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Yankees to hold a press conference for Alex Rodriguez on Sunday

This could be it.

By Jason Cohen
New York Mets v New York Yankees Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

A day after Mark Teixeira announced his retirement at a press conference, the Yankees have called another one, this time for Alex Rodriguez. With all the talk surrounding A-Rod not playing and what that could mean for his future with the organization, it would appear that at 11 AM tomorrow we will have our answer. It seems painfully obvious that the two sides will be parting ways.

Despite being under contract for another season, Rodriguez has hit a mere .204/.252/.356 this year, signifying that this could be it for him. He hasn’t appeared in a game since August 2 and has only played in 15 games since July 1. Now that Gary Sanchez is up with the team and serving as the designated hitter and more players coming soon, the Yankees might be ready to move on from their long-time slugger. It’s just a matter of how they are going to do it.

If they decided to release him, it is highly unlikely Rodriguez would be there holding a press conference. He would also never voluntarily retire and give up the $21 million he is owed for next year. The only reason they would have to hold a press conference would be to announce that A-Rod is retiring, so the two sides may have agreed to a buyout that will allow both sides to save face and part amicably.

Both Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi will be speaking to the media tomorrow, which they didn’t do at Teixeira’s press conference, but it’s hard to say what the significance of that would be. It could mean that him retiring will be immediate, instead of after the season, or it could be their way of displaying transparency in their handling of this situation.

Removing A-Rod from the roster would give them extra space to bring up more young players like Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin, and Ben Heller, who they have mentioned as candidates for call ups. It’s disappointing seeing him go out like this, especially after the excitement of last season, but with Rodriguez now 41 and the team in transition, it seems like the time would be now to move on.

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