The team with which the baseball icon Alex Rodriguez hit the 696th home run of his career was New York Yankees. But in the winter of 2003, the then-shortstop had already agreed to go to the Yankees’ fiercest rival team, Boston Red Sox. Everything was in place, but at the last moment, the deal did not go through.

Soon, Rodriguez got the offer to play for the New York Yankees. Without giving it much thought, he said yes to playing as a third baseman instead of a shortstop. After all, it was the New York Yankees. Therefore, he got traded to the Pinstripes from the Texas Rangers. With this, he went on to have a great career, keeping aside the PEDs scandal and his suspension from Major League Baseball.?

The shortstop for the Rangers was very close to joining the Red Sox and even the contract was signed by all the people necessary. However, even after the contract was unsuccessful, he still kept the contract safe as a memento of what his life could have turned into.

But, A-Rod keeping the contract safe with him could easily irritate the Yankees’ arch-rival Red Sox’s fans for obvious reasons.?

Where did Alex Rodriguez keep the signed contract?

Alex once appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show, wherein he talked about multiple things, including him almost going to the Boston Red Sox.?

On the show, there was a segment called ‘Q&A with A-Rod.’ Therein, he confessed to having the possession which if or when he reveals would be enough to irk the Red Sox fans.

“Actually, very close. At home, I have a signed contract by John Henry, the owner, by Theo Epstein, the current GM at the time, and by me. I still have it at home in my safe as a collector’s item,”?said Rodriguez when Fallon asked him how close he was to joining the Red Sox.?

Later, when the deal with Red Sox fell through, he got a call from the then managing partner and owner of the New York Yankees. He asked Alex about playing as a third baseman.

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Alex replied instantly saying how he would play at any position the team asked him to for the Yankees. And the rest is history.

Why did the deal with Alex going to Red Sox not go through?

The shortstop going to the Boston Red Sox meant that he had to accept a pay cut. Therefore, Major League Baseball’s player association nixed the deal at the last point. Therefore, A-Rod could not go to the Red Sox, but he did go to its fiercest rival team, the Yankees.?

Watch this story: Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez was close to joining Boston Red Sox- Here’s what went wrong in the near-historic deal

What do you think the MLB history would have been like if A-Rod went to Red Sox?