Eight teams sought superstar; opt-out still possible

	Money bags: Alex Rodriguez would have no shortage of suitors if he were to go back on the open market. Chuck Solomon/SI
	Eight Teams That Wanted A-Rod Los Angeles Angels Owner Arte Moreno could be salivating; they may be one huge hitter away from powerhouse status. Los Angeles Dodgers Like their I-5 rival, this team with pitching, speed and youth could use one thing: a big bat. Chicago White Sox Seems a tad pricey for them, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been known to pull a surprise or two. San Francisco Giants Could replace one career home-run record holder with another. Chicago Cubs There can't be much left in the bank. Philadelphia Phillies Potentially, the best infield ever if A-Rod were to join Howard, Utley and Rollins. Cleveland Indians With Travis Hafner, they'd have a scary middle of the order. But where's the loot coming from? Arizona Diamondbacks 8. Diamondbacks: Young team dared to dream; still looks like a long shot from here.

TAMPA, Fla. -- If Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez exercises his opt-out clause after this season and walks away from the $81 million and three years remaining on his record contract, he may be subjected to even more boos in the Bronx. But if he stays without at least leveraging the clause in question, he surely will be giving up a lot of loot.

Though A-Rod the Yankee hasn't quite lived up to every ounce of hype, he has continued to produce big numbers in New York and assuredly will have plenty of teams begging for his services if he hits the open market next winter.

That's extra clear from the outside interest he attracted last summer. People familiar with trade inquiries made for Rodriguez last summer tell SI.com that no fewer than eight teams -- some of them shocking -- asked about him. One person with connections to the Yankees identified the teams as the Angels, Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, Giants, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Indians.

"It was a lot of teams," is the way Yankees general manager Brian Cashman put it. "And some of them would surprise you."

And it's no stretch to believe that some of those teams would have been willing to extend his record 10-year, $252 million contract an extra three or four years, maybe even more. And that some of them would still be willing to do that should A-Rod walk away from the Yankees.

That means Rodriguez probably could double the money due him, to $162 million, if not more. (Alfonso Soriano, seen as barely a bit player in A-Rod's trade to the Yankees three years ago, recently got $136 million over eight years from the Cubs in an exploding market reflective of the industry's revenues doubling to $6 billion in a matter of a few years.)

The list of eight could even grow this winter assuming A-Rod puts together a more typical season. Last year he turned in perhaps his worst as a big leaguer, batting .290 with 35 home runs and 121 RBIs while struggling at times at third base.

It's no surprise both Los Angeles teams and both Chicago teams called for A-Rod. Both of the L.A. clubs have prospects aplenty to offer and the wherewithal to compensate A-Rod. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf (who once employed Michael Jordan and made a run at Rodriguez six winters ago) is known to be an A-Rod admirer, and the Cubs had a third-base question last summer, thanks to Aramis Ramirez's own opt-out clause. The Cubs, on the other hand, were a few months away last summer from embarking on a $300 million spending spree, which started with the hiring of Rodriguez's first big-league manager and close confidant, Lou Piniella.

According to someone familiar with the inquiries, the White Sox and Dodgers were among the most persistent pursuers for A-Rod. However, should A-Rod hit the open market, many will view the Angels as the favorite. They are known to be searching for a big bat and have put themselves into position to acquire big players through a series of shrewd business moves. Additionally, the Angels have yet to make the "major" move club owner Arte Moreno foresaw heading into this past offseason.

The list of A-Rod inquirers shows the type of interest A-Rod can generate, as it runs the gamut from big-to-small market clubs. Even Arizona and Cleveland, two teams with fairly tight payrolls, dreamed of jumping into the fray.