MLB PLAYER NEWS

A-Rod, Yankees negotiating over home run bonus

The Sports Xchange

July 02, 2015 at 11:37 am.

Alex Rodriguez (13) enjoyd the way the 3000th hit of his career went down. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees are in negotiations designed at reaching middle ground in their standoff over the $6 million contract bonus due Rodriguez for hitting his 661st career home run.

The disagreement over the home run that pushed Rodriguez ahead of Willie Mays on baseball’s all-time list could be settled by involving charity or reducing the payment, according to reports by FOX Sports and CBS. He later recorded his 3,00th hit.

“Nobody will ever pass Willie Mays,” Rodriguez said at the time. “I talked about him being my father’s favorite player. There’s only one Willie Mays, not only what he did on the field but what he meant off the field. He’s a legend, and he’s also a role model for all of us.”

Rodriguez was suspended 162 games for his admitted involvement with the Biogenesis steroid clinic in Florida that took down other MLB players for performance-enhancing drug use, including Nelson Cruz, who played for the Texas Rangers at the time.

The Yankees were unwilling to pay the $6 million bonus because of A-Rod’s year of lost service and subsequent admission of PED use.

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