Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez left today’s game against the Orioles after coming up lame while running out a groundball double play. A-Rod left the game immediately and will be reevaluated after the game. There was already the possibility Rodriguez would miss time this week for the birth of his child.

In a comprehensive article for ESPN.com, the always insightful Jayson Stark lends us his thoughts on:

Most Intriguing Spring Stories, Most Improved Teams, Most Unimproved Teams, Checkbook Champs, Best Free Agent Signings, Worst Free Agent Signings, Best Trades, Best Free Agents $2 million and Under, Best Free Agents Signed to Minor League Contracts, Three Most Outrageous contracts, Most Important Injury Comebacks, Rookies to Watch, Most Unlikely Names on Spring Training Rosters, and Event that Most Summed Up the Baseball Offseason.

Among those categories, the Mets claimed these prizes:

• Santana-mania as the most intriguing spring story in the NL
• Most Improved Team in the NL
• 2nd Place in Checkbook Champs, as they dealt out $196.1 million in their offseason acquisitions.  Only the Yankees spent more, who $396.15 million to the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Latroy Hawkins.
• 1st Place for Best Trade (And no, it wasn’t acquiring Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.  It was for that Santana guy)
• 2nd Place in Most Outrageous Contracts, giving out 6 years to Johan Santana.  Coming in first was A-Rod’s record setting contract with the Yankees.

I really love Jayson Stark and I’m not sure the last time I saw a spring training preview and offseason summary this comprehensive.  If you need to save time, read this one lengthy article and you’re set. 

Only thing I might disagree with him on, is that I thought Pedro should’ve been under the most important injury comebacks category.  Even with Johan his comeback is crucial to the team.

Oh boy, I’m so excited.

New York magazine spoke to Alex Rodriguez at last night’s Gucci event for UNICEF and Jada Yuan spoke to him about the Mets recent acquisition of Johan Santana.

“Johan Santana. I love him. I think it was a wonderful move for the Mets. I love all this great energy that’s happening in New York, with the Giants winning the championship, with the best pitcher going to the Mets, and the Yankees keeping all their great, young, wonderful players. It’s going to be a great year.”

Yes, it is going to be a great year. I mean its been a pretty kick ass January and February already!

For Fox Sports, Dayn Perry breaks down the top player by position in baseball.  Notably, Phillies Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are 2B and SS on the team respectively.

Alex Rodriguez is the starting 3B on the team, but Perry writes:

One day this honor will belong to David Wright of the Mets, but right now there’s no disputing A-Rod’s standing as the best third baseman in the game. The reigning AL MVP was the most productive hitter in all of baseball last season, and the smart money says he’s going to remain just that for the foreseeable future. He’s still a solid defender at third, and he’s still a high-percentage thief on the bases.

I’d like to think that Wright will be there at 3B soon and Jose Reyes will be too.

Jose Canseco had been making claims of having a blockbuster story to reveal about Alex Rodriguez in his upcoming book “Vindicated”, however a potential editor does not seem to agree, ESPN reports.

Former Sports Illustrated associate editor Don Yaeger has decided to pass on the opportunity to work with Canseco.

“I’m passing,” Yaeger told the New York Daily News. “I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco [material] that he provided me. I don’t think there’s a book there. I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t think he’s got what he claims to have, certainly doesn’t have what he claims to have on A-Rod. There’s no meat on the bones.”

The New York Yankees officially announced today they have signed third baseman Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year contract. Peter Abraham has the press release on his Journal News blog.

Abraham also posts audio of A-Rod being critical of his agent Scott Boras.

Interesting they chose to announce this today. Perhaps they’re looking for a deflection from the report that numerous Yankees will be named in the Mitchell Report.

Peter Abraham writes in his blog that based on adding up contracts of the various players that the Yankees have spent money on this winter, it comes out to a total of $408.4 million, not counting the $30 million Alex Rodriguez could receive in bonus payments or any potential contract Johan Santana gets if he is traded to the team.

The Yankees have spent a ton of money this winter. A-Rod ($275 million), Rivera ($45 million), Posada ($52.4), Molina ($4 million), Abreu ($16 million) and now Pettitte ($16 million).

Alex’s deal is reportedly front-loaded at $32 million for the first three years. At the moment, I have their 2008 payroll at $200.6 million.

That assume Cano and Wang would receive $4 million each. That $200.6 million figure accounts for only 16 players.

If they retain Vizcaino for $3 million and sign the other eight players for around the minimum, the Yankees are looking at a $207 million payroll.

As expected, Alex Rodriguez was awarded the American League MVP award this afternoon.

Magglio Ordonez received two first place votes and the only two that didn’t go to A-Rod were cast by the two Detroit voters.

Rodriguez had more homers than Ordonez, but Ordonez had more doubles and had a .363 batting average.

True Yankee Blog calls out these writers, saying they should have their voting privledges removed.

Kenny Rogers told major league teams today that he is dropping Scott Boras as his agent and will represent himself as a free agent, Fox Sports reports.

Rogers is the second high profile client to keep Boras out of his negotiations, after Alex Rodriguez did so to return to the Yankees this week.

Rogers wants to return to the Tigers, who have said he must apologize to management for his behavior, such as attacking a cameraman during his tenure with the team.

The Tigers have made contract offers to the Rogers, who had an injury plagued 2007 season, through Boras, but they have been declined.

While he’s at it, can we get Rogers to apologize to Mets fans for the 1999 NLCS?