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NEW YORK - For sale: American League MVP.
Asking price: about $179-million.
An hour after becoming the second player from a last-place team to win a Most Valuable Player award, Alex Rodriguez confirmed the Rangers have talked to him about a possible trade.
"Management has approached me with a situation and some choices, and I'm just going to keep my doors open right now," Rodriguez said Monday from Mexico during a conference call.
The shortstop received 242 points for the American League award in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Toronto first baseman Carlos Delgado was second with 213 points, followed by Yankees catcher Jorge Posada with 194.
Showing the split among writers, 10 players received first-place votes, one short of the record set in the 1977 AL vote and matching the total in the 1947 NL vote.
Rodriguez was the only player picked on every ballot. He hit .298, tied for the major-league lead with 47 homers and led the AL in runs (124) and slugging percentage (.600). He had 118 RBIs, second in the AL to Delgado's 145.
Regarded by many as the best all-around player in the league, Rodriguez became the first AL player to win the MVP while playing for a last-place team. Andre Dawson won the 1987 NL award with the last-place Cubs.
Last year, Rodriguez finished second in MVP voting to Oakland shortstop Miguel Tejada. In 1996 he finished three points behind the Rangers' Juan Gonzalez.
"It means the world to me," Rodriguez said. "I'm so proud. It really is a validation to all the hard work and dedication."
Delgado was surprised by the announcement.
"If they were going to pick somebody from a team that did not make it to the playoffs I think it would have given me an edge, but that's what I get for thinking, I guess," Delgado said.
Rodriguez said he thought there had been talks about a trade with "three of four teams" but didn't elaborate. Only a handful could take on the $179-million owed him over the final seven years of his contract.
Though Rodriguez praised Texas owner Tom Hicks, he refused comment several times when asked about his relationship with general manager John Hart and manager Buck Showalter.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Rodriguez hasn't returned Showalter's telephone calls and was angered by the firing of a clubhouse attendant.
"I don't get an immediate callback from everybody, and they don't always from me," Showalter said. "I don't take it personal."
The Devil Rays' Aubrey Huff was tied for 24th with four points.
JAPANESE STAR COMING OVER: Seibu Lions shortstop Kazuo Matsui, a seven-time All-Star in Japan, said at a news conference that he has decided to pursue a big-league career in North America. Matsui, 28, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki, who quickly became stars in the United States.
METS: Mike Piazza has told the team through his agent that he is not seeking a trade and is willing to play first base next season, the New York Times reported.
RED SOX: Right-hander Mike Timlin agreed to a one-year deal with an option for a guaranteed $2.75-million.
YANKEES: Reliever Steve Karsay is scheduled to start throwing off a mound in early January after missing the season with an injured right shoulder.
OBITUARY: Earl Battey, an All-Star for the Twins who was one of baseball's best catchers during the 1960s, died of cancer Saturday in Ocala. He was 68.