You've got to hand it to Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras. They certainly have guts. Never before has an athlete walked away from this much guaranteed money, but that's exactly what happened tonight when A-Rod's agent Scott Boras announced that the likely 2007 AL MVP is ripping up a deal that was to pay him $72M. A-Rod and Boras are betting that they'll find a deal even more lucrative. One that could pay the game's best all-around player more than $30M annually. And chances are they will.

The Yankees have said that they would not attempt to sign A-Rod if he opted out of his current 10-year, $252M contract because the Texas Rangers were on the hook for $21.3M of the contract. Somewhere this evening, Rangers owner Tom Hicks is doing a dance celebrating the fact that he's going to save $21.3M. Even if A-Rod does return to the Yankees, because he has opted out of his contract that he signed with the Rangers before the Yankees traded for him, the Rangers are off the hook. Christmas has come early for Hicks.

Boras said during a telephone interview that Rodriguez made his choice because he was uncertain whether Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte would return to the Yankees. My guess though is that A-Rod had a good idea at the start of this year that he was playing his last season in pinstripes. He's never been fully embraced by the New York fans or the media despite the fact that he's had MVP-type numbers during the regular season. He and Derek Jeter haven't gotten along in recent years. A-Rod having a career year and then bolting the team is the best way for him to give the middle finger salute to all of his critics.

Despite the fact that A-Rod has not produced during the postseason or has led his teams to a World Series appearance during his career, there will still be some team that pays him his asking price. He's seen as the game's most gifted player and is seen as the player with the best chance of breaking Barry Bonds' all-time home run record before he hangs up his cleats. He also fills stadiums, sells merchandise and raises TV ratings, so some owner in MLB will pay him truckloads of money.

If the Yankees decide to stick to their guns and not pursure A-Rod as they have previously stated they would if he opted out, they could look to someone like Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell as a replacement. As a matter of fact, they could probably sign Lowell and 2-3 other solid players to fill slots elsewhere on their roster for the money they would pay A-Rod.

Which teams might be interested in A-Rod? Pay close attention to the San Francisco Giants. The team needs someone to fill their ballpark now that they've parted with Barry Bonds and the franchise has a considerable amount of money to spend. The LA Angels could be a destination if Scott Boras is able to convince Angels owner Arte Moreno that A-Rod can bring him a few championships, fill his stadium for the next 10 years and ensure that the Angels will be kings of the LA market (over the Dodgers). And don't be completely shocked if the Red Sox enter the conversations. The Red Sox ownership is amongst the brightest in sports and they could probably leverage A-Rod's marketability as well as anyone. Plus if A-Rod really wanted to stick it to the Yankees, going to Boston would rub salt on the wound he's leaving them with. A darkhorse team that could enter the conversations is the Chicago White Sox. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf hasn't been afraid to spend money before (paid Michael Jordan $30M-plus to play for his Bulls and gave slugger Albert Belle a huge free agent contract) and if he thinks signing A-Rod could help him trump the Cubs in Chicago, he might just make a bid.

It should be an interesting winter.