Alex Rodriguez is about to seal a multimillion dollar deal for a tell-all book about his legal battle with MLB, with which he plans to lift the lid on the “full dirt of Major League Baseball’s tactics” he claims have been used against him.
Sources exclusively tell Page Six that HarperCollins and Random House are two of the top publishers battling for the real A-Rod story, and that a deal could be signed in the next few weeks.
Alex has also recently had several meetings with filmmaker Billy Corben — whose work includes the acclaimed “Cocaine Cowboys,” which depicts Miami drug culture in the 1970s and ’80s — about making a documentary about his battle to stay on the field.
A source tells us: “A number of publishers are vying for the book, with offers coming in over $5 million. Alex has met with several publishers over the past few weeks and has meetings with others right after the new year.
“This book is going to go into the real low-down dirt of MLB tactics and collusion with the Yankees to get him out of the game. Alex has also had meetings with Billy Corben on a ‘30 for 30’-type documentary about his story.”
Corben’s studio, Rakontur, set up with partner Alfred Spellman, produced “The U,” a documentary about the championship history of the University of Miami football program for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series. It became the highest-rated documentary in the network’s 30-year history when it debuted in December 2009. Alex has long-standing ties with the university.
The source noted it’s unlikely ESPN would screen an A-Rod doc, given its close relationship with MLB, but Corben could take it to HBO.
The Yankee third baseman is waiting to hear if his 211-game suspension will be upheld by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz but remains optimistic that he will be allowed to play next season. The ruling is expected to be handed down in January.
The lucrative book deal comes at a good time. Alex’s legal fees from this process will be astronomical and, if he is suspended, he could lose more than a year’s pay — $25 million for 2014.