A-Rod getting closer

A-Rod says he feels good as he continues to progress with fielding drills in his rehab work. He still hasn't run the bases yet.

Teahen rumored to Yankees

Alex Rodriguez's decision to have surgery is fueling rumors that the Yankees may have interest in acquiring Kansas City's Mark Teahen to play third. Both teams refute the legitimacy of that rumor.

Royals officials, for now, are brushing off the speculation, and general manager Dayton Moore has long maintained that Teahen is more valuable now to the club than in previous years because of his versatility.

“What I’m hoping,” one Royals official said, “is they sign (second baseman Mark) Grudzielanek. That way, we get a (compensatory) draft pick.”

Teahen, 27, is currently playing third base for Canada in the World Baseball Classic but spent his last two seasons in the outfield. He shifted his focus this spring to second base after the acquisition of Coco Crisp knocked him out of a starting job.

Moore declined to address the trade rumor Sunday amid indications the Yankees are intensifying their search for a temporary third baseman. Rodriguez is expected to miss six to nine weeks after undergoing surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman downplayed interest in Teahen, telling MLB.com: “We have not had any discussions internally about that.”

If Teahen or Grudzielanek ends up with the Yankees would either of them play third? Maybe the Yankees opt instead to slot Robinson Cano in place of A-Rod at third. When A-Rod returns they reshuffle to start the hottest player at second.

A-Rod opts for surgery

Alex Rodriguez has decided on immediate hip surgery. He's going to miss at least the rest of spring training at the first month of the regular season.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, hip specialist Marc Philippon and team physician Chris Ahmad made the announcement in a conference call.

"The goal here is to allow Alex to rehab rapidly in a safe manner," Philippon said, "by just going in arthroscopically, repairing his labrum and part of the impingement."

After the year, Philippon plans to do a more complete surgery that could require up to four months of rehabilitation. Rodriguez's labrum tear is technically described as a femoroacteabular impingement (FAI), which involves too much friction in the hip joint. He has two types of impingement, "pincer" and "cam," and Philippon will only repair the pincer impingement on Monday.

Philippon said he is confident "in the 85-to-90 percent level" that Rodriguez will be able to get through the season healthy after this surgery. Philippon, the Yankees and Rodriguez all feel that this intermediate approach will keep both their short-term and long-term interests intact. Rodriguez is entering the second season of a 10-year, $275-million contract, so the Yankees want him healthy not only this year but for the eight following seasons.

A-Rod would have to undergo a more invasive surgery after the baseball season to fully repair the torn labrum in his right hip.

Fantasy Analysis: Expect A-Rod's numbers to drop at least a sixth this season and perhaps more. There's not guarantee that he'll come back at optimum form, and there's still the outside chance that he misses even more time. Consider A-Rod an injury-risk third baseman capable of hitting around .300 and 30 home runs. He's most likely a third round pick at this point.

No naming rights, at least on these jerseys

There's no such thing as freedom of speech when it comes to buying personalized jerseys from MLB.com. There you can get A-Rod's No. 13 jersey with almost anything you like on it, but don't ask for A-Fraud. That's a no-no.

Any fan hoping to make fun of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez can no longer get a No. 13 Yankees jersey with the word "A-Fraud" on the back.

MLB.com has banned the new A-Rod nickname from the personalization feature on replica jerseys on MLB.com. MLB.com spokesman Matt Gould told CNBC that the league does not allow fans to personalize products with anything that is deemed inappropriate, derogatory or profane.

Fans haven't been able to personalize their jerseys on the site with the word "steroids" since 2005, but as of this afternoon, fans can get A-Rod's drug of choice, "Boli," on the back of jerseys. They can also get "Sucart," the last name of A-Rod's cousin, who has been part of the story.

Here's guessing "Boli" and "Sucart" won't draw nearly the interested that A-Fraud was getting.

Yankees third base options

Peter Gammons, commenting on the possibility of Alex Rodriguez missing an extended period of time this season with his hip injury, brought up two possible trade candidates for New York in terms of replacement third baseman. Adrian Beltre, who's coming back from a shoulder problem, is likely on the block in Seattle. Garrett Atkins, who has a one year deal through 2009 in Colorado might also be attainable via trade.

Update: Oddly enough, Atkins was scratched from today's Rockies game due to a hip flexor injury.

If A-Rod can't come back...

Boston's coverage of Alex Rodriguez's hip injury included this forward-looking musing on the outside chance that the ailment becomes career-threatening.

The Rodriguez news, changing by the hour, has more immediate impact on the Sox. A-Rod seems certain to miss the beginning of the season, could be out until late summer, and may have a career-threatening condition with $275 million still owed from the Yankees.

While that money could impact the Yankees over the years, with YES Network money and the New Yankee Stadium set to open in April, I don't see New York entering any financial straits, perhaps, ever.

A-Rod's hip

The hip that's potentially forcing Alex Rodriguez out of the World Baseball Classic is not a new injury, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

"Alex expressed a little stiffness. There was really no pain," Girardi said on Wednesday, a day after the 33-year-old slugger played for the Dominican Republic in a tuneup for the World Baseball Classic. "We just thought it was best because he had some minor issues last year with it. We'll have a better idea after today with what the course of plan is."

The team announced on Tuesday that Rodriguez would get his hip checked by Dr. Marc Phillipon in Vail, Colo., on Wednesday afternoon. An exam Saturday revealed a cyst in the hip.

"Whenever you have something going on, you're concerned," Girardi said. "The fact he didn't have a lot of pain is a little bit more comforting. He's been able to play, and play at a high level. It hasn't kept him from doing anything. It hasn't kept him from driving the baseball. That's the good thing."

At this point it sounds like the Yankees and Rodriguez are trying to stop the injury from becoming a bigger problem, but if the issue lingered through the offseason into the spring there might be more to it than needing rest.

A-Rod immaterial

Add this to the A-Rod-Madonna rumor mill. Although these aren't rumors anymore, are they? It's still not much of a story.