A's redefine rebuilding, latest on A-Rod and notes around camps (cont.)

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In any case, Beane was determined to give his young staff its best chance to win games, starting with the superb Holliday, who's surely a one-year rental at the most. Actually, he might only be a half-year rental. Beane isn't averse to trading stars even after a good first half, as he did last year when the A's were several games over .500 but sold off stars because it didn't look like they'd beat the Angels.

"I'm going to treat it like I'm coming here for 100 years, and not just one year," Holliday said. "I am coming to prepare, to perform and to play at the highest level."

Holliday was never a guy who needed extra motivation, but it can't hurt to see the comparably productive Mark Teixeira receive $180 million over eight years as a free agent. "You follow some of these things. I'm happy for him," Holliday said. "He gets the chance to play where he wants. I'd be extremely grateful if I were to be able to have the chance to play somewhere for eight years."

That's not going to happen here, not with the A's. But he's sure to be in for a very fun half year, or year.

A-Rod's operation

Alex Rodriguez probably made the best possible decision. By having half the operation now and half in November, he's expected to be able to last through the year once he returns (the estimate is sometime between late April and late May). Doctors, in fact, are saying it's "85 to 90 percent" that he makes it through. This means the Yankees aren't even calling about alternatives now.

A-Rod just could not adjust mentally to the idea of playing with a tear in the labrum of his right hip, people familiar with the case tell SI.com. "The pathology moves to the head, and it's difficult for most players to play without thinking about something like this," one competing GM, unfamiliar with A-Rod's thinking, said.

Nobody's blaming him for equivocating over a very important decision, but when the Yankees announced a few days ago that Rodriguez would try to play through the injury, they must have thought he would. Eventually, Rodriguez took noted hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon's best advice, which was to have surgery now. He'll have the surgery in two parts, the first to suture up the area and the second to round out the hip bone that had become squared over what Philippon told him was 10 years of deterioration.

Some major-league players have played through labral tears, and while HIPAA laws prevent teams from revealing medical conditions, it was learned that first baseman Dan Johnson played through a similar injury with the help of cortisone shots.

Doctors say Rodriguez's hip injury isn't as severe as those suffered by Chase Utley and Mike Lowell. But that doesn't make the situation great. There's still a 10 to 15 percent chance that he won't be able to play through the season. If that happens, the Yankees will have to consider outside alternatives.

A-Rod calls on Tiger's guy

Rodriguez's new everyday buddy is expected to be the noted Canadian physical therapist David Lindsay, who designed a workout program for Tiger Woods. Lindsay, an expert in golf and hip injuries, is expected to go to Colorado to be with A-Rod, then accompany him to New York to continue the recovery program.

Lindsay, from Toronto, is a world-class physical therapist, and represents a step up on the friend scale from cousin Yuri Sucart.

WBC thoughts

I don't care what anyone says, I like the WBC, where we saw ..

1. A wonderful Dutch Treat. That Netherlands' 3-2 victory over the Dominican is an upset of miracle proportions.

2. A Canada team without Ryan Dempster or Harden put a scare into the U.S.

3. Pudge Rodriguez take a step toward getting his next job with a 4-for-4 day, including two home runs and a stolen base. The Marlins and Astros, no matter what they say publicly, are interested. Though Florida does like current catcher John Baker.

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