That’s what’s so sad about him. He has everything, and yet he has so little.

All the money has not brought him serenity, nor has it won him the approval of the fans or the affection of his own teammates. You see him playing a team game alone, and you wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

That’s why he won’t end up in Boston. The Red Sox had generations of teams that were characterized by 25 players taking 25 cabs. No wonder they spent 86 years between championships. Now, they’ve won twice in four seasons by becoming a band of brothers who seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. They have stars, but you think of them as a true team. To add a person who has never had many friends in the clubhouses he’s inhabited doesn’t make sense.

That was a problem in New York. His own teammates didn’t particularly like him because no matter how much he talked about wanting to fit in, it always ended up being more about him than about the team. He may say he didn’t want it that way, but he’s the one who allows his agent to set up above and apart from everyone else in the game. And as much as we say the money doesn’t really matter, it’s impossible to ignore. Last year, he was the best player in the game, but isn’t that what he’s paid to be?

The Yankees will miss his production, but they’ll be better off without him.

In Anaheim or Chicago, he’ll put up big numbers, as he always has, and he’ll help his teams get to the playoffs. I have no idea if he’ll win a World Series. You’d think he’d have to sooner or later. After all, the Red Sox and the White Sox did it, why not him?

But it’s also possible he never will get that ring.. Right now, the Red Sox are the platinum standard in the game and the Yankees are the Yankees. And then there are bunches of moderate-payroll teams horning in on the postseason party. It’s still a crap shoot, and the farther he goes from New York or Boston, the longer the odds are against him.

On the other hand, he’ll have a lot of money. That means a lot to him.

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