 02/15/2004 1:00 PM ET
Trade gives Texas flexibility
Rangers get a rising star in Soriano, shed salary
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John Schlegel
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| Alex Rodriguez, superstar, goes to the Yankees for rising star, Alfonso Soriano. (AP/Getty Images)
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A full seven years early, the A-Rod Era appears over in Texas.
The Rangers finally threw up their hands and gave up trying to make the record 10-year, $252 million contract they awarded Alex Rodriguez three seasons ago work in their world.
Yet the era lives on in the Bronx, where A-Rod will join the pantheon of pinstriped stars present and past. He brings with him his amazing talent and the last seven years of that famous/infamous contract that, when you think about it, only the Yankees could ever pull off anyhow.
So with the end of one era comes the beginning of another for both the Rangers and A-Rod. The change should do both the franchise and the man some good.
For the Rangers, this amounts to much more than just jettisoning that pesky annual bill.
They're not just losing a superduperstar. They're gaining a rising star in second baseman Alfonso Soriano, whose first three-plus offensive seasons might be the most impressive in the American League since, well, Alex Rodriguez's first three years. Plus, Soriano's 2004 salary will be $5.4 million -- not chump change but a mere fraction of A-Rod's paycheck.
All things considered, this is a good transaction for the Rangers, and far better than the one that would have brought Manny Ramirez from Boston. That busted-up blockbuster was merely a swap of unwanted contracts, and wound up being a study in frustration for all involved. This one gives the Rangers a player who already has played in two All-Star Games and two World Series in his first three years in the Majors.
This trade marks a moment as crucial for the Rangers as the one that saw A-Rod sign on that quarter-billion-dollar dotted line three winters ago. Upon discovering the first turning point had them going in the wrong direction, the club created another one with this whopper of a deal.
Although the Rangers are still paying out a substantial amount of money to move the contract, GM John Hart said it all: "It's about flexibility." As in, being able to commit those millions of owner Tom Hicks' dollars to a number of players, not just the one.
The next step for the Rangers, of course, is clear to any baseball fan.
All together now: They've got to get some pitching.
Maybe not right this moment, considering February's shopping shelves are all but barren. There's one gem left in Greg Maddux, but that's probably not a fit right now for either side, since Maddux wants to play on a contender and even he can't turn the Rangers into one this year or next.
Over the next 12 months or so, however, the Rangers should be primed to make some strides in healing their sore spot on the mound. Whether they come via trades or free agency, pitching moves in the right direction are a must if this A-Rod reversal is to have much of a positive effect on the franchise for the future.
Alex Rodriguez
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To be fair, the A-Rod Era in Texas wasn't all bad, even if the bottom line of winning and losing was unquestionably dreadful. Rodriguez further established himself as an all-time great player, moving past 300 homers and earning Most Valuable Player honors despite the Rangers' cellar-dwelling ways in 2003.
Along the way, Rangers fans had the opportunity to watch the best all-around player in the Majors for three years. But they also had to watch a lot of losing ballgames and the development of a big, brown path worn into the grass between the home dugout and the mound at The Ballpark in Arlington.
No, getting Soriano in this deal doesn't help in that area, obviously. But in addition to payroll breathing room, the Rangers now have the foundation of their offense set for years to come with a much younger, less expensive crew. The trio of Soriano, third baseman Hank Blalock and first baseman Mark Teixeira gives the Rangers arguably the best threesome of hitters in their mid-20s in the Majors.
Maybe it's a stretch to say Soriano's first three years match up with A-Rod's in every way, but at least they're in the same zip code. Remember, Soriano came up one homer shy of 40 homers and 40 steals in 2002, and he wasn't far off last year. He slumped badly in October, but it's hard to believe that much talent all of a sudden evaporated and he won't be able to make an adjustment. Soriano very well could be a superstar for the next decade, a more likely scenario than him becoming a washout.
This is an end and a beginning at the same time, and the Rangers deserve some credit for admitting that even the best player in the game couldn't cure everything that ails them.
Now it's up to Hart and Co. to use this latest watershed event in franchise history to create a true turning point toward better days in Texas.
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Sample on A-Rod: 
Alfonso Soriano
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