Has Alex Rodriguez finally accepted he won't be playing baseball this year?

Is Alex Rodriguez finally throwing in the towel? Photograph: Dominick Reuter/Reuters

Questions have surrounded Alex Rodriguez since he first emerged as one of the central figures in the Biogenesis scandal a year ago. Did he take performance-enhancing drugs? Would he be suspended? How many games could he get? What did he actually take? How much money could he lose? Would he play? Would he appeal? Would he sue?

After months of waiting, a clearer picture has emerged as to what Major League Baseball believes A-Rod was guilty of and what his future is. First MLB’s star witness, Anthony Bosch, appeared on the CBS program 60 Minutes detailing his version of events. Then the report written by the independent arbitrator who presided over the case, Fredric Horowitz, was made public after it was included as a part of a suit filed by A-Rodagainst both MLB and his own union, the MLB Players' Association.

Now we have a new question to add to the pile - has A-Rod given up?

Rodriguez struck a conciliatory tone while addressing the media, in Spanish, from an event in Mexico.

I think that in the year 2014, the league could have done me a favor because I've played 20 years without a timeout. I think 2014 will be a year to rest, mentally, physically prepare myself for the future and begin a new chapter of my life.

The league is doing A-Rod, a-favor? A new chapter in his life? What?

This doesn’t sound anything like the A-Rod that walked out of his appeal hearing, slamming his fists on the table after being told he would not face his chief accuser, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. The slugger who then ran out to WFAN radio in New York City to definitely deny every single charge against him. The A-Rod who said he was “fighting for his life” in the run up to his appeal. Or the A-Rod who has spent some ungodly amount of money on a legal defense team that has thus far put up a goose egg in return.

I have three years left on my contract starting in 2015 and I hope to play very well and finish my career in New York.

What a difference a few days can make. Rodriguez is suddenly talking about the future, one that doesn’t include this season, even as a lawsuit circulates through the system seeking to overturn the judgement against him, one that would potentially have A-Rod back in Yankees' pinstripes as if nothing ever happened.

What changed? Well, for one, Rodriguez and his legal team must be reconciling what the rest of the baseball world already knows - that judges almost always refuse to hear cases when a collectively bargained arbitration process is in place, meaning that it’s the longest of long shots for A-Rod to even get his case into court. 

Then there’s the fact that after everything he’s been through - and whether you approve or disapprove of A-Rod, and whether you believe he brought all of this upon himself or not - it’s hard to argue that this process must be an emotionally draining, that the 38-year-old may finally have run out of gas. If not, it sure sounded that way.

It's a very sad story, and we hope we can take it out of the newspapers and I hope we can start concentrating on all the good things the big league is doing with all the young players moving forward.

A-Rod’s spokesperson Ron Berkowitz added:

This process has been taxing both mentally and physically throughout the past eight months.

Derek Jeter had his words to describe the goings on with the three-time MVP. Speaking at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino, the Yankees shortstop told the New York Post that:

As a teammate, you're saddened by the whole thing, the whole thing has been kind of messy...I mean, he's human, I'm sure it's a rough situation.

I’d count that as sympathy from a teammate, and thus, some positive news for A-Rod. There was more to come for Rodriguez, this time from his boss, Hal Steinbrenner, who spoke to MLB.com:

He's a great player. I have not thought about 2015 nor am I going to. My focus has to be on right now. But when he's on and when he's healthy he is obviously an asset. Let's see what happens. Those of you who know me, I'm pretty objective in my thinking. This is business. I'm just focusing on the team. A player - is that player an asset to the team or not? That's as far as I want to go. I don't get personal.

That Hal doesn’t get personal can definitely be considered good news for the player. After all, we’re talking about someone who has more or less waged war on his own organization, accusing the Yankees of playing games with his health while engaging in a medical malpractice lawsuit with former team doctor Chris Ahmad, not to mention other issues that have brought the Yankees and A-Rod’s relationship to DEFCON 1 over the years.

So, has A-Rod thrown in the towel? Well, we’ll get a more up-to-date look at A-Rod’s position once Spring Training rolls around. Rodriguez wants to attend, which is his right - and you could even argue that even though he wouldn’t play an inning in 2014, being involved in the rite of spring would help keep his biological baseball clock ticking. More likely, it would be seen as a provocation to his employers, and so if whether or not he reports to the Tampa training complex in just over a month's time will be a strong indicator as to the slugger's willingness to drop his gloves and move on. At least for 2014. According to the New York Daily News, the best place for A-Rod to spend 2014 is behind a microphone talking baseball in 2014. Whether he plays or not, we will still see plenty of Rodriguez in 2014.