Deadline looming in A-Rod for Manny deal

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – A day before the deadline set by Texas to complete a trade of MVP shortstop Alex Rodriguez, the Boston Red Sox stood by their statement that the proposed deal is “dead.”

Red Sox owner John Henry did not alter that position or say, in response to an e-mail from The Associated Press on Monday, that his club would contact the Rangers before the deadline.

If the deal is to be revived, Henry said, “I don’t believe there are any public statements I could make that would be helpful to the process other than to say that although there have been disagreements, I believe the principals involved on all sides have had good intentions thus far.”

Rangers owner Tom Hicks set a 5 p.m. EST Tuesday deadline for the deal, which would send outfielder Manny Ramirez to Texas in a swap of baseball’s only $20 million-a-year players. Hicks said that if there isn’t a trade by then, the Rangers would plan for A-Rod to be remain their shortstop in 2004.

Hicks didn’t respond Monday to phone messages or e-mail from the AP and general manager John Hart didn’t return telephone calls.

“I know that they’re talking, but I don’t know anything they’re talking about,” said Rodriguez’s agent, Scott Boras.

Boras thinks Tuesday’s deadline is the final one.

“Tom Hicks told me he’s setting forth his plan for 2004 beginning Wednesday,” Boras said. “He said the team needed to make moves and put their marketing plan together.”

In a story posted Monday night on the Rangers’ Web site, Hicks said he had not spoken with the Red Sox since Friday.

“It was a very quiet day on the trade front,” he said a day after issuing his deadline on the deal.

Hicks, in an e-mail to the AP on Sunday night, said the Rangers “need finality so we can proceed with our offseason plans.” He said the Tuesday deadline was a reasonable time frame.

The Rangers had initially hoped to have the situation resolved before the winter meetings ended Dec. 15. That passed without a deal, as did commissioner Bud Selig’s Thursday deadline for talks between Rodriguez and Boston.

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino proclaimed the trade “dead” Thursday, blaming the players’ association for not approving the steeper reduction. Texas also blamed the union, but wasn’t prepared to say talks were over.

If the deal goes through, the Red Sox presumably would then trade longtime shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, possibly to the Chicago White Sox.

Rodriguez’s $252 million, 10-year contract has seven years and $179 million remaining. Ramirez has five years and $97.5 million left on the $160 million, eight-year contract he agreed to the same day Rodriguez got his record deal.

During negotiations last week, the players’ association said Rodriguez’s agreement could be restructured but not reduced, and rejected Boston’s proposal, which the union said would cut $28 million to $30 million.

Instead, the union said it would approve a change that would lower the contract by $12 million to $13 million in exchange for Rodriguez getting the right to use Boston’s logo and trademarks in marketing deals. In addition, he’d be able to become a free agent after the 2005 season.