As teams are navigating their offseason plans, players are also doing the same thing. Not only are they weighing options about free agency, opportunities in the majors or minors, and other factors about the rest of their careers, but some are ready to hang up the cleats entirely.
That's what a former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher decided to do after spending almost two decades playing Major League Baseball.
"RHP Tommy Hunter is officially retired, he tells The Athletic. Hunter pitched for seven teams over 16 seasons and is unclear what the future holds. The father of four said he feels like he 'might have something to give back to the game,'" Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
Tommy Hunter also went on the podcast of his ex-Baltimore Orioles teammate, Adam Jones, in October and told him he was thinking about calling it a career.
The right-hander began his tenure with the Phillies after signing a two-year contract with them before the 2018 season.
At this point, Hunter was firmly a reliever and appeared in 65 games for Philadelphia, recording an ERA of 3.80 across 64 innings pitched and four saves.
The next year was completely marred by injury as he dealt with a forearm strain that forced him to get season-ending surgery after pitching in five games. The Phillies re-signed him before the COVID-shortened 2020 season and he appeared in 24 games, finishing with a 4.01 ERA.
Hunter eventually signed a deal with Philadelphia's division rival New York Mets and played three years with them before his retirement announcement.
His tenure with the Phillies organization wasn't anything special, but overall, 16 years of Major League Baseball is nothing to sneeze at.
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