Yankees break up with A-Rod, but they can still be friends?

Alex Rodriguez (Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

Well, the Yankees have finally done it. Last Wednesday, Alex Rodriguez got called into the principal’s office, and not even his 696 career home runs and endless marketing appeal could talk him out of detention this time.

Hal Steinbrenner worked out an exit-strategy with the beleaguered slugger. It consists of one last week in pinstripes, followed by 16 months of getting paid his full salary to not play for the Yankees. Instead he will become a special advisor to Hal, similar to the role Reggie Jackson played with George.

The real question is, can Alex suit up for another team after Friday? The answer is, we don’t know yet. That’s because the legal underwriting of his new deal has not yet been disclosed, but if A-Rod is allowed to pursue other on-field options, the smart money is on him suiting up again at some point for another team.

Rodriguez has roughly $26.4 million owed to him over the final year-plus of his contract with the Yankees, a small penance for what Alex has contributed to the franchise over his 12-year stay in the Bronx.

He will go down as one of the most polarizing Yankees of all time, but his numbers speak for themselves. Regardless of your personal feelings towards him, Alex should be remembered as one of the all-time greats to wear the pinstripes.

A-Rod’s 351 homers as a Yankee ranks him 6th on the franchise’s all-time list, trailing only the iconic names of Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Yogi.

He won two MVPs and was instrumental in the team’s 2009 World Series title, something Brian Cashman went out of his way to emphasize during Sunday’s press conference, as the GM emphatically put his ring on the table for all the media to see (and gawk at).

Friday will be a bittersweet day for many Yankee fans. A player they’ve grown to love (and hate) will say his farewell at a relatively meaningless August game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Good luck Alex in all your future endeavors, I’m sure we will be seeing you soon on the Fox postseason broadcasts.