It’s the All-Star break and the baseball rumor mill known as the hot stove has officially heated up. In New York, rumors are always flying around this time of year and with A-Rod having an opt-out clause in his contract at the end of the season, he is the no. 1 topic of conversation.

Will he be traded? Will he opt out of his contract? Where will he go? How much money will he get?

Honestly, what A-Rod does or where he ends up is of little importance to me. However, I nearly fell to the floor early this morning when I read the following in a Bill Madden story from the New York Daily News:

“For his part, Rodriguez has deftly avoided discussing the Nov. 10 opt-out clause in his contract, as has his agent, Scott Boras, who was a very visible presence yesterday, roaming the All-Star interview room. Besides the Angels, most baseball officials believe the Cubs, Red Sox and possibly the White Sox or even A-Rod's old team, the Texas Rangers, will be in the bidding for him.”

I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask Madden to provide his list of the “baseball officials” who believe there is even the smallest chance the Texas Rangers will be in the bidding for Alex Rodriguez.

Did the Yankees’ bat boy tell him Texas might sign A-Rod again? Is that his “baseball official?” Honestly I don’t know what is crazier, the thought that someone involved in the upper levels of baseball would suggest such a thing or that Madden would print such a thing.

Texas is shopping its best player, Mark Teixeira, for no other reason than his agent is Scott Boras and it is extremely unlikely the team will be able to re-sign him when his contract comes up at the end of next season.

So now the Rangers are going to go out and sign A-Rod, who will command much more money and is also represented by Boras? That’s not even taking into account that signing him to his current deal was a disaster for the organization -- one it is still paying millions per season for him to play elsewhere.

It seems unlikely that anyone with any sense would say the Rangers would be after A-Rod this offseason and even if some jackass tells you that, you have to be smart enough not to print it.

Anthony McCarron at the Daily News gave odds on eight destinations for A-Rod next season. The Rangers weren’t on his list. I guess he doesn’t know the same baseball officials that Madden does.

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