Garciaparra’s Agent Criticizes Red Sox

Amid continuing efforts by the Boston Red Sox to acquire Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers, the agent for Nomar Garciaparra suggested Sunday that the Red Sox are in the process of alienating their incumbent shortstop.

“After all Nomar has done for the Red Sox throughout his career, for him to wake up on his honeymoon [in Hawaii] and read that [Red Sox owner] John Henry has been engaging in direct talks with Alex Rodriguez is a total and complete slap in the face,” said Los Angeles lawyer Arn Tellem.

In an interview, Tellem said that he and Garciaparra, who was married to soccer star Mia Hamm on Nov. 22, have made no decision on whether Boston’s courtship of Rodriguez will have made it impossible for Garciaparra to remain with the club if the Red Sox fail to acquire Rodriguez, “but this certainly doesn’t make it easier.”

Nor, he said, is it understandable, describing Boston’s treatment of its five-time All-Star and two-time American League batting champion during this high-stakes scenario as “beyond comprehension.”

“You’re talking about a player who pours his heart out every time he goes on the field,” the normally reticent Tellem said. “He’s the Bruce Springsteen of baseball in that nobody works harder.

“He’s never shortchanged anybody, he’s been a leader from the first minute he walked on the field, and he’s been a visible figure in the Boston community.

“He’s clearly earned the right to be treated with respect and honesty, but you can draw your own conclusion as to whether that’s happening.”

Garciaparra has basically been on the outside looking in as the Red Sox have pursued a trade that would send Manny Ramirez to the Rangers for Rodriguez.

If completed, the deal would mark the first time in baseball history that the sport’s two highest salaried players will have been traded for each other.

As it sits, the Rangers want the Red Sox to pay some of the $100 million remaining on Ramirez’s contract and all of the $180 million left on Rodriguez’s.

The Red Sox hope to persuade Rodriguez to restructure his contract so that they can satisfy both requirements.

Rodriguez and his agent, Scott Boras, are expected to meet with Henry in Florida this week, possibly today. Henry and Rodriguez recently held at least a preliminary discussion after the Red Sox received permission from the commissioner’s office to waive a rule prohibiting teams from discussing business with a player contracted to another team.

A baseball official familiar with the situation said Sunday: “I think the Red Sox are so far down the line on this now that it’s an inevitability. They’re determined to make it happen.”

The acquisition of Rodriguez would leave Garciaparra in limbo, with the likelihood that he would be traded to the Angels or Dodgers.

Both clubs have had trade discussions with Boston General Manager Theo Epstein, with industry sources saying that the Angels would be willing to give pitcher Jarrod Washburn in a deal that might also include third baseman Troy Glaus while the Dodgers have offered pitcher Odalis Perez in a package that might also include pitching prospect Joel Hanrahan.

Before the consummation of either deal, the Angels or Dodgers might ask for a 72-hour window in which to negotiate a multiyear contract extension with Garciaparra, who is owed $11.5 million in 2004 and can become a free agent when that season ends.

Though playing in Southern California would be a homecoming for the former Bellflower St. John Bosco star whose parents live in La Habra Heights, he and Hamm had been house-hunting in the Boston area before their recent Carpinteria wedding, and Tellem said: “We have consistently said that Nomar hopes to end his career with the Red Sox. We had hoped to sit down this winter and negotiate a new contract, but the club has done nothing to move the ball in that direction.”

“If the Red Sox decide to trade him, he has some obvious preferences where he would like to play. However, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to discuss that while he’s still under contract to the Red Sox.”

Though friends of Garciaparra confirmed Sunday that he would love to play for the Dodgers or Angels if the Red Sox are determined to trade him, Epstein could not be reached for a response to Tellem’s criticism of the club’s handling of the Rodriguez pursuit in regard to its impact on Garciaparra.

However, undoubtedly in acknowledgment of that impact on Garciaparra and Ramirez, two of their star players, Epstein had released a statement Saturday in which he said:

“Public speculation about player transactions, while a natural part of the hot stove seasons, can be offensive and hurtful to our players. We respectfully can’t participate in the process of confirming or refuting trade rumors.”