Yankees Could Trade Alex Rodriguez to Dodgers, L.A. Contacts New York About Sabathia and Teixeira

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Los Angeles has talked to the Bronx Bombers about taking on some of their bigger contracts. There are no signs that they had discussions with the team about Rodriguez, but they did inquire about C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

Sabathia is set to make $99 million over the next fuor years, while Teixeira is owed $90 million from 2013-2016. The Yankees haven't indicated that they are looking to move the pitcher or the first baseman, but the Dodgers are attempting to trade for big stars, instead of signing them in the offseason.

L.A. has traded for Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett in the past month. All four players are owed a combined $292.5 million after this season.

Rodriguez has five years and $114 million left on his contract after this year. Sherman reports that New York would like to get rid of the third baseman, because of the size of his deal.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner wants the team to lower its payroll below $189 by 2014, so they don't have to pay luxury tax penalties. Trading Rodriguez would make that goal much more realistic.

Despite L.A.'s willingness to take on a lot of salary, they might be hesitant to acquire a player like Rodriguez. At 37 years old, his production has decreased from the time he signed his contract. His .807 OPS this year is the worst in his career, since he played his first full season in 1996.

The future Hall of Famer has also been injury prone of late. A broken left hand has kept him out for the past month, and he hasn't played at least 140 games since 2007.

Los Angeles might be swayed by Rodriguez's star power. He's one of the more recognizable names in the MLB, and could break multiple league records before he retires. He's just 118 home runs shy of tying Barry Bonds' all-time record.

The Dodgers new ownership group has shown that it is willing to take on big contracts, and might trade for Rodriguez, even if they have to pay the majority of his salary. Sherman reports that Los Angeles might even extend their payroll past $250 million.

The Yankees currently have the largest payroll at just under $200 million. With their current roster, the Dodgers are looking at a payroll of $192.6 million in 2013.

Rodriguez could reject any trade to L.A. because of his no-trade clause.