Rodriguez deal with Texas 'virtually complete'

DALLAS -- Alex Rodriguez and the Texas Rangers virtually completed a deal Monday that could make the All-Star shortstop the highest-paid athlete in sports history, The Associated Press learned.

Representatives of the All-Star shortstop and the Rangers were drafting the agreement, two baseball sources familiar with the negotiations said Monday on the condition they not be identified.

Nothing had been signed as of 11 a.m. CST, but the deal was "virtually complete," said the sources, one of whom is close to Rodriguez and the other close to the Rangers. The final numbers of the deal were still be negotiated, both sources said, with the payout schedule one of the factors.

After a full day of negotiations Sunday stretched into early Monday, Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said he was working on a 10- to 12-year contract that would give his client the ability to opt out at certain points.

Baseball officials have widely expected the contract to top $200 million, which would make it the largest in the history of sports.