Alex Rodriguez has been in a worldwind, and not a good one. He’s been benched by New York Yankees manager Joe Giradi, which is bad enough. Now comes word that he tried to pick up a woman during Game 1 of the series against the Detroit Tigers and that he could be trade fodder for the Miami Marlins. And you thought you had a bad week.
New broke via The New York Post late Wednesday that Rodriguez, who had been removed from the game for a pinch hitter in Game 1 of the ALCS, had written a note on the ball in search of a woman’s phone number and had a ball boy deliver it to the fan. The newspaper identified the women as Kyna Treacy, an Australian bikini model, who was with her friend Kate Quinn.
“It’s true,” the team source was quoted by the newspaper. “It was witnessed in the dugout. The whole thing is true.” When asked about the Post report Tuesday, Rodriguez told ESPNNewYork.com’s Wallace Matthews, “Don’t believe any of that (expletive).”
Meanwhile, it is somewhat ironic that a joke between Yankees’ president Randy Levine and Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria evolved into the serious discussions about the slumping third baseman being traded to the Marlins.
Levine and Loria discussed the possibility of A-Rod playing in Miami, his hometown, according to ESPN, but characterized it as a joke between old friends.
According to the source, Loria said, “Alex is Mr. Miami, it would be great if he played here for us.”
To which Levine is said to have replied, “You can have him.”
A second source with knowledge of Rodriguez’ thinking said the likely only place Rodriguez eventually would accept a trade to is Miami. Rodriguez has five years and $114 million remaining on his contract, not including milestone home run bonuses. He also has veto power over any trade.
The conversation between the Yankees and Marlins initially was reported by Keith Olbermann on his MLB.com “Nerd Blog.” Variety also reported the news.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he has had no trade talks regarding Rodriguez with anyone and described the first report as “false.”
Levine refused to comment on the conversation with Loria, and when asked if he would look to shop Rodriguez in the offseason, he said, “That’s something we would need to discuss.”
Appearing Sunday on Ian O’Connor’s show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM, Levine told O’Connor the following regarding A-Rod’s future as a Yankee:
“That’s like one of those questions: Where’s the stock market going to be in 2017? Who’s going to be president on Nov. 15?” he said. “If I had a crystal ball to predict all of that stuff, I’d be a lot smarter than I am. I’m not going to go there.”
Rodriguez has been marginalized in the Yankees’ lineup this postseason. He is 3 for 23, including 0 for 18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handers, and repeatedly has been benched and pinch hit for in the playoffs. Rodriguez was benched for the third time this postseason in Game 4 of the ALCS on Wednesday night.
“For all our fan base: Let’s root for Alex, the contract is what it is, and he’s there, and we hope he gets hot,” Levine told O’Connor. “It’s part of what we deal with all the time, just like any other contract.”
