Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — A stunning view of the Caribbean Sea surrounded Alex Rodriguez as he sat at a palapa-shaded restaurant table Saturday.
A-Rod sat at the head of the table with a large group that included his girlfriend Torrie Wilson, Orioles young star Manny Machado and Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso.
"I feel so relaxed, this is such a gorgeous place,'' Rodriguez told The Post as he leaned back in his chair. "I am so ready to get on with my career. I feel great. I just want everything to get back to baseball. So much has gone on this last year. I'm so ready to move on.''
More than anything, Rodriguez appears to be at peace with himself. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz will rule on A-Rod's 211-game suspension soon and Rodriguez has maintained an optimistic outlook, quietly believing he will be playing baseball again.
"I just think it is so important just to get back to baseball,'' he said. "I felt really good when I came back last year, then I hurt my calf, but I didn't have any spring training. I've been working hard this offseason to get ready.''
From an emotional standpoint, this has been a wonderful week for Rodriguez. He has been welcomed around this island with open arms and has spent time visiting Little Leagues, but most importantly, has had a favorable court ruling. He also has received the support from his baseball brothers at the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic.
As for the Yankees, A-Rod will miss his Seattle-bound friend Robinson Cano, who elected not to come to the charity function because of his busy week, but is thrilled with the club's addition of Jacoby Ellsbury and catcher Brian McCann. He said adding Ellsbury's speed is fascinating.
"I love everything that he brings to the table, and he's a really hard worker,'' Rodriguez said of the former Red Sox center fielder, pointing out Ellsbury's ability to score runs, play smothering defense and drive the ball.
The Yankees still have much work to do on the pitching front, but Ellsbury and McCann can put up numbers. Of course with the departure of Cano, the Yankees are going to have to find offense from other places.
Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is in Punta Cana, and the former catching great knows what kind of impact Ellsbury can have on a team.
"First off, if he stays healthy, there are going to be more guys on base,'' Pudge said. "I think in the last couple of years that's one of the problems the Yankees have had. They've had trouble getting on base for the big guys. With Ellsbury there are always going to be guys on base and he's going to be aggressive on the bases and he is going to be in scoring position for those guys. But we have to wait and see.''
Pudge then tossed up a bit of a caution flag, noting, "Playing in New York is different. Yes, he played in Boston but I think there is a different atmosphere playing in New York.''
No one really knows what the Yankees' atmosphere will be yet because A-Rod may not be part of the 2014 team and could be on the shelf at the age of 38. He clearly is behaving like he will be part of the team and he has some baseball left in his body.
Big Papi has been a big influence on A-Rod's thinking. The 38-year-old Ortiz had a magical October and was World Series MVP. A-Rod believes he can have success if he is allowed to play and can stay healthy. So, on this gorgeous Caribbean day, while there was snow in the metropolitan area, there was nothing but sunshine and a warm breeze in A-Rod's face.
Stormy times may be ahead, but in this tropical paradise, everything seemed so much brighter in A-Rod's World.
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