4. Mariners - The Mariners are big spenders now, and they could open up $25.5 million in 2008 dollars by moving Richie Sexson (though they might have to kick in some cash to make that happen) and Adrian Beltre. The resentment left over from 2000 is mostly a fan thing, and the crowds would come around soon enough. It’d really be a very good fit if A-Rod didn’t mind playing in a pitcher’s park.

5. Red Sox - I’d label them the favorites if they had lost to the Indians. As is, the Red Sox have shown again that they can win without him and signing him to replace Mike Lowell would be very unpopular with the fans. Sticking it to the Yankees one more time in 2007 is a nice thought, but it’s not going to carry a lot of weight next to the $250 million.

6. Dodgers - The media is dying for them to make a splash, but they have a lot of money tied up in Pierre, Garciaparra, Schmidt and other hard-to-dump players.

7. White Sox - Great home run ballpark, and the White Sox can offer A-Rod the choice of whether he’d prefer to play third or short. Still, Reinsdorf may neither want to spend the money nor tick off Selig with a huge bid.

8. Yankees - They’d have to go back on their word. I think some secret post opt-out negotiations would have been more likely if A-Rod hadn’t chosen to embarrass the organization by declaring himself a free agent without even listening to an offer. It looks like he truly wanted out.

9. Mets - The Meta aren’t hurting for a shortstop or a third baseman, and if A-Rod is sick of the circus, he’s going to want out of New York entirely. Still, with more money than any other NL team -- especially once they move into the new park -- the Mets have to be somewhere among the top 10 contenders.

10. Cubs - The ownership transition almost surely won’t be completed until after A-Rod is off the market. There’s just no way the Tribune Co. can get away with spending $200 million-$300 million on A-Rod months before officially dumping the team. It’s too bad, as they’d probably be the favorites were Mark Cuban calling the shots.

11. Nationals - The plan was to hold off on making any splashes for one more year. Still, what better way to create excitement going into the new ballpark.

12. Cardinals - If they could find takers for Rolen ($11.8 million) and Edmonds ($8 million), they could add A-Rod without completely blowing up the budget for 2008.

13. Marlins - A-Rod goes home to Miami? The money should be there, as much as the Marlins are pocketing from revenue sharing, and if they really thought A-Rod would get them a new ballpark, they might put in a bid. I don’t think it’d bother Loria that such a move would make him even more of a hypocrite. Still, at this point, there’s little evidence that Loria is interested in anything that would help his chances of keeping the team in Florida.

14. Phillies - Pat Gillick is still bitter about what happened in Seattle, and the Phillies can’t spend $30 million per year on another bat, even if they let Rowand go and trade Burrell. Still, a Howard-Utley-Rollins-A-Rod infield sure would be amazing.

15. Orioles - Andy MacPhail has a lot of power in Baltimore, but it shouldn’t be enough to convince Angelos that a bid for A-Rod is in the team’s best interests.

16. Rangers - They just received an extra $21 million to throw into a bid, plus they have Mark Teixeira’s money. But how could it possibly work again?

17. Astros - Owner Drayton McLane splurged last year when he brought in Carlos Lee. There probably isn’t enough room left in the budget for A-Rod. They’ll spend what they have on pitching.

18. Rockies - Ownership may be willing to loosen the pursestrings a bit after the awesome run to the World Series, but the team will have to spend a lot of money just to retain all of the youngsters over the next few years. It’s too bad, because A-Rod at Coors is a fun thought.

19. Reds - A-Rod might like the idea of playing for Dusty Baker, but it’s hard to imagine the Reds coming up with enough money. They’d probably have to move both Griffey and Dunn, and why would A-Rod want to go there if that happens?

20. Blue Jays - The Canadian dollar still isn’t quite that strong.

21. Devil Rays - It’d be something if the Rays could upstage Tampa’s other team by bringing in Rodriguez, but there’s been nothing to suggest they’d be willing to double their payroll.

22. Indians - Keeping Sabathia is the priority.

23. Braves - If they weren’t willing to spend at least $15 million per year on Andruw, they’re not going to go to $25 million per year and beyond for A-Rod.

24. Brewers - Perhaps the Brewers could chase another $10 million-per-year player this winter, but A-Rod should be out of reach. Wisconsin doesn’t seem like it’d be a preferred landing place for him anyway.

25. Diamondbacks - What cash the Diamondbacks have is going to be spent on upgrading the rotation.

26. Royals - $55 million for Gil Meche is one thing. $250 million for A-Rod is quite another.

27. Athletics - A-Rod’s arrival would put fannies in the seats, but the A’s have their hearts set on moving. No interest.

28. Padres - The money isn’t there, and Petco Park is the one thing other than injuries that could keep A-Rod from challenging Bonds’ home run record.

29. Pirates - A-Rod and the Steel City aren’t a match.

30. Twins - Actually, let’s rank them 31st behind the Yomiuri Giants.