Beltre says he’s still undecided about retirement. But signs point to Sunday being the end

No more games remaining. Not that anyone’s counting.

Now, though, the work begins.

The Texas Rangers’ season ended Sunday, finally and mercifully, and soon will begin the business of hiring a manager, planning for 2019 and waiting for a future Hall of Famer to decide on next season.

That doesn’t include deciding on the coaching staff, which could become clearer as early as Monday, or pending internal roster decisions or Elvis Andrus’ opt-out decision or some possible reorganizing in the front office.

There’s more, and it will be covered the next 4 1/2 months until the Rangers descend upon Surprise, Ariz., for spring training.

Weeeeeeee.

Here’s some Rangers Reaction from a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

1. Adrian Beltre played third base for the Rangers for the 940th time and batted cleanup for the 909th time. The question, of course, is will there be any more?

As of Sunday morning, Beltre seemed legitimately torn. That didn’t change afterward, though there were hints of more motion as he dressed to fly to his Los Angeles-area home with his family.

Early on the road trip, he talked about how much the family has sacrificed for Beltre to be a ballplayer. Of course, generations of Beltres will be supported financially because of his career, but he still feels that the pull that all fathers and husbands feel.

There really is something to taking the kids to school, picking them up and helping them learn stuff. While it’s wonderful at times to have a nice, quiet hotel room all to yourself, it’s better to be home and be part of the family.

Ballplayers are humans, too.

Beltre also can still play and doesn’t have trouble getting ready for games. As he said, it’s the staying healthy part that has gotten more difficult. Another injury-plagued year might have teams in 2020 telling him no thanks rather than knocking on his door.

He doesn’t want that. He wants to dictate when and how he leaves the game, and he has that opportunity now.

Beltre treated this road trip and this weekend and Sunday as if this was it. His family was on hand for the occasion. He’s all packed up and doesn’t have to even go back to Texas to retrieve his belongings.

He received a send-off last weekend at Globe Life Park. He received another at Safeco Field in the city where he spent five seasons.

Most signs point to him retiring. Sunday might very well have been it.

2. If Beltre is done, he finished the week in high spirits.

Each day of the four-game series he spoke with the media, but only on Sunday was he on the record. The previous three days were genuine banter with the people he acts like he doesn’t like speaking to.

Ha.

He told stories, gave writers the business, gave them insight into what he’s thinking and just generally had a good time with the media.

Of course, we’re just a small, very small, part of what happens each day in the clubhouse. That can’t be overstated enough.

Beltre got in his usual gyrations at the plate, including in his final at-bat, and his go-to move in the field when a runner has to come to him with the ball. After he was doubled off first base in the second inning, his momentum carried him all the way to the Mariners dugout for a hug with Felix Hernandez.

He said that he was going to enjoy his day, and it appears he did that.

As for my personal favorite Beltre moment, it was a play he made in the field that I remember most.

The Rangers were in Atlanta in 2012, and Eric Hinske was batting against Matt Harrison on that rainy day in which the game was delayed some two hours but Harrison didn’t exit.

Hinske sent a foul pop down the left-field line. I say the left-field line and not the third-base line because the ball had outfield depth.

But Beltre turned, sprinting, and caught the ball over his shoulder. It’s the best play I’ve seen him make.

3. For any other season finale, what Elvis Andrus said before the game would rate as the big news of the day.

He’s unlikely to opt out of his contract, which isn’t new news nor was that the news. The news was Andrus said about the 2019 Rangers and what qualities the next full-time manager has.

The 2018 Rangers didn’t have the right mind-set, the shortstop said. Their next manager has to be able to understand and communicate with today’s player.

Those weren’t shots fired at any one player. Andrus pretty much covered half the team when he said that players with two or three years under the belt “have to figure it out.”

Draw your own conclusions about any one former manager, because Andrus declined to talks specifics about Jeff Banister’s communication style.

The fact is that the future leader of the Rangers, for whenever Beltre retires, has spoken.