New York Mets outfielder Michael Cuddyer announced that he is retiring from baseball after 15 years in the majors on Saturday. Cuddyer announced his retirement on The Players’ Tribune site.
According to the Associated Press, Cuddyer retires with one season left on his two-year, $21 million contract. He was scheduled to make $12.5 million next year. It is unknown whether the Mets bought out the final year of Cuddyer’s contract, but that’s expected to be the case.
"I've made the decision to retire. With one year left on my contract, it is especially difficult to imagine not suiting up in a Mets uniform for one more year," Cuddyer wrote on The Players’ Tribune.
"As an athlete, retiring is the toughest decision you have to make and I don't make it lightly. I've always run out every hit like it was my last. As an untested high school kid drafted with a dream, I've never taken a single moment in the Majors for granted. It goes against every grain in my body to consider a future without the game. But after 15 years, the toll on my body has finally caught up to me."
Cuddyer, 36, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1997. He spent 11 seasons with the Twins, then played with the Colorado Rockies for three years before joining the Mets this year. His playing time was going to go down next year due to Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto playing in the outfield and Lucas Duda playing first base. This year he hit .259 with ten homeruns and 41 RBIs while dealing with injuries throughout the year, according to ESPN. Cuddyer, a two-time All-Star hit .277 with 197 homeruns and 794 RBIs in his 15-year career.
The Mets made it to the World Series this year but lost to the Kansas City Royals.