Sources: A-Rod Likely to Play for U.S. By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

Team USA has been told by credible sources that Alex Rodriguez will probably play for the Americans during the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but the team is awaiting confirmation before rosters have to be set later this month, said one of USA Baseball's top officials.

"We've heard through unofficial channels that A-Rod will be playing for us," Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's vice president of on-field baseball operations and USA Baseball's general manager, told MLB.com on Thursday. "Now we're waiting for confirmation from A-Rod's camp, the players association and the Yankees."

Sixty-man rosters for each of the 16 teams competing in the tournament must be submitted on Jan. 17. At that point, drug testing under international rules begins and any player not already committed at that point can't participate in the tournament. The games are currently scheduled from March 3-20 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan. It will be the first international baseball tournament in history to include Major League players.

Watson said Team USA intends to announce its complete roster on Jan. 17. Team Canada said on Wednesday that its roster will be announced on Jan. 14 at a press conference in Toronto.

Reports have been swirling for days that Rodriguez, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, has changed his mind and will commit to participating in the event for the U.S. Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman, said recently in a published report that he would rather not play than offend either his native Dominican Republic or the U.S.

Rodriguez spent the early years of his life living in the Dominican, but was raised in Miami where he went to high school.

Scott Boras, A-Rod's agent, told The New York Times that his client had agreed to discuss the issue with baseball officials.

"Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have requested that he talk with them," Boras said in Thursday's editions. "And that is something he's going to do in the next week or so."

Rodriguez has been on vacation with his family since the holidays, and told the New York Post in Thursday's editions that he would not be back in New York until Jan. 29.

The decision must obviously be made long before that.

"If you look at the history of this, A-Rod has already changed his mind at few times," Watson said. "When we rolled out the names at the Winter Meetings back in December, you'll remember we said at the time that he would play, but he hadn't made up his mind between the Dominican and the U.S. Then he said he wouldn't play so he wouldn't offend either country, and now we've heard he'll be playing for us."

In December, A-Rod said during a radio interview that he was leaning toward playing for the Dominican Republic, but told the Post just days later that he would skip the event altogether.

"After thoughtful deliberations with my family, I am announcing my decision to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic," Rodriguez told the paper. "When faced with the decision to choose between my country, the United States of America, and my Dominican heritage, I decided I will not dishonor either."

Buck Martinez, the manager of Team USA, said he has had no direct contact with Rodriguez and he has not been informed officially of any change in his status.

"I've heard the same thing everybody else is hearing, but nothing firm," Martinez said when reached by telephone on Wednesday. "I think this is a tougher decision for him than anyone really imagines."

The U.S. team already has commitments from such stars as Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, Roger Clemens, who is a free agent, Ken Griffey Jr. of the Cincinnati Reds, Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins and Derek Jeter of the Yankees.

The only other Yankees currently planning to play in the WBC are Johnny Damon for Team USA, Robinson Cano for the Dominican and Bernie Williams for Puerto Rico. Hideki Matsui recently told the Japanese team that he would not be playing for them in the tournament.

The Yankees were the only one of the 30 Major League clubs that abstained from voting for the tournament when the owners passed it with a 29-0 vote during a meeting at Philadelphia in August 2004, Watson said.

Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. Mark Feinsand contributed to this story. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.