Sobbing A-Rod Announces The Yankees Are Ending His Career

The New York Yankees called a press conference this morning to announce that Alex Rodriguez’s career as a Yankee will end next week. His final game will be on Friday against the Rays, after which the Yankees will release him, and he will retire and become a “special advisor and instructor” to the club.

Rodriguez, who fought with the Yankees last season over honoring his home run milestones and paying his bonuses, has only started 55 games this season, all of them at DH. He is hitting a miserly .204, and slugging just .356. But with the Yankees playing .500 ball, why not let him hit and try for 700 homers?

There is still about $7 million left on Rodriguez’s contract for this season, and another full year at $21 million. The press conference didn’t address whether Rodriguez will receive all of that money, though he will have a special advisor contract that will run through the end of 2017.

Rodriguez said that his retirement was Hal Steinbrenner’s idea, and according to a release from Steinbrenner, Rodriguez will work with prospects throughout the Yankees’ farm system, and serve as an instructor at spring training next season.

Crying as he spoke to the press, Rodriguez said, “We all want to keep playing forever. But it doesn’t work that way.”