TAMPA — We don’t have A-Rod to kick around anymore.
Alex Rodriguez, after completing his first day as a Yankees guest instructor, made his most definitive comments yet Tuesday that he will not be resuming his playing career.
In a news conference at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Rodriguez said, “Yes, I am,” when asked whether he is retired.
Asked whether any juices were flowing as he stood on the field in uniform and watched the Yankees practice, the 41-year-old responded, “Zero.”
“I haven’t had those thoughts,” A-Rod said later of a comeback. “I know that was kind of the general sense, that I would come back and play a last year. But being a Yankee means everything to me. I’m grateful to Hank and Hal [Steinbrenner] for the opportunity they gave me to rehab my life and get my life back in order from all the great mistakes that I’ve made. Walking out with my mother and my two daughters is something that I’ll never forget, and I thank Hal and the New York fans for giving me that night.”
Last Aug. 12, as part of an agreement with the Yankees, A-Rod played in his final game with the team and delivered an RBI double in a 6-3 victory over the Rays at Yankee Stadium. His family joined him on the field following the game.
The general sense of his continuing to play elsewhere stemmed largely from his career home run total being stuck at 696, so close to 700.
“I thought [of playing elsewhere] for a minute,” he said. “I flew the whole family home [to Miami] on that Friday night. I thought about it a little bit that weekend. I was fortunate enough to have a few offers, and I called them back and said, ‘No, thank you.’ Grateful. Appreciative for the opportunity. But again, the pinstripes mean so much to me.”
A-Rod didn’t identify which teams made him offers, but he made clear that, in addition to the sense of closure he gained, he didn’t feel he had much more to give. He slashed .250/.356/.486 with 33 homers on the Yankees in 2015, after serving a season-long suspension in 2014 for his involvement with illegal performance-enhancing drugs. But Rodriguez recorded a paltry line of .200/.247/.351 with nine homers last year before the Yankees released him. In this, the final year of the 10-year, $275-million deal he signed with the Yankees in 2007, he is receiving $21 million.
“I think, after serving the suspension, I put so much effort to [2015], I honestly think I emptied the tank,” Rodriguez said. “For me, having the opportunity that Hal gave me to not only come back and finish strong, but also to kind of get my life back together, to me, that was where the win was for me.”
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