"Alex Rodriguez is always a little full of sh*t" - Red Sox's ex-GM on first meeting with 14x All-Star before deal blew up

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees rivalry was apparently intensified after their 2003 ALCS encounter spilled over to the offseason. This was documented in "The Comeback," a Netflix special documentary that takes fans behind the scenes of "the Red Sox curse" ending with the 2004 World Series win.

In 2003-04, there was an effort from either camp to bulk up ahead of the new season with new signings and trade deals. The biggest opportunity presented to Boston was when the Texas Rangers were ready to trade their star man, Alex Rodriguez.

In the docuseries' part two, in-depth interviews take us through the build-up to the negotiations. There was some discord in the Red Sox camp with the position of long-time slugger Manny Ramirez. The Dominican was unhappy at the club, and the team also had to deal with his off-field issues.

Also showcased was shortstop Nomar Garicapara's place on the roster. Garciapara had arguments with the management about his game time had Boston gone ahead and signed "A-Rod," who would want to play in the position.

Thus, general manager Theo Epstein and his deputy Jed Hoyer came up with the plan to send Manny Ramirez and pitching prospect Jon Lester to Texas to sign Alex Rodriguez. To free up space in the lineup, they were willing to trade Garciapara to the Chicago White Sox.

This led to a meeting between the pair and Rodriguez at a New York hotel in October 2003. Epstein was shocked to see A-Rod dressed up in a three-piece suit way past midnight in his hotel room and commented on his casual yet trying-to-be-serious demeanor.

"A-Rod opens the door, he's wearing like a three-piece suit," Epstein said. "He's like totally put together. He's got his briefcase, and he's like, 'Welcome.' He's impressive, but he's also kind of full of sh*t. Like, Alex is always like, a little full of sh*t." [13:10]

Alex Rodriguez's deal was blocked by the MLBPA

The Red Sox had to restructure Alex Rodriguez's remaining deal with the Texas Rangers in a way that both the team and the player got something out of it. While Rodriguez accepted the terms of the contract, the MLB Players' Association in a rare intervention halted the process.

As per the union, the deal restructuring wasn't within the players' trade guidelines. The deal was eventually thwarted, and Alex Rodriguez had to wait for a few more months before he got a new team, the New York Yankees. The Yankees, who lost their third baseman Aaron Boone due to injury, swooped in and signed A-Rod and transitioned him to play in the hot corner beside regular shortstop Derek Jeter.