"The whole thing was a mistake... It was very hurtful" - When Alex Rodriguez lamented trusting ex-agent Scott Boras after Yankees opt-out saga

Alex Rodriguez once lamented trusting his ex-agent Scott Boras during his controversial contract opt-out with the New York Yankees, calling the entire situation a "mistake" on his part. He described the experience as humbling and an eye-opener.

Rodriguez opted out of his 10-year, $252M contract in 2007, a move widely criticized as poorly timed and self-centered. His initial contract was signed with the Texas Rangers in 2000 before being traded to the Yankees in 2004. By 2007, he had an opt-out clause, which he exercised, citing concerns about the team's direction. The announcement came during the World Series.

In an interview with the New York Times that year, Rodriguez shared that while several Yankees executives had expressed their interest in him, his decision was influenced by Boras, who claimed the team had no interest in him, which he regretted later.

"The whole thing was a mistake," Alex Rodriguez said. "It was a huge debacle. For me, it was very stressful. It was a very humbling experience. I knew what I wanted from Day 1. The mistake I made was I should have called Hank and Hal from the get-go, and I didn’t do that. I blame me."

The 49-year-old added:

"The whole thing didn’t feel right. I felt all along there was mutual interest and great respect from both ends. I always thought the negotiation was going to be simple and wasn’t going to take a lot of time. So when I was getting that information, it was very surprising and upsetting and hurtful."

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"If I had to do it again, I would have called Hank and negotiated the contract myself" - Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez pictured at a press conference | Image Source: Getty

In the same interview with the New York Times, Alex Rodriguez admitted that while he might blame Scott Boras for the opt-out fiasco, he ultimately held himself accountable. He explained that he should have approached the Yankees' former senior vice president, Hank Steinbrenner, directly to negotiate a deal—something he eventually did.

"I made mistakes. I mean, Scott works for me. So at the end of the day, when it comes to the World Series, when it comes to opting out, when it comes to all the big mistakes, I’ve got to look in the mirror and take that bullet," Rodriguez said.

He added:

"If I had to do it again, I would have called Hank from Day 1 and negotiated the contract myself."

The 14-time All-Star made the comments shortly after inking a monumental 10-year, $275M deal with the Yankees, which included annual salaries between $20M and $32M, along with a $10M signing bonus.