Players Holding Up A-Rod Deal to Red Sox

Alex Rodriguez is willing to go to the Red Sox only if Boston restructures his contract in a manner that gains approval from the players’ association.

Boston and Texas said Wednesday they settled on all the players involved in the trade. And the Red Sox and A-Rod agreed to restructure the shortstop’s record $252 million contract, Rangers owner Tom Hicks said. But in a rare move, the union intervened and rejected the agreement, drawing criticism from both teams.

Commissioner Bud Selig set a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline for the trade to be completed. He might also go against the union and approve the restructuring, likely forcing the matter to arbitration.

“In the spirit of cooperation, I advised the Red Sox I am willing to restructure my contract, but only within the guidelines prescribed by union officials,” Rodriguez said Thursday in a statement he read to The Associated Press. “I recognize the principle involved, and fully support the need to protect the interests of my fellow players.

“If my transfer to the Red Sox is to occur, it must be done with consideration of the interests of all major league players, not just one. Any statements by club officials suggesting my position is different than stated is inaccurate and unfortunate.”

His agent said it was up to the Red Sox to find a way to restructure his client’s contract without reducing its value, which would allow the proposed blockbuster trade for Manny Ramirez to take place.

“It’s in the teams’ hands,” agent Scott Boras said Thursday. “Unless Boston comes back with a proposal that meets the union’s criteria, then the deal will not get done.”

Because union official Gene Orza and management lawyer Rob Manfred traveled to Florida for Bubba Trammell’s grievance hearing Thursday, the deadline may have to be extended.

If the deal does go through, Boston would likely trade longtime shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, possibly to the Chicago White Sox.

“Given the impending deadline imposed by the office of the commissioner, the actions of the players’ association may, unfortunately, determine this issue,” Hicks said.

The commissioner’s office said it was studying the agreement between Rodriguez and the Red Sox, but Orza said it was unacceptable.

“It was clear it crossed the line … and by a huge margin,” Orza said after meeting with Rodriguez, his agent and Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. “We did suggest an offer the club could make to Alex that would not do that. As was its right, the club chose not to make it.”

Manfred challenged the union’s interpretation.

“The basic agreement contains a rule that requires any special covenant to be an actual or potential benefit to the player,” Manfred said. “In a situation like the current situation, where there was a restructuring, where the player was getting something and the club was getting something, Gene Orza is not the final arbitrator on whether the restructuring provides an actual or potential benefit to the player. The commissioner currently is considering his legal options in consultation with the two teams.”

After reaching Florida, Orza responded: “Fortunately, perjury charges attend false testimony in arbitrations, and I know what Rob thinks about what he now characterizes as this attempted ‘restructuring’ of Alex’s contract. So I’m not particularly worried about what he’s saying in the press.”

While no one detailed the agreement between Rodriguez and the Red Sox, Boston president Larry Lucchino said the union proposed “radical changes.”

The agreement called for some salary to be reduced and some to be deferred in exchange for giving Rodriguez the right to become a free agent earlier in the deal, a high-ranking baseball official said on the condition of anonymity.

Currently, Rodriguez can end the contract after the 2007 season. He also can end it after 2008 or 2009 unless he gets an annual increase from $27 million to either $32 million or $1 million above the largest salary of any position player.

“It is a sad day when the players’ association thwarts the will of its members,” Lucchino said. “The players’ association asserts that it supports individual negotiations, freedom of choice and player mobility. However, in this high-profile instance, their action contradicts this and is contrary to the desires of the player.”

That’s not the way Orza saw it.

“All of the players and agents who have dealt with Larry these many years will be gratified to know that he still has the players’ interests, as opposed to the clubs’, uppermost in his mind and deepest in his heart,” he said.

If Selig approves the restructuring and the union files a grievance, the case would go to Shyam Das, baseball’s arbitrator.

Rodriguez hit .298 with an AL-leading 47 home runs and 118 RBIs last season. Ramirez, an outfielder, hit .325 with 37 homers and 104 RBIs.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner didn’t think the trade would go through.

“But if I had Nomar,” he added, “I wouldn’t trade him because of how much he means to that team and that city.”

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AP Sports Writers Jimmy Golen in Boston, Stephen Hawkins in Dallas and Ben Walker in New York contributed to this report