There’s no other way to put it: Alex Rodriguez’s announcement on Sunday that Friday would be his final day with the New York Yankees was shocking.
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At 56-55, NY is 7.5 games back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East and sits five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers from both of the league’s wild-card spots.
The Yankees’ veteran catcher is among the most likely players to be moved before the waiver trade deadline at the end of August.
At the Sunday news conference, Rodriguez did not completely dismiss the suggestion that he might play for another team. “I love this game and I love this team”, he said, often pausing or choking up. Rodriguez will continue on.
The broadcast home for A-Rod’s final game has not been announced. He has 3,114 career hits and 2,084 RBIs.
“This is a tough day“, Rodriguez said during the press conference at Yankee Stadium. “And today I’m saying goodbye”.
Rodriguez has a $20-million salary this year and is owed $20 million more in 2017, the final season of a $275-million, 10-year contract that was the baseball’s largest when he signed it.
GM Brian Cashman said his guess was that A-Rod’s retirement “was not a forced situation” based on conversations with Rodriguez and Steinbrenner.
The Yankees have been trying to get younger for the last couple of years.
Rodriguez had previously admitted he wanted to retire to spend more time with his two daughters, Natasha, 11, and Ella, eight, from his marriage to ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis. “It’s been painful and embarrassing and awkward”, Rodriguez said.
But he made it clear he still thinks he could contribute on the field. I never thought I could play for 22 years. “You always think you have one more hit in you or, help the team win one more game, for sure”, said Rodriguez. “That wasn’t in the cards”.
A-Rod, who said the decision was not forced upon him by Hal Steinbrenner – though he occasionally provided answers that suggested he felt compelled to accept the owner’s offer – said he will return “home” to Miami after Friday and begin his “duties” as an adviser and instructor next spring training. He will report directly to Steinbrenner, and the deal runs through December 31, 2017.
This is hard because this is a guy that you would love to say you had forever, that never goes away. I want to thank the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity and for making me part of this team and for giving me an opportunity to stay involved by mentoring the next generation of Yankees.
Part of Rodriguez’s new role will be providing feedback and analysis on the organization’s minor-league affiliates. By 1996, he was arguably the best young player in baseball. So Rodriguez gets the great Yankee treatment on Friday night. “He’s a great player but it’s time to go”. “I’ve always been a big fan of him and I’ve always loved watching him work”.
“Just kind of sad and happy all in one”. It is unclear how much Rodriguez will play in that series, according to manager Joe Girardi.
“We knew nothing. I got to the ball park at, I want to say around 9:30 yesterday [Sunday]”. After he retired on Friday, Rodriguez would become the Yankees personal steroid dealer for the rest of the season. “We all want to keep playing forever”.
He has 696 career home runs, and is just four away from joining the illustrious 700 Club, which now has just three members, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth, respectively.
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With Rodriguez’s pseudo-retirement press conference in the rearview mirror, many will look back on his career in the Bronx and remember the good, the bad and the ugly.
