By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins grew up in Oakland, so signing a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants this offseason seemed like a homecoming of sorts for the 38-year-old. Instead, the former National League MVP didn't make the Giants team out of Spring Training, meaning that his tenure with the club was only be contained to Scottsdale, AZ.
After the Giants told Rollins earlier this week that he hadn't made their Opening Day roster, there was still some thought that he could travel north with the team to play in their on-deck series which is a home-and-home with the Oakland A's, and would have potentially allowed Rollins to play the final game of his career in his hometown.
Instead, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area says that the Giants have released Rollins, seemingly at his request:
Giants officials spoke with Jimmy Rollins today. He has been released so he can pursue other opportunities.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) March 31, 2017
Bob Nightengale of USA Today says that Rollins is uncertain of his future, but has not yet decided to retire:
Jimmy Rollins will take a little time to decide if he wants to continue his quest to keep playing in #MLB after being released by #sfgiants
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 1, 2017
Whether Rollins wants to retire or not, he likely will be pushed in that direction. A year ago, he slashed just .221/.295/.329 in a 41-game stint with the Chicago White Sox. In 2015, Rollins slashed .224/.285/.358 with a -14.5 oWAR in his lone season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Giants may have been a curious fit for Rollins, but a strong spring with the bat, in addition to the fact that he transitioned into being a utility man, may have caught the eye of another team even if Rollins hadn't made the Giants. Unfortunately for the 1996 second-round pick, he batted just .125 in 40 at-bats this spring, so even if he wants to keep playing, he's unlikely to receive any offers.
The only possible route for him would have to be through a minor league deal, which during the regular season would mean actually playing in the minor leagues, which feels unlikely.
In all likelihood, Rollins will retire, putting an end to a career that spanned parts of 17 seasons. Rollins made a few guest appearances on FS1's baseball coverage last summer before eventually landing with TBS for their coverage of the American League playoffs. Perhaps a media career will dominate the next chapter of the Phillies' all-time hits leader's life.
