A-Rod On The Move SI Writers • Verducci: The 'ultimate team move' • Head2Head: Good for baseball? | Reactions • CNNMoney: The rich are getting poorer • Tale of the Tape: Red Sox-Yankees • Taylor: Another hired gun for Steinbrenner • Donovan: A-Rod's shameful about-face • Analysis | Photo Gallery | Fantasy File Latest news • Rodriguez-Jeter friendship remains strained • Yankees introduce latest prize catch • A look at A-Rod's current contract

Scott Boras presented Alex Rodriguez with a proposition last week: decide how important it is for you to play shortstop, then determine if the opportunity to win is worth more than that.

"Is the position more important than winning?" the agent asked his client.

Of all the elements that came together in the perfect storm that made Rodriguez a Yankee -- the Red Sox trying to squeeze as many dollars as they could out of him in December, Aaron Boone pursuing his hoop dreams and a business plan by Texas owner Tom Hicks' that never left the ground -- the clincher was this: a Gold Glove shortstop in the prime of his career, the man who would give Honus Wagner a run as the greatest to ever play the position, willingly chucked his deserved place on the diamond and in history. And money had not a darn thing to do with it.

"I don't see it as a big deal at all," Rodriguez told Sports Illustrated Sunday in his first public comments since the Yankees acquired him from Texas for Alfonso Soriano and a prospect to be named before March 31. "I look at it as a new challenge. I won two Gold Gloves and an MVP at shortstop. I thought I achieved just about everything personally at shortstop. Now it's time to win. I've always thought of myself as a team player. Playing third base is the ultimate team move."

Rodriguez slightly devalued his contract by cutting the interest rate and the schedule of the deferred money to be paid by the Rangers. (To appease the union, which frowns upon devaluations, New York agreed to provide Rodriguez with a suite on the road and the right to link his Web site to the Yankees' official site.) Rodriguez also agreed to defer $1 million without interest from each of his first four years of salary as a Yankee, which seemed a ridiculous request over pocket change from a team that already is getting the best player in the game for less money ($112 million) over seven years than it gave Jason Giambi ($120 million). But Boras and Rodriguez understood that this is how Yankees owner George Steinbrenner operates. Steinbrenner needs to post something in the win column for every deal he cuts, and that deferral was his pound of flesh.

Moreover, Boras and Rodriguez may revisit the elaborate bonus incentive clauses in Rodriguez's contract just to keep in step with the Yankee program. Steinbrenner has been dead set against paying his players multiple millions of dollars and then having to throw more cash their way if they make All-Star teams or figure in postseason award voting. That kind of performance, Steinbrenner has reasoned, is expected in the first place. Though the Yankees inherited Rodriguez's original contract, he and Boras don't want those clauses to set him apart from his teammates, and they have discussed the idea of de-emphasizing them.

Rodriguez's greatest concession, however, is abandoning his natural position. "When I thought about it," Rodriguez said, "I said, `Why not do it?'"

Boras said he made sure that Rodriguez understands he will be leaving shortstop behind for good. "Alex understands Derek Jeter is the captain of this team," Boras said. "He's under no illusions."

Rodriguez is the better defensive shortstop, but he knows that Jeter has established a legacy as a Yankee and his incumbency needed to be respected for the sake of the team's equilibrium. Rodriguez and Boras insist they harbor no expectations that the scenario will change. Rodriguez said he has his sights set on All-Star teams, Gold Gloves and, most important, world championships as a third baseman. He asked for uniform number 13 to begin his own legacy in New York.

"I can't have 3," he said, referring to Babe Ruth's retired number, "so I just put a 1 in front of it. Also, I was a big Dan Marino fan growing up and 13 was my number as a high school quarterback."

Though fans in Boston and Queens needed to be talked down from tall buildings upon hearing news of the deal, the trade made good sense for the Yankees and Rangers -- even as Texas was left with a final bill of $140 million for three years of Rodriguez's service, all of which ended with the team in last place. Though Rodriguez held up his end with his production, the marriage will go down as one of the worst failures in sports history.

Long & Short of It Most HRs as a shortstop Player G HRs Cal Ripken 2,302 345 Alex Rodriguez 1,267 344 Ernie Banks 1,125 277 Vern Stephens 1,330 213

"I will say this: he brings it every day," said Rangers manager Buck Showalter. "This guy goes to the post. He never had a single day where he didn't bring it. The fans in New York are going to appreciate that."

Give Hicks credit for what amounts to a public admission of failure, though financial problems may have goosed him into summoning such courage. And as one GM observed, "I've got to believe Tom didn't mind sticking it to [Red Sox president Larry] Lucchino a little bit, either, after the way Lucchino ticked him off during the A-Rod talks with Boston.''

Hicks gets Soriano, a dynamic offensive player whom Showalter will consider at shortstop, second base and center field. The manager already has spoken with incumbent Rangers second baseman Michael Young, who indicated he would abide by any changes but has a preference for remaining at the position.

"Some scouts think Soriano's natural position is shortstop," Showalter said, "and that could be the best fit for us. I don't know that we'd do it, but we'll consider a lot of options. Until I sit down with Alfonso, Michael and the coaches and staff, I'm not going to make any decision."

The Rangers would prefer that Laynce Nix emerge as a fixture in center field so they can leave Young and Soriano in the middle infield in some combination. But if Soriano goes to center, they could use Michael Young at shortstop and Eric Young at second base. In any case, Texas can build this team around the bats of Soriano, Hank Blalock, Michael Young and Mark Teixeira and hope that the stockpile of young pitching GM John Hart has gathered over the past year will produce results.

In a shrewd move, Hart won from the Yankees the right to wait until March 31 to choose from among five players to be the player to be named. He bought himself time to scout the players during Spring Training before he has to make a decision.

The Rangers cleared $120 million in payroll obligations with the deal, which gives them room to add players when the franchise is ready to win. Texas is much better off with this deal than it would have if it had taken the Manny Ramirez-for-Rodriguez deal, in which the Rangers also would have added free-agent pitcher Sidney Ponson and free-agent shortstop Rich Aurilia and wound up spending too much money for a team that was not going to win the AL West anyway.

The Yankees, meanwhile, clinched nothing with the trade. "They're still screwed if Kevin Brown or Mike Mussina goes down," one GM said. And take a look at some of their future commitments: they have $73 million tied up next year in five players: Rodriguez, Jeter and the aging Giambi, Bernie Williams and Mike Mussina; $57 million in 2008 for three players (Jeter, Rodriguez and Giambi); $39 million in 2010 for Rodriguez and Jeter alone, and both will then be in their mid-30s.

Still, don't kid yourself into thinking this is all about the Yankees' big money. Yes, New York's dough creates a huge imbalance in the game and nobody can write off mistakes the way the Yankees can, but in this particular case New York got A-Rod under a contract ($16 million a year) that many other clubs would gladly carry.

"A bargain," one NL GM said. "Lots of teams would love to have that. When you look at the money they saved from Drew Henson [$12 million], Aaron Boone [$4.8 million] and not just the money this year for Soriano [$5.4 million], but probably about $15 million it would cost them to keep him two more years, they're adding the best player in the game for about $75 million over seven years. That's the best bargain in baseball.''

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.