Alex Rodriguez planning to sit out the rest of the season

At 1 p.m. ET on Monday, one of the greatest baseball players of all-time became a free-agent. When the clock struck 1 p.m., Alex Rodriguez officially became former New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez. He was free to sign with any club.

There were obstacles, of course. Rodriguez is 41 years old, and has hit just .200/.247/.351 over 243 plate appearances before his release. On top of that, there’s his past baggage. Still, Rodriguez has stated he would like to continue playing baseball, and his name is strong enough to draw in fans hoping to see his pursuit of 700 career home runs.

That’s probably not going to happen any time soon. According to Rodriguez’s spokesperson, the former All-Star isn’t going to play for another team this season.

“I want to put all this talk to rest about Alex playing for any team this season. It’s not happening.”–
ARod spokesman Ron Berkowitz

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) August 15, 2016

Sigh. Well, that was fun for about a minute.

While it didn’t seem like A-Rod was drawing a ton of interest, stories cropped up over the past few days that the Miami Marlins could take a shot on him. Rodriguez lives in Miami, and would be able to be with his family during home games.

The Marlins apparently considered the idea, but did not have formal discussions with Rodriguez, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.

Alex Rodriguez was among players the #Marlins considered, as Hill told reporters yesterday, but there was no formal dialogue today. @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 15, 2016

Other than that, there hasn’t been a whole lot of buzz on Rodriguez.

If he still does want to play, it’s possible Rodriguez will take the next few months off in order to prep himself for a 2017 comeback. It’s a risky idea, but it’s possible Rodriguez is just beat down physically and mentally after a tough 2016. If he takes these next two months to get himself right, and then tirelessly prepares for the 2017 season, it’s possible he can convince another team to give him a shot.

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At the same time, it might be tough to turn down a legitimate opportunity. If things change, and a team comes calling, maybe A-Rod will change his mind. As of right now, though, any thought of a comeback tour looks to be on hold for at least the next two months.

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