Owner finance home in texas

Trading Alex Rodriguez not only is possible, it will happen once Rangers owner Tom Hicks figures out that his beloved $252 million showpiece is a liability rather than an asset. Hicks is losing money on the Rangers--lots of it. And he can't reduce his payroll from an estimated $103 million to a projected $70 million to $75 million next season and again pay Rodriguez more than the entire Devil Rays' roster.

Rangers home attendance declined 19 percent last season and is on pace to fall another 10 percent. More than $31 million will come off the team's payroll with the departures of potential free agents Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez and the traded Carl Everett. But as usual, the Rangers will need to buy virtually an entire new pitching staff.

It's time for Hicks to snap out of it. Rodriguez's intentions are clear, and it was no accident he chose USA Today to kick off his "Trade me" campaign. A-Rod's plant amounted to the first step in his new marketing campaign. He's as manipulative as the player he modeled himself after, Cal Ripken. He's just not as smooth or smart, as evidenced by his choice of the sorry Rangers as a free agent.

The obstacle to trading Rodriguez is the $98 million he will collect over the next four seasons, plus his player options totaling $81 million in the three seasons after that. But pitcher Mike Hampton's contract was nearly as unwieldy, and he went from the Rockies to the Braves via the Marlins last November. "If you look at the matrix of the Hampton deal, it proves anybody can be traded," says Hampton's agent, Mark Rodgers, who helped orchestrate his client's exodus from Colorado. "Everyone said it could never get done, and it did."

Hampton got out without restructuring the $84.5 million left on his contract, and Rodriguez likely would drive the same hard bargain. A-Rod's contract includes deferred payments, and he agreed to additional deferrals to facilitate the signing of--ahem--fellow Scott Boras client Chan Ho Park. In theory, Rodriguez could boost his trade value by deferring even more money or eliminating his player options. But Boras never would allow his precious $252 million masterpiece to decrease in value.

Fine. Work around it. If Hicks is smart, he'll instruct general manager John Hart to move Rodriguez this offseason. The Rangers need young pitching, but they can't be picky. In fact, they might need to attach one of their promising young hitters--say, Mark Teixeira--to make a deal more attractive. They also might need to absorb bad contracts, the way the Rockies did with Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson. Not to worry, Hicks still would come out ahead.

Start with these five clubs:

Yankees, Never mind that they just acquired third baseman Aaron Boone. Never mind that they've got Derek Jeter, a $189 million shortstop. Owner George Steinbrenner is obsessed with big names, and he will be in an even more frantic state if the Yankees fail for--egads!--the third straight year to win the World Series. The addition of Rodriguez almost certainly would infuriate Jeter, an inferior shortstop who would be forced to move to third base. Think Steinbrenner cares? Jeter would get over it. He and The Boss could make another commercial, this time dancing in a conga line from short to third.

Mets. This is the team that intended to sign Rodriguez in the first place before all the egos got in the way. The Mets can dump the rest of their bad contracts on the Rangers, send them rookie shortstop Jose Reyes and pitching prospect Scott Kazmir and build around A-Rod. True, Rodriguez wants to play for a winner. But he'd settle for the temporary satisfaction of unseating Jeter as the best shortstop in New York and ultimately would cement his legend by toppling the Yankees.

Dodgers. As sale negotiations continue, the Dodgers are operating as if the $117 million luxury-tax threshold is a hard salary cap. The best way for a new owner to make a splash would be to acquire Rodriguez, who began the week with 27 home runs, six more than any Dodger. Manager Jim Tracy surely would get over the displacement of shortstop Cesar Izturis, whose .573 on-base/slugging percentage (OPS) is second-worst among major league qualifiers.

Orioles. It's too perfect. Rodriguez would replace Ripken as the team's centerpiece, lead an emerging club back to contention and serve as a marketing weapon against a future franchise in Washington, D.C., or northern Virginia. The Orioles likely would demand Teixeira, a Baltimore native, but they're prepared to spend at least $30 million this offseason, with one bold stroke, owner Peter Angeles can regain the city's affection.

Padres. Opening a new ballpark with A-Rod at shortstop would be a bonanza. The Padres plan to increase their payroll by $15 million to $20 million this offseason, but they would prefer to avoid spending it on one player. Of course, they hadn't considered that the one player might be Rodriguez. Their package could include shortstop prospect Khalil Greene, lefthander Oliver Perez and the rest of Phil Nevin's contract, as well as some other bad money. If the Padres were will hag to trade for Ken Griffey Jr. last winter, they almost certainly would be willing to trade for A-Rod.

For the best player in the game, plenty of teams would jump.

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M@IL BONDING KEN ROSENTHAL ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

What's left of the Reds? Jay Martin, Silver Spring, Md.

Jay: New co-closer Chris Reitsma is throwing 94 to 96 mph with a nasty changeup, and Brandon Larson and Russell Branyan eventually will compete at third base. New second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez began the week with a .400 on-base percentage in the leadoff spot, and the outfield of Austin Kearns, Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. will return intact in 2004.

The Reds will need a shortstop to replace Barry Larkin--Felipe Lopez did not appear to be the answer--but most of all they need to build a rotation. Newly acquired Brandon Claussen and Aaron Harang could be in the 2004 rotation, joining Paul Wilson and Jimmy Haynes. None is a top-of-the-rotation starter.

One positive note: New manager Dave Miley is widely respected and might be another Eric Wedge. "He's solid, as flat-line as they come," one scout says of Miley, who had been the Reds' Class AAA manager since 1996. "He has a way with older players. I don't think the guy has an enemy in the game."

SPEED READS

* Commissioner Bud Selig was correct in preventing the Yankees from paying $3 million for Aaron Boone, but he was remiss in allowing the Red Sox to exceed the $1 million limit in dealing for Scott Williamson. Selig acted only after he was savaged on ESPN. He needs to stop practicing selective enforcement and show greater diligence.

* It's incredible that Alex Rodriguez wants out of Texas, but Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro refuse to leave. Palmeiro should reconsider his rejection of the Cubs. The newest member of the 500-homer club, Palmeiro would complete his career circle if he rejoined the team that traded him because he couldn't hit home runs.

* Mariners reliever Jeff Nelson apologized to the team's top two executives for ripping the front office's inability to make a trade, but don't expect him to be forgiven. Though many fans shared Nelson's sentiments, his job is to shut up and play. Nelson talked his way out a New York, and now he's talking his way out of Seattle.

INSIDE DISH BY KEN ROSENTHAL