Torre on A-Rod: Don't dwell on opt-out clause

Yankees star has enough to deal with this season, manager says

Mike Carlson / AP

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in baseball, has had a rocky time of it in New York.

updated 7:54 p.m. ET March 14, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. - Yankees manager Joe Torre hasn’t spoken with Alex Rodriguez about the opt-out clause in the New York third baseman’s contract.

Rodriguez, a two-time AL MVP, is entering the seventh season of his $252 million, 10-year contract, a deal he signed with the Texas Rangers. He can opt out of the agreement after the season and become a free agent.

“I hope he doesn’t add that to everything he has to deal with at this point in time. It’s tough enough playing this game without looking for the finish line to soon,” Torre said before Wednesday night’s game against Minnesota.

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“Whatever the result is at the end, you have to make a decision. I’m sure he’s going to be asked on a daily basis about what’s going to happen at the end. I know it’s not going to be easy for him to say I’m not thinking about it.”

Rodriguez told reporters Tuesday night that he wanted “100 percent stay in New York. Period.” In an interview earlier Tuesday on WFAN radio’s Mike and the Mad Dog program, Rodriguez indicated the fans reaction this season could be a determining factor.

“The fans are a pretty good indication on a daily basis on how they feel about you,” Torre said. “But again, they’re here to enjoy themselves. They’re not here to necessarily make you feel good about yourself. They’re going to give you an instant reaction to how you’re doing.”

Torre believes many of the questions involving A-Rod would subside if he joined the likes of former Denver quarterback John Elway, who won a Super Bowl late in his Hall of Fame career.
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“I think a big portion of all the questions that are being asked would go away,” Torre said. “Elway, to me, was a perfect example of a Hall of Famer that always had a but attached to his name.”

Notes: The Yankees reassigned top pitching prospect, RHP Phil Hughes, to their minor league camp. “You can only benefit from this experience,” Hughes said. “I got a lot of good things out of it.” He is slated to start the season at Triple-A Scranton. ... Torre said RF Bobby Abreu (strained right oblique) could take BP in the cage this weekend. ... Pitching coach Ron Guidry said RHP Chien Ming-Wang, who experienced minor tightness in right forearm-wrist during his last outing, is scheduled to make his next start Friday. ... C Wil Nieves (right biceps) resumed throwing and might swing a bat Thursday. ... RHP Humberto Sanchez (right elbow inflammation) was fine after throwing 20 pitches off a half-mound.

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