After 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, veteran outfielder Andre Ethier was said to have decided on retiring. But less than one hour later, Ethier and his agent refuted the report.
That the 35-year-old would walk away from the game this winter was hardly farfetched. Ethier has endured back-to-back seasons in which injuries limited to one month’s worth of action in the regular season.
He nonetheless expressed a desire earlier this month to continue playing in 2018. That came just over one week after the Dodgers, as expected, declined their $17.5 million club option on Ethier.
He instead received a $2.5 million buyout and became a free agent. Still available on the open market, Ethier said his priority is to sign with a club that’s capable of winning a World Series, via MLB Network Radio:
“I’m just looking for a job where I can help a team win. That’s number one, especially at this point in my career. That’s going to be my biggest decision moving forward. If it’s not the Dodgers, if it’s another team, it needs to be a team that will give me an opportunity to be on a winner.”
As the longest-tenured player in the organization this season, a span that’s included several trips to the postseason, Ethier said this year’s playoff run meant much more to him because the Dodgers reached the World Series for the first time since 1988.
Despite not coming off the 60-day disabled list and seeing limited playing time in September, he went 4-for-13 with a home run, two RBI and two walks in eight postseason games (two starts).
By appearing as pinch-hitter in of Game 5 of the World Series, it marked Ethier’s 50th career game played in the postseason. That broke Bill Russell’s Dodgers postseason record which Ethier then extended by pinch-hitting in Game 7.
In 12 seasons with the team, he’s hit .285/.359/.463 with 303 doubles, 162 home runs, 687 RBI, won a Silver Slugger Award, a Gold Glove, and twice been named to the All-Star Game.
