LISTEN: Alex Rodriguez Tells Francesa Yankees Have 'Unfinished Business'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez says the team "has unfinished business" after last year's exit to the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card game.
A-Rod told Mike Francesa Tuesday afternoon that he, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran need to stay healthy for the Yanks to be a contender this season, but said the most important piece to the puzzle is outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.
"It's important for all three of us to stay healthy and be very productive. Perhaps the most important player on our team, who is an elite player, is Jacoby Ellsbury. We need to keep him healthy, we go as he goes," Rodriguez said. "We saw there for about three weeks when he was on fire, we were scoring six to seven runs a game and we were hard to beat."
Ellsbury only played in 111 games during an injury-plagued 2015 season.
Heading into 2016, Rodriguez is staring at some legendary numbers as he's only 13 home runs away from 700. A-Rod said he's more focused on the team winning rather than setting records.
"I don't think about it much. When you think about 700 or Babe Ruth, it's hard not to think about it. I thought about those numbers, obviously 700 is a huge number. I never thought when I was in Seattle, 18 years old, that I would be staring at 700 home runs, but for me the most important thing is to go out there and help the team win," Rodriguez said. "We have unfinished business. It's just great to be a part of a winning organization and getting back to being productive."
He added, "I think back in the day I was almost solely driven by numbers and being productive and all that. To me, after all the stuff I've been through, thinking about the way I went about last year, it was the most rewarding year of my career. Just really focusing on my relationships with the team, with the front office, leading the guys in the clubhouse and just having a really fun time appreciating whatever is left of my game, I'm just having a lot of fun doing it."
A-Rod also talked about the bullpen's "three-headed monster," Starlin Castro and his work as an analyst for Fox Sports during the World Series. Listen to the entire interview below.