ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers officially cut ties Saturday with Ivan Rodriguez, refusing to offer salary arbitration to the 10-time All-Star catcher.

	Ivan Rodriguez Catcher Texas Rangers Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 108 19 60 67 5 .314

With no fanfare came the official and expected end of Rodriguez's tenure with the team for which he made his major league debut as a 19-year-old kid midway through the 1991 season.

''This was a very tough decision and certainly one that will be painful for the fans,'' Rangers owner Tom Hicks said. ''Ivan Rodriguez has been an outstanding performer for the Texas Rangers. With his 10 All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves and 1999 MVP award, he has earned his reputation as one of the top catchers of all times.''

Later Saturday night, the Rangers ended contract negotiations with left-hander Kenny Rogers without a new deal.

Rogers, who turned 38 last month, wanted at least a three-year agreement. Rangers general manager John Hart said the Rangers offered more than $10 million for two seasons, with an option for a third year based on performance.

Because of a clause in the contract Rogers signed when he returned to Texas three years ago, the Rangers couldn't offer arbitration. Rogers is 145-106 in 14 major league seasons, 10 of those in two stints with the Rangers.

By not offering arbitration for Rodriguez or signing Rogers, the Rangers can't re-sign either player before May 1. They won't get any compensation if Rodriguez signs with another team.

The Rangers want to reduce their $107 million payroll, and the team didn't feel it could afford the chance of Rodriguez accepting arbitration that could give him more than $12 million next season.

''I wish baseball's economic system and arbitration process did not force this decision at this time and in this way,'' Hicks said.

Hart said the offer to Rogers was higher than expected, but the GM insisted that wasn't an indication the Rangers were changing their financial plans.

''This was a reach on Tom's part in an attempt to bring back a guy we felt had been a loyal Ranger,'' Hart said. ''Quite frankly, we're not looking at $5 million as what we can spend on a pitcher. We have a certain dollar amount, which is limited.''

Texas didn't offer arbitration or new contracts to outfielder Todd Hollandsworth, catcher Bill Haselman or left-handed reliever Rich Rodriguez.

Right-hander Rudy Seanez on Friday signed a minor league deal that would be worth $750,000 if he makes the majors.

Ivan Rodriguez played 1,479 games with Texas, hitting .305 with 215 homers and 829 RBI. He will get a $2 million severance fee from the Rangers.

''Given our plan for the Rangers in 2003 and down the road and with the deadline, this situation could play out in no other manner,'' Hicks said. ''It's hard for me to imagine Pudge Rodriguez in a uniform other than the Texas Rangers. On and off the field, Pudge has provided a lifetime of memories.''

The Rangers acquired Rodriguez's likely replacement Friday when they got Einar Diaz from Cleveland as part of a four-player trade. The Rangers also got right-hander Ryan Drese while giving up first baseman Travis Hafner and right-hander Aaron Myette.

Rodriguez, who turned 31 last month, missed nearly two months early last season because of a herniated disk in his back, but hit .314 with 19 homers and 60 RBI in 108 games.

For the first time since his rookie season, when he joined the Rangers only a couple of weeks before the All-Star game, Rodriguez wasn't on the AL All-Star team. He also saw the end of his streak of 10 straight Gold Gloves that tied Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for the most ever.

Since he was the AL MVP in 1999, when he was the first catcher since Thurman Munson in 1976 to win that award, Rodriguez has been hampered by injuries. He also missed the end of the 2000 and 2001 seasons, and has missed 176 games in three seasons after missing just 153 the previous nine years.

Rodriguez was hitting .347 with 27 homers and 83 RBI through 91 games in 2000 when a broken thumb ended his season. In 2001, he played 111 games (.308, 25 homers, 65 RBI) before having knee surgery for tendinitis.

Diaz, 30, is coming off an injury-plagued season of his own. He broke a rib in a home-plate collision the first month of the season, then missed the last six weeks because of a hyperextended right elbow sustained in another collision.

The Rangers had Diaz checked by their doctors Thursday and watched him during the Arizona Fall League, and are satisfied that he is healthy.

Without Rogers, the only proven veteran starter on the Texas roster is Chan Ho Park, who was 9-8 with a 5.75 ERA while missing eight weeks of his first Texas season because of a pulled hamstring and a blistered finger.