"All along, I knew I wanted to be a Yankee" - When Alex Rodriguez shared the emotional process behind record-setting contract with New York

Alex Rodriguez has been one of the most polarizing players and personalities throughout his MLB career. The 14-time All-Star was one of the best players of his generation, but his usage of performance-enhancing drugs will forever hang over his legacy.

Nevertheless, Alex Rodriguez was arguably the biggest star in the MLB during his prime. A three-time All-Star, Rodriguez made his presence felt during his stints with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, but he will be remembered for his New York Yankees career.

"A-Rod became a Yankee 17 years ago today. I get his tenure here had some crazy ups and downs - the steroids, the opt-out after ‘07, the tabloids. But 2009 makes him forever cool with me. We’re looking at a 20-year championship drought without him" - @ncostanzo24

After being traded to the New York Yankees from the Texas Rangers in February 2004, Rodriguez opted out of his contract a few years later, causing a rift between him and New York Yankees senior vice-president Hank Steinbrenner. His opt-out decision eliminated a $21.3 million subsidy the team would receive from the Rangers.

In an interview, Rodriguez dove into the "emotional" negotiation for his contract extension with the club.

"All along, I knew I wanted to be a Yankee," Alex Rodriguez said but was unsure if his opt-out decision would affect a new deal. A-Rod called the decision "a mistake that was handled extremely poorly."

"Since when did the Yankees limit spending after giving a player a massive contract extension? When A-Rod opted out of his contract during the 2007 World Series he was given a 10 year-$275 mil new contract by the Yankees. They went on to spend near a billion in FA in winter 08-09" - @ShukriWrights

Luckily enough for Rodriguez, the New York Yankees wanted him on their squad as much as he wanted to be on the team. The two sides agreed a 10-year, $275 million contract, which was the richest contract in MLB history at the time.

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Alex Rodriguez's massive extension would be shattered by a number of modern stars

A-Rod's record-setting contract with the New York Yankees was unbelievable for fans and experts, but the deal has been surpassed several times since signing. His $275 million free agent deal still ranks as one of the richest in MLB history, but as salaries continue to rise, it will continue to fall down the ranks.

Alex Rodriguez was passed by the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout for the richest contracts in MLB history, but those have all since been left in the dust. This offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to an unfathomable 10-year, $700 million deal. It will likely remain the record for a long time, but stranger things have happened.