A deal "has been struck" in which Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez and the team have agreed that in lieu of the $6M bonus being paid to Rodriguez for reaching another home run milestone -- No. 660, $3.5M in contributions "will be made by the Yankees to several charities: the Special Operations Warrior Foundation; the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa, Fla., Pitch In for Baseball; and the MLB Urban Youth Foundation," according to Schreiber & Berkman of the N.Y. TIMES. Rodriguez said, "I just thought it was important to do the right thing." Not addressed in the agreement is "what might happen if the 39-year-old Rodriguez can somehow make it to the next milestone: Babe Ruth’s 714 homers" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/4).
FINDING A MIDDLE ROAD: In N.Y., Clayton, Madden & Thompson noted there were "no bonuses attached" to Rodriguez’ 3,000th hit, but that milestone was the impetus for the two parties to "finally settle their dispute" over the home-run bonus. After Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner "directed his front office officials to find a way to return the ball to Rodriguez," negotiations to settle the dispute over the home run bonus money "quickly followed." Steinbrenner said, "I wanted his kids to have that ball, so they would always have a special memory about that night." MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "will determine the initiatives to be supported" by the $2.5M contribution the MLB Urban Youth Foundation receives "in consultation with Rodriguez." The Yankees will also "avoid a luxury tax hit" of roughly $3M had they paid Rodriguez the $6M bonus. The agreement was the "result of negotiations" among team President Randy Levine, COO Lonn Trost, Senior VP & Assistant GM Jean Afterman, the MLBPA, Manfred and MLB Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/4).
WHO'S THE BOSS? : In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote the agreement shows Steinbrenner and Levine "were bigger, and not in an artificial and inflated and even dishonest way." In so many ways, this "was as fine a moment as Hal Steinbrenner has had in his father’s old job as the big boss" of the Yankees. This was about the Yankees "taking the high road here." Steinbrenner gave Rodriguez "a much better ending than he deserves" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/4).
