Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez has had an interesting career. From his breakout in the early 90s with the Seattle Mariners, A-Rod made his way to some of the most lucrative contracts in the Major League. The former Texas Ranger has never been one to leave value on the table. But there were a few times in his career that he was willing to take a hit on his valuation.

Especially for a team that he desperately wanted to play for back then. One of the most memorable ones for A-Rod was the one in 2003 when A-Rod almost made his way to Boston instead of the Bronx. The curious part about this trade is not only how close it came to being completed; but also the circumstances in which it came to fruition.

A-Rod may not have the most laden trophy cabinet. His sole World Series win came in 2009 with the New York Yankees, but most will still acknowledge his impact on the game. His record-setting contracts both with the Rangers and then later again with the Yankees set standards across the Major League to be followed and made for a storied career overall.

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But the biggest question was what if it came to switching to the Yankees for his first attempt to make it to the team? A time when the Red Sox were in contention too. The parties were apparently all in agreement. The only thing that stopped the deal from coming to pass was Players Association representative Don Fehr.

A-Rod to the Red Sox?

Speaking on the ‘Trading Secrets’ podcast recently, with the host, Jason Tartick, A-Rod confided that the Red Sox transfer was nearly completed before it wasn’t. Speaking to the host, A-Rod opened up to the prospective trade.

“There were four signatures needed,” he added. The signatures of owners of the Red Sox, John Henry, and Theo Epstein, both of which had okayed the trade. That left two, MLB commissioner at the time, Bud Selig, and head of the Union, Don Fehr. While Selig had given his assent to the trade, Don Fehr had held back.

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Rodriguez was giving back close to $40 million from his contract to have the trade with the Red Sox go through; and Don Fehr did not agree. To hear Rodriguez tell it, Don Fehr didn’t want to set a bad precedent. “There’s no way that I’m gonna let any player concede $40 million dollars, because this is a union that includes 750 players. And if we let one player can make that type of concession, it sets the wrong precedent for the other 749,” he said.

Rodriguez explained that while he may not have agreed at the time, he saw the reasoning in Don Fehr’s position now. Said A-Rod, “In hindsight, I totally not only agree with his but I totally understand it.” 

The trade might have been a dangerous precedent, but how different could baseball history have been if A-Rod played for the Red Sox? Let us in the comments below!