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Sox Owner: A-Rod Deal Shows Need for Cap

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 February 2004, 06:00 CST

Red Sox owner John Henry now believes a salary cap could be good for baseball after watching the rival Yankees trade for Alex Rodriguez - a deal his own franchise could not complete.

Henry said in an e-mail response to reporters early Wednesday morning that he is changing his mind on whether the sport needs a salary cap "to deal with a team that has gone so insanely far beyond the resources of all the other teams."

The Yankees' payroll is about $186 million after they acquired Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers earlier this week in exchange for Alfonso Soriano and a minor leaguer to be named.

But the number would come down by about $5 million if third baseman Aaron Boone is released. Boston is expected to be second at about $125 million.

"One thing is certain the status quo will not be preserved," Henry wrote.

"There must be a way to cap what a team can spend without hurting player compensation ... without taking away from the players what they have rightfully earned in the past through negotiation and in creating tremendous value. There is a simple mechanism that could right a system woefully out of whack."

Henry's comments come after his team failed in its bid to land the reigning American League MVP.

The Red Sox tried to trade Manny Ramirez, the second highest-paid player in baseball, for Rodriguez this winter. But talks fell apart because the two sides could not agree on how to divide the remaining $179 million on Rodriguez's contract.

The Yankees were able to absorb Rodriguez's salary without dumping a major star.

"Baseball doesn't have an answer for the Yankees," Henry said. "Revenue sharing can only accomplish so much. At some point it becomes confiscation. It has not and it will not solve what is a very obvious problem."

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