Whew. For a couple of weeks there, I was wondering what we’re all going to write about 24/7/365 if Alex Rodriguez actually lands in another baseball city.

Now it appears that A-Rod’s coming back to the Bronx, back to the team his agent stabbed in the back during the final game of the World Series, when he opted out of the last three years of A-Rod’s contract. Opted out without telling the Yankees he was doing so. Opted out 10 days earlier than he needed to opt out—in other words, telling the Yankees to take a hike. Opted out, costing the Yankees $21.3 million in salary the Texas Rangers were going to subsidize under the previous contract. Opted out, telling the Yankees that, in order to begin negotiating with Rodriguez, the initial offer was going to have to be $350 million.

Now it appears that A-Rod is swallowing some pride and not going for every last nickel (as Boras would do) in order to come back to the Yankees, for slightly less money—but still the most money any athlete has ever made in the history of North American sports.

Or is he? I’m not totally buying that Rodriguez, maybe even Boras, is using this ploy to get other teams into the bidding. I’m not going to be shocked if another team or two leap in, or if A-Rod lands elsewhere, having used the inexperienced Sons of Steinbrenner to get his mega-deal … which apparently wasn’t coming without the Yankees’ involvement.

But I also think the Sons of Steinbrenner realized that it was going to cost a fortune in money and untold fortunes in young pitching prospects to reasonably fill the giant hole at third base, and even more gigantic crater in the middle of their suddenly power-challenged lineup. I think Sons of Steinbrenner changed their minds (or is it mind?) and agreed to negotiate, especially once A-Rod made it sound like he wants less money to be happier in the Bronx than he would have been elsewhere.

Again, I’m not totally buying that. I do know the Yankees are better off with A-Rod, and they are much better off with A-Rod and all their young arms. I also know Rodriguez’s antics, though Boras, are going to cause him to come under more scrutiny than ever before. On the other hand, some fans will buy this as advertised, will look at it as Rodriguez taking less to remain a Yankee—even after the back-stabbing opt-out—and they will applaud him. They will say he may finally be earning his pinstripes.

We’ll see. But he’d better not go 0-for-8 at any time next season, and he’d better not go 0-for-3 in any postseason loss ever again.