Longtime Padres First Baseman Announces Retirement

Former San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday morning.

Hosmer, 34, is not leaving baseball completely. He announced the launch of MoonBall Media, a media and production company, with the intent to “create, curate, and distribute content by mixing sports and powerful stories with a purpose.”

Hosmer detailed his decision to retire in the debut of his podcast "Diggin' Deep."

Hosmer was released by the Chicago Cubs in May 2023. Instead of seeking out another contract, he decided to spend time with family.

He realized this offseason that he didn't have the same drive to get back out on the field.

Hosmer was drafted third overall by the Kansas City Royals in the 2008 MLB Draft. After helping the Royals win two American League pennants and the 2015 World Series, Hosmer signed an eight-year, $144 million contract with the Padres ahead of the 2018 season.

The Padres only made the playoffs once in four full seasons with Hosmer on their roster, and traded him to the Boston Red Sox in 2022. After his release from Boston, Hosmer signed with the Cubs, who cut him after 31 games.

In 1,689 career games with the Royals, Padres, Cubs and Red Sox, Hosmer batted .276 with a .335 on-base percentage and .427 slugging percentage. He won four Gold Glove awards, made made an All-Star team with the Royals in 2016, and helped Kansas City win the 2015 World Series.

Although never a darling of advanced analytics, Hosmer was worth just 3.7 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference in 596 games with San Diego — a disappointing return on the team's $144 million investment prior to the 2018 season.