5 questions that need answering after A-Rod's announcement

The baseball world is set to celebrate A-Rod week after the 14-time All-Star announced Friday will be his final major-league game.

In many respects, Sunday’s press conference was peak Alex Rodriguez, one of the most decorated and controversial players of all time. During his emotional farewell announcement, A-Rod notably never used the word “retire,” and at times offered ambiguous answers regarding his future. Though all signs point to this being the end of his fascinating career, there feels like too many questions left unanswered. As we anticipate the next turn in A-Rod’s always-unpredictable saga, here are five things we’re asking ourselves:

Will Friday be his final game?

A-Rod tearfully said he was “saying goodbye” to both the game and his New York Yankees, and next year’s advisory role with the club helps convince us that this is it. But nothing in Rodriguez’s polarizing career has been simple or straightforward, and it sounds like it was the Yankees, not A-Rod, who initiated this "final" sequence of events. He said he still thinks he can play baseball, and when asked whether he’d consider signing with another team, he carefully deflected the answer by saying he wasn’t thinking "past the pinstripes." Though he’s struggled mightily this year in his age-40 season, A-Rod’s risen from the baseball ashes before. Given what we’ve already experienced during A-Rod’s wild career, would you be that surprised if on Monday he announced he was signing with another team?

What about the home run chase?

After all, he’ll need to sign somewhere if he’s going to pursue that big 700-homer milestone. Once considered the heir to Barry Bonds’ home run throne, it’s sort of shocking that A-Rod is prepared to call it a career at 696, just four shy of another prolific set of digits. It’s long believed that A-Rod’s been historically and financially motivated to chase numbers like 700, 714, 755, and 762, so admittedly his nondescript total - as gaudy as it is - feels somewhat of a letdown. Even if he plays all four games this week - unlikely but at least within the realm of possibility according to Joe Girardi - his .198 average and .641 OPS since last August suggest we shouldn't expect a throwback A-Rod performance over the next several days.

How will his farewell play out?

With A-Rod’s final game apparently set for Friday, there's isn't much time for a David Ortiz-like send off. He'll be a Yankee for four more games - three in Boston and one at home against the Rays - and it's unclear how much he'll even play. There won't be any cowboy boot gifts or A-Rod-themed surfboards, but his final at-bats figure to be among the most anticipated moments of the season. There will be booing and cheering - and most certainly heckling - for arguably the most polarizing player of all time. How the Yankees honor the embattled superstar promises to be one of the big talking points of the week.

Though fans will be deprived of what would have been a classic Yankees-Red Sox series at Fenway in September - with Ortiz, A-Rod, and Mark Teixeira playing in the same games for the final times of their careers - it's fitting that Boston is on New York's schedule this week. He's had so many memorable moments there already, why not one more?

Will he be shunned by the Hall of Fame?

There is no question Alex Rodriguez is one of the greatest players to ever live, but as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens can attest, that distinction alone doesn't score enough points with the Hall of Fame voters. Unfortunately for A-Rod, his indiscretions are as staggering as his numbers, and make no mistake, the statistics are crooked. Three MVPs, 696 homers (fourth all time), 14 All-Star selections, two Gold Glove awards at shortstop, 117.9 bWAR (16th all time), .930 career OPS, eight seasons of at least 40 homers, .358 batting average in his rookie season, 2,084 career RBIs (third all time), and 329 stolen bases - the list goes on and on.

If this is indeed the end of his unbelievable 22-year career, will the back of his baseball card be enough to trump the PED controversies, a season-long suspension, and all the courtroom drama that's ensued? The most intriguing element of his Hall of Fame case will be to contrast it with how voters react to future classmate Ortiz, whose numbers and impact on the game don't measure up to A-Rod’s, but whose likeability factor will almost assuredly distract voters from his PED baggage.

What's next?

There are a lot of things we wanted to see A-Rod do before he retires - play shortstop again, hit 700 homers, sign a one-day contract with the Mariners - but the way this saga is playing out, all that stuff seems more unlikely by the minute. Looking ahead, though, it's not difficult to picture how A-Rod’s post-playing career might unfold: a broadcast stint this October, an ongoing role in the Yankees' organization (the young players apparently love him), and perhaps an eventual hitting coach job. Nor would it surprise us in the least to read an A-Rod Players’ Tribune article in the near future or watch a tell-all interview in primetime.

From movies, to books and even reality TV, we have a feeling Rodriguez won't disappear for long. And if there's anything A-Rod taught us, it's that everyone loves a good scandal. To that point, let's hope the next time we see him after Friday is in Miami - as the hitting coach for future manager Barry Bonds.