Breaking down A-Rod's retirement thought process

After the 2017 season, Alex Rodriguez is calling it quits and retiring from the game of baseball. Or not. Earlier this week, Rodriguez was speaking with a reporter when he accidentally retired, which is something that happens pretty frequently, by which I mean never. He then made it clear that he is not retiring. But for something like that to come up, A-Rod has to be at least thinking about it. I’m picturing Rodriguez getting a yellow legal pad and making a pros and cons list with a sharpie he had in a junk drawer. So what was he thinking when he decided to retire and then “unretire”? We can only speculate, but I image his thought process looked something like this: “I’m not done yet, why would I retire now?” Through frequent training sessions (most of which end up on multiple social media channels), and what has to be some freak genetics, A-Rod has remained productive well into the twilight of his career. Last year he hit .250 with 33 home runs and 86 RBI, his most since 2010. All of this at the age of 39-40. Add in a 3.1 WAR and you had a steady contributor in 2015 (albeit with some expected fading in the second half of the season). With decent numbers at this point his career, A-Rod has to be considering the possibility of staying in the league, producing slightly-less-than-decent numbers and still getting paid pretty well. I would unretire too. “I’m certainly not done tormenting Brian Cashman.” During the 2013 season and A-Rod’s 2014 suspension, things came to head between him and the Yankees organization. Things were said, doctors were quoted, and threats of litigation were flying. Suddenly, the Yankees were engrossed in a reality TV type storyline, and I couldn’t look away. But now? Things are downright amicable! After his suspension, A-Rod came back a changed man. He was focused on getting healthy, being a leader, and winning. He said all the right things, but more importantly, didn’t say stupid things. He was hitting and contributing to a Yankees team that showed some serious playoff potential. Basically, people wanted to know what happened to the real A-Rod. However, it’s unlikely there still isn’t some bad blood between A-Rod and Cashman, even if it’s deep down and Cashman only writes about it in his diary. Sticking around until after his contract with the Yankees is over, and ending up with another team, or somehow finagling some weird deal with the Yankees, would be A-Rod’s ultimate victory. “That’s now how I wanted to announce my retirement.” We’re talking about Alex Rodriguez. This is not the type of person who casually mentions his retirement, in passing, to a reporter and then sits back, reading various articles reacting to his retirement from the comfort of his beach house. No, he announces it at a press conference, wearing an A-Rod Corp moisture-wicking polo, after which both Hank and Hal light his cigar and he takes softball questions and then does the MLB tour, receiving gifts or at the very least, accolades from every team in the majors. A-Rod had to have noticed the type of farewell tour Derek Jeter took part in during his final season. And I would be absolutely shocked if he doesn’t expect the same reception. “As my skills shift to different areas of the game, I can continue providing leadership to younger players.” With the above mentioned absence of Derek Jeter, A-Rod has become something of a club house leader and mentor to younger players. And if that sentence doesn’t scare you senseless then you’re a tougher person than I am. A-Rod even gave base-stealing advice to Brett Gardner. You read that correctly. So maybe he’s not an everyday third baseman. Maybe he’s not even an everyday designated hitter. A-Rod still thinks he has something to offer the game, even if it’s advice and leadership for other players. And maybe he realized he can offer that beyond 2017. “A-Rod Corp isn’t even close to being a profitable company yet.” A-Rod Corp, a corporation that supposedly dates back to September of 2014, really took off in early 2016 when A-Rod starting posting photos of himself looking at a computer screen. With a website that’s perpetually under construction, and a logo that looks like someone either swinging a bat, or fly fishing/golfing/slaying Goliath, it’s been nearly impossible to figure out what A-Rod Corp does. And if the business plan isn’t obvious, then I really doubt it’s bringing in enough money for A-Rod to leave lucrative baseball and endorsement contracts, and stare at computer screens more than he already does. But knowing A-Rod, he probably has a contract with an unheard of smoothie company that pays him 2.5 million a year through 2038. So this is probably the least likely reason he unretired. It turns out what A-Rod was talking about was his deal with the Yankees, and NOT his baseball career, something he apparently plans to prolong until they need to wheel him up to the plate. I’m excited to see what A-Rod has up his sleeve for 2018.