A-Rod: 'It bothers me' Yankees haven't retired my number

Alex Rodriguez believes it's tough for the New York Yankees to retire his No. 13 in Monument Park because he doesn't pull any punches when discussing his former team as a TV analyst.

"I'm too critical to the Yankees, and that doesn't help my case,” Rodriguez told WFAN's "Evan & Tiki" on Thursday. "But I get paid to tell the truth. … I want my number retired. If it's not retired, so be it.

"Yeah, of course it bothers me. It's less about bother, but of course it would be nice to be recognized in one of the coolest places to be in Yankee history, but that's not my decision."

Rodriguez also acknowledged that he didn't like when Joey Gallo wore his old number when the Yankees dealt for the slugger at the 2021 trade deadline.

"It did not make me happy," Rodriguez said.

The 48-year-old recorded 351 home runs with 1,096 RBIs and a .900 OPS over 12 seasons with the Yankees. He won two AL MVP awards, made seven All-Star Games, and led New York to its last World Series title in 2009.

However, Rodriguez was also suspended for the entire 2014 campaign for possessing and using performance-enhancing drugs.

The 14-time All-Star sits fifth on MLB's all-time homer list with 696 over his 22-year career. He received 35.7 percent of the vote in his second year of Hall of Fame eligibility.