Alex Rodriguez Retires On Friday But He Ll Keep Earning A Fortune From The Yankees

A-Rod seemed understandably pretty sad to be leaving baseball, but financially at least he’s coming out with a pretty incredible deal. According to the USA Today story on his retirement, he’s set to receive the entirety of his remaining salary under his 10-year contract with the organization through 2017. That includes $7 million for the rest of this year, plus $21 million for next year, and he won’t have to swing a bat once to get it – instead serving the team as an advisor for the rest of the span of his contract. That’s a lot of money, but it’s practically pocket change for A-Rod – a figure not wholly reflected by his generous $300 million net worth is the $452 million in on-field earnings Rodriguez has taken home over the course of his career, which, according to ESPN money expert Darren Rovell places him at the top of the list of career earners among not just baseball but all four of the major team sports. Money wasn’t the focus of the A-Rod press conference, though, which was instead centered on his sadness on leaving the Yankees but also the positive nature of the decision. Here’s a little bit of Yankees’ chairman Hal Steinbrenner’s statement on A-Rod’s diminished, but still important role in the team’s future: Alex Rodriguez is 41 years old, and despite surprising many naysayers with a better-than-expected 2015 season with his 3,000th hit and 33 home runs. But his other stats have declined steadily, perhaps most clearly in his playing time, and it seems that it was time to walk away before sinking further. Yankees GM Brian Cashman also spoke as part of the announcement, emphasizing the fact that A-Rod’s decision to leave the team’s roster was a mutual one: And so, A-Rod will play his final game this Friday night vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. He’ll have the chance to put the finishing touches on his remarkable career, including his career 696 home runs, which places him fourth in the entire history of the sport. Then, it will be up to the historians and the fans to sort out all the numerous peaks and valleys of Rodriguez’s time in baseball.