"It would’ve been a great story for me" - When Alex Rodriguez expressed regret about not signing with the Mets

Following the 2000 season, Seattle Mariners slugger Alex Rodriguez became a free agent. Following seven seasons in Seattle, it was time to move on and chase a big-time contract.

Many teams were after A-Rod, but it was the Texas Rangers who came out on top. The two sides agreed to a 10-year, $242 million deal, the largest contract in sports history at the time.

However, during an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast in 2018, A-Rod admitted that he regretted not signing with the New York Mets. It was a team that he grew up admiring, but it was not meant to be.

"Growing up in Miami, I was a huge Mets fan. Keith Hernandez was my favorite player. And I thought I would make great concessions to go play for the Mets," said Rodriguez.

A-Rod to the Mets would have driven the crosstown rivalry between the Mets and Yankees even further. Instead, he would later be traded to the Bronx Bombers, uniting him with Derek Jeter.

"And I thought it was just a great story for me to play for the team I grew up watching. And I thought Mets-Yankees would have been a great story," Rodriguez said.

According to former general manager Steve Phillips, a deal was never close. There was no dollar amount discussed between the two sides.

The Mets were not too interested in signing Alex Rodriguez

New York Yankees Legend - Alex Rodriguez (Image via USA Today)

At the time, Alex Rodriguez was one of the league's best players. He would have been somebody who would have immediately helped the club. So, why did they not sign him?

According to Phillips, A-Rod and his agent, Scott Boras had some ridiculous requests. Some of these included office space at Shea Stadium, and a space dedicated to selling his personal merchandise.

With baseball being a team sport, Phillips did not feel comfortable with those requests. He did not want one player to make the rest of the organization feel small.

However, A-Rod was not the only big-time player the Mets had missed out on during that offseason. They were trying to sign Ichiro Suzuki after he exited Japan, but he ended up signing with the Seattle Mariners.

Those are two game-changers the organization missed out on. It leaves fans wondering how much more successful the club could have been if they had landed either star that offseason.