NYDN - Alex Rodriguez is taking his wildest swing yet in his fight against steroid allegations: The Yankees and MLB are conspiring to push him out of the game. Sources say the embattled Yankee star is “scared” that bigger forces are at work to try to discredit him and sink his career. Holed up in Miami, Rodriguez has been huddling with an army of lawyers and PR people as the performance-enhancing drug scandal enveloping him intensifies. “He’s scared, because he thinks this is so unbelievably false, and he’s wondering who could be behind this,” said a source, referring to last week’s Miami New Times report linking A-Rod to an alleged Miami-area performance-enhancing drug scandal. “He thinks something could be going on larger than anyone might think.” The source added that Rodriguez is wondering if the Yankees or even Major League Baseball are behind the latest controversy. A-Rod’s concerns intensified as agents from MLB’s Department of Investigations met in Miami Monday with editors of Miami New Times, a weekly newspaper that posted hand-written records and files last Tuesday linking Rodriguez and several other players to Anthony Bosch, a self-described “biochemist” who is being investigated by baseball and federal authorities for possibly providing performance-enhancing drugs to the players.

Well lets think about this logically – what’s more likely:

A 37 year old superstar who is a shell of his former self is the butt of everyones joke because he’s old and broken down but still making $120 million over the next 5 years so he turns back to PEDs because he’s desperate.

OR

The Yankees stupidly gave Alex Rodriguez a 10 year, $275 million extension and are now staring down the barrel of paying him well into his 40s so they have concocted a drug scandal in an effort to get him suspended, force him to retire, or try to void his contract because they’re so desperate.

You know what? I’m not so sure either are that far fetched. Not when there’s this much money involved. When $120 million is in the balance and the reputations and legacies of both the Yankees and Arod are on the line, I think anything is possible. Do I think the Yankees completely fabricated this story? No. Is there a 99.9% chance that Arod always was and always will be a cheater and he’s been caught twice now because he’s an idiot? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Yankees did a little digging and a little due diligence on their $275 million man to see if there’s anything they can work with to somehow, someway, get out of the remainder of this contract. I’m not saying I believe in a full blown conspiracy theory with the Yankees, I could just see them letting this info leak out when in the past maybe they’d do whatever it takes to keep it under wraps. That’s how disgusted I think they are with this guy. Cashman never wanted him. Jeter’s always hated him. Torre never liked him. The fans hate him. He’s an embarrasment in the media. They’re so sick of the drama and the lack of production I just wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t look for any opportunity to get him off the books. It will never happen – but they’re desperate enough to kick the tires on any remote possibility.