Alex Rodriguez never said he wouldn't exercise his contractual right to opt out of the final three seasons of his contract following this year. However, he did say he wanted to be part of the 2009 Yankees. "I want to be a Yankee and I understand my contract and I understand my options," Rodriguez said. "My goal is to go in with Derek [Jeter] and Mo [Mariano Rivera] and open the new [Yankee] Stadium. It's pretty clear."