Rangers reliever Shawn Kelley says he will retire if the Rangers don’t pick up his 2020 club option for $2.5 million, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports. Kelley said, “If they pick me up, I would love to come back and do another year. If not, I will drift off to the sunset. I’ll either play here next year or retire.”
Kelley, 35, has a 4.07 ERA with 39 strikeouts and seven walks in 42 innings of relief for the Rangers this year. Those aren’t exactly terrible numbers, but Kelley said he doesn’t want to have to acclimate himself with a new team. “I don’t want to go to a new team, meet all new people, learn all new philosophies, that stuff,” the right-hander explained. Kelley added, “I’ve got four kids that need me.”
According to Baseball Reference, Kelley has earned just shy of $25 million since making his major league debut in 2009 with the Mariners. He had some very good relief years, owning a 3.70 ERA for his career as well as 517 strikeouts in 459 1/3 innings of work.
