Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is banking on the William Morris Agency LLC to improve his image and boost sponsorship income from companies that are concerned about his off-field profile.

The three-time Most Valuable Player's Yankees contract is worth a record $275 million over 10 years, dwarfing the $6 million Sports Illustrated projects he'll pick up in endorsements this year. Tiger Woods will earn $105 million from sponsors in 2008, the magazine said.

William Morris is taking on a 32-year-old who generated headlines this month when his wife Cynthia filed for divorce after six years. She alleged that Rodriguez frequented strip clubs and was having an affair with singer Madonna, something the baseball player and singer have denied.

"A-Rod needs a steady hand to manage all aspects of how he is positioned within and beyond baseball," said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. "William Morris delivers that steadiness, as well as a deep set of relationships with corporate America."

Of the 50 highest-paid American athletes on the Sports Illustrated list, Rodriguez, who ranks seventh overall, is 20th by endorsement income. Basketball player LeBron James, racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. all make more than $20 million, Sports Illustrated said.

Rodriquez endorses PepsiCo Inc., Nike Inc., Oasys Mobile Inc., a closely held software maker for mobile phones, Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. and the Topps Company Inc., which makes baseball cards, according to his Web site.

Specifics of the affiliation weren't disclosed by the player or the Los Angeles-based talent and literary agency, which dates back to 1898 and has represented screen actors such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

"Partnering with William Morris will enable me to broaden the scope of my career in creative and innovative ways," Rodriguez said yesterday in a statement. "I'm excited to see what we'll be able to accomplish together, both domestically and abroad."

Other William Morris clients include National Basketball Association players Dwyane Wade and Kevin Garnett, National Football League quarterback Vince Young, racecar driver Juan Pablo Montoya, tennis player Serena Williams and golfer Michelle Wie. The agency also works with the National Football League and the National Hockey League.

Rodriguez ranks 13th in baseball history with 539 home runs over his 15-year major-league career and may pass Barry Bonds as the sport's all-time home run king if he remains healthy. This season the 11-time All-Star leads the Yankees with 21 home runs and 62 runs batted in.

Rodriguez is in his fifth season in New York, the U.S.'s largest media market. Cynthia Rodriguez's divorce petition, filed in a Florida court July 7, alleged that the marriage broke down because of her husband's "extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct."

"It will be critical for (Rodriguez and William Morris) to work together to avoid any lasting damage to his personal brand," Carter, of the USC Sports Business Institute, said in an e-mail.

Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, said he's still representing the player in baseball-related negotiations.

"I haven't been doing his marketing work, so there's no change there," Boras said in a telephone interview.

With the Yankees last season, Rodriguez won his third American League MVP award after hitting .314 with 54 homers and a career-high 156 runs batted in.

Rodriguez, who spent his first 10 major-league seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, has struggled in postseason play the past three years, hitting just .135 with one homer and one RBI in 13 playoff games.