Any player that has been linked to steroids, like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens, has had their path to the Hall of Fame derailed, and that is certainly true of Rodriguez. He will then be unconditionally released by the club, which will still be obligated to pay the remainder of his contract, after which Rodriguez is expected to sign a contract for his new responsibilities.
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After a surprising revival in 2015, when he finished with 33 homers, Rodriguez has struggled throughout this season.
“It’s been very painful and embarrassing to sit on the bench”. “So from that stance, I’m very happy we found this solution”.
This is a much more abrupt sendoff than the last Yankees star’s retirement. His batting average is just.204, and he has a mere 9 home runs and 29 runs batted in.
When the fourth-place Yankees (56-55) jettisoned veterans Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran leading up to last week’s trade deadline, they made it clear they were turning toward a youth movement.
A-Rod’s personality, preparation and his willingness to tutor young players have allowed him to withstand two steroid controversies and his scorched-earth campaign during the Biogenesis scandal; he threatened lawsuits against the Yankees, their team physician, Major League Baseball and the players’ union. A-Rod singled out Steinbrenner, who was not present, saying, “I’m grateful to you and the faith you’re showing in me today”.
“This is another way I can bring value to the franchise”, Rodriguez said. “I’m obviously disappointed but I’m also at peace with their decision”. He has had just one start and seven at-bats in 14 games since July 22.
As fate would have it, three of those games will be against the Boston Red Sox – at Fenway Park, no less.
“‘Nothing ever ends the way you want it to, ‘” the source said Rodriguez was told.
He will play his final game on Friday, August 12, and sign a new contract to work with the club running through the 2017 season. “There’ll be a lot of people flying in from all over the country to get here”. At that Wednesday meeting, the idea of offering Rodriguez the post of special adviser, playing on his affinity for working with young players, was hatched. “He’s been a leader and a mentor”.
The reactions to the conclusion of Alex Rodriguez’s playing career weren’t reserved to those connected with the Yankees. Mattingly expects Rodriguez to find success in whatever he pursues next, be it coaching or broadcasting or anything else.
The announcement came today in an emotional press conference called by the Yankees organization.
A-Rod’s new duties will begin in earnest next spring training, where he’ll also serve as a guest instructor. I’m invested in these kids. That earned him a minor league deal with the Braves, and after he put up good numbers at Double-A and Triple-A toward the end of last season, he put himself in contention for a spot in this year’s Atlanta bullpen.
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He won his second and third AL MVP awards with the Yankees but has been a pariah for some since his 2009 admission he used performance-enhancing drugs while with Texas earlier in his career. The two met face-to-face a few times, and A-Rod said he asked for one more chance to play in front of a NY crowd. I think about him as a teammate and the guy he was to me.
