Few baseball people doubt that A-Rod could command the $30 million or more a year that Boras indicated will be his starting position with any clubs thought to be potential bidders — San Francisco, Anaheim, Chicago and even Boston. But there’s also no question that the Yankees, with Hicks’ still on the hook to contribute for another three years, can afford to be more generous than any of them. And given the Yankees’ track record of paying stars — see: Clemens, Roger — it’s hard to imagine them letting A-Rod leave.

Of course, that assumes Rodriguez will continue motoring along at his MVP pace and, almost as important, delivering big hits in the late innings. He’s already hit seven home runs in the ninth inning alone, two of them game-ending.

“I think it would be selfish on my part to talk about my contract status when our team desperately needs wins,” he said before the Yankees opened a four-game series against the Devil Rays. “My goal is to win as any games as we can, focus on my teammates and really play at a real high level in the second half.”

Loved as Rodriguez is at the moment, however, all it will take is a big drop in production or another subpar playoff performance, and he’ll be loathed again. And that tank top his wife wore to Yankee Stadium could become a hot-selling item in the Bronx, with the word, “too,” tacked on the end.

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