Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pirates utilityman John Jaso is likely retiring.
Jaso, who is 34, will be a free agent as soon as the postseason is over. He took a step back offensively this year and he’s a few years removed from being a catcher, which likely limits his market. But those considerations do not seem to be at the forefront of his mind as he leans toward hanging it up. Rather, he’s just interested in doing other things.
Things like living on his sailboat, helping with Hurricane Maria rebuilding efforts and wandering the earth:Jaso said he plans to travel, live on a sailboat and contribute to Puerto Rico’s hurricane relief efforts. He has some experience working in construction thanks to his uncle, he said. Jaso said he plans to be in touch with Pirates third base coach Joey Cora and Mike Gonzalez, special assistant to the general manager for cultural initiatives, who are Puerto Rican and are helping to facilitate the team’s relief efforts on the island.
“Traveling, living simply, being anonymous, that sort of stuff,” Jaso said of his post-baseball plans. “Really I just want to live a simple life. I have a sailboat, so I just want to sail away. If you live on a sailboat, it’s really hard to live complicated. You have to keep things simple, so that’s kind of my catalyst and everything, and my ride and my home.”
Jaso says his “mind is going elsewhere” these days, though he can’t say for sure if he’s done. If this is it for Jaso, he finishes his nine-year big league career with a pretty nice batting line of .258/.356/.407 with 55 homers and 281 RBI for the Rays, Mariners, A’s and Pirates.