Report: A-Rod's Milestone Bonus Money May Go To Charity
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The dispute over Alex Rodriguez's milestone bonus for hitting home run No. 660 may soon come to an end.
And plenty of good may come out of it.
When A-Rod tied Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home run list on May 1, he was due to receive $6 million from the Yankees.
But New York claimed that, due to Rodriguez's controversial link to performance-enhancing drugs, he was no longer marketable, making the agreement void.
Representatives for Rodriguez, the Yankees and the players' union have been discussing how to resolve this situation for weeks, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported. One source has told Rosenthal that "quiet progress" has been made, and another informed him that there's a good chance that all parties will come to an agreement.
Rosenthal reports that some involved, however, still fear that negotiations could fall apart, though both the Yankees and the union are determined to avoid an arbitration hearing.
Rosenthal reports that the three sides are discussing dividing the $6 million between charities. Some of the money would go to A-Rod's charities and some would go to those supported by Yankees principal owner Hal Steinbrenner.
The initial marketing agreement called for Rodriguez to receive $6 million for home runs No. 660, No. 714, No. 755 and No. 762. He would also be compensated for passing Bonds' 762.
The 14-time All-Star, who is under contract for two more years after 2015, has 669 career home runs.
After missing all of last season due to a drug-related suspension, the three-time American League MVP is having an excellent season in the middle of the Yankees' lineup. In 74 games the slugger is hitting .280 with 15 homers, 45 RBIs and a .381 on-base percentage.