their dealings with the former MVP. They even told the 3B/DH to “try them” in so many words.
A-Rod met with the Yankees last week to apologize profusely for all his conflicts with them and MLB, which stemmed from his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal. During the meeting, the Yankees reportedly told him they would not pay him for the milestone bonuses in the contract and that he could even sue the team over the money.
From the New York Daily News:
Rodriguez, accompanied by his attorney, Jim Sharp, was conciliatory throughout, but did not say whether he would challenge the Yankees on the bonuses, according to the person present. The execs told A-Rod they do not consider any records he might set as milestones and will not pay them, and that he was free to challenge them, according to the source.
A-Rod is honestly lucky that his contract hasn’t been voided by now given his suspension and use of performance-enhancing drugs. He is still set to earn $61 million over the next three seasons.
As for the bonus money Rodriguez is sacrificing, that has to do with the deal he signed with the team in 2007. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, Rodriguez’s new deal called for $30 million in bonuses based on home run milestones ($6M each for reaching 660, 714, 755 and tying and breaking major league HR record). Rodriguez has 654 home runs, so he will likely reach 660 this season.
Like we said, he’s already making $21 million this season; he has very little about which he should be complaining. Unless, of course, A-Rod wants to whine about his personal life. That we might understand.
