Steinbrenner said the Yankees recently received a message from Rodriguez "from a third party" that he wanted to speak with them directly, a distinct change in his strategy from just a few weeks ago.
The Yankees, however, have known for a while that A-Rod still hoped to be in pinstripes. Hitting coach Kevin Long, who is tight with Rodriguez, said Wednesday night that he told general manager Brian Cashman during his own contract negotiations two weeks ago that Rodriguez wanted to return.
Here's how the conversation went, according to Long:
Cashman: "Kev, we made our offer and they shut us down."
Long: "I still think Alex would love to be a Yankee."
Cashman: "I don't get it."
Long: "Well, I just know how much he wants to be a Yankee and I know how much that you have expressed that you want him back. If that's the case, then certainly you should both still be talking about it."
Cashman didn't return a message Wednesday.
When Long heard the news Wednesday, he said he sent Rodriguez a text message saying, "If this is true, you're going to have an awfully happy hitting coach if this happens. He replied, 'Well, we're working on it.' "
In the end, it appears A-Rod and the Yankees realized they need each other perhaps more than they had thought.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ ... 8731.story