The Texas Rangers sent shock waves through baseball Monday by signing Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez to the largest contract in the history of sports: $252 million over 10 years. The deal threw another cloud over a sport already bracing for the possibility of a players strike at the end of the 2001 season.
The $252-million commitment to Rodriguez was more than the $250 million that Ranger owner Tom Hicks paid for the franchise he bought from a group that included George W. Bush in 1998. It was also more than double that of the previous richest sports contract: Kevin Garnett's six-year, $126-million deal with the National Basketball Assn.'s Minnesota Timberwolves.
Late Monday, in still another mega-deal, the Boston Red Sox put outfielder Manny Ramirez into second place in the money derby with an eight-year, $160-million contract.
The Rodriguez deal is more than the individual value of 18 of baseball's 30 franchises, including the Chicago Cubs, which Forbes magazine pegs at $242 million, and $72 million more than the combined value of the Minnesota Twins ($91 million) and Montreal Expos ($89 million).
Rodriguez commanded the enormous contract because he is one of baseball's best all-around players, a gifted 25-year-old who is a superb defensive shortstop and an accomplished slugger. He is also somewhat of special case.
Most stars have access to free agency in their late 20s or early 30s, but Rodriguez is eligible now because he has already been in the big leagues for six years. He is expected to be a force for another eight to 10 years.
While huge contracts have for years been derided by the baseball establishment, this deal prompted especially apocalyptic reactions.
Complaints fell into three main areas: first, that it puts one player in a grossly excessive salary category; second, that it undermines the contentions of some owners that player wages are too high; and third, that it will exacerbate the disparity between rich teams and the so-called "small market" teams, thus leading to a competitive imbalance among teams.
The big-market, big-budget New York Yankees, for instance, have won four of the last five World Series, and only a handful of teams could afford to bid for Rodriguez.
"The message [of the Rodriguez contract] is that there are some crazies out there," said Bill Stoneman, general manager of the Anaheim Angels. "The health of the game is changing, and not in a positive direction.
