Report: Alex Rodriguez told friends he's 'done' playing baseball
The Alex Rodriguez comeback tour may be over before it ever started. The former New York Yankees DH has reportedly told some close to him “I’m done” when it comes to playing baseball again, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball.
Rodriguez reportedly has told friends the news, but has yet to make public comments about his future plans. A-Rod is currently a free-agent, and has not officially retired. Shortly before he was released from his contract by the Yankees, Rodriguez said he thought he could still play.
While the Miami Marlins initially showed interest in bringing A-Rod aboard, they decided to pass. At that point, a spokesperson for Rodriguez said he wasn’t planning to catch on with a team this year.
The spokesperson didn’t mention 2017, however, and given A-Rod’s earlier comments, it seemed like that could still be in play. Maybe A-Rod would sit out these final two months and rest his body, and then prepare like crazy for the start of the 2017 season. That at least seemed possible.
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Now, it appears less likely. Though Rodriguez is 41 years old and would be coming off a season in which he hit just .200/.247/.351 in 243 plate appearances, he would probably still draw some interest from clubs. There’s even a chance a team starved for fans would sign him and push his pursuit of 700 career home runs. It’s unclear whether A-Rod would want to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick, though.
For those still holding out hope A-Rod comes back, don’t panic just yet. He hasn’t made any public announcements. He can take the next two months to really think on the decision. If he’s truly not going to retire, it makes the most sense to announce that during the offseason.
Just because A-Rod won’t play anymore doesn’t mean he won’t be involved in the game. He still has his advisory duties with the Yankees and, as Heyman mentions, would love to be part of an ownership group one day. A-Rod might be done playing the game, but his career within the game is just getting started.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
