In early 1930 Roush threatened to retire than to receive a pay cut. After the two sides could not agree on a number Roush held out for the whole season. When the Great Depression hit in late 1929, the Roush family was largely unaffected due to his frequent holdouts and salary demands. Roush spent the season with his family and played in benefit baseball games in Oakland City and Princeton. As the next season began, Roush refused to play for the Giants and retired from baseball. He was contacted by Reds President Sidney Weil to play for the team in 1931. After a short negotiation, both sides agreed to a one-year contract worth $15,000 (). Roush struggled in his last season in baseball, only managing to hit .271 in 101 games. In his final game he went 2–3 with a triple in a 5–3 loss against the pennant winning Cardinals.