With the opt-out date in his minor league contract set for this Sunday, Boston Red Sox outfielder David Murphy may retire instead of accepting an assignment to the minors, John Tomase of WEEI.com reports.
"I think I'm to the point in my career where I've played plenty of baseball, and I don't think I'm interested in playing in the minor leagues," Murphy said. "I have four kids. My kids and my wife put up with a lot to go through with this game. When you're a kid and you dream of playing this game, you dream of being a big leaguer. I would love to play until somebody tells me I can't play anymore, until they rip the shirt off my back, but I think it's got to be a big league situation.
"Retirement is definitely a possibility there," he added. "I don't know. The way that everything has gone this offseason, something like that has crept up kind of quickly. It would definitely be part of my thought process, but I really don't know. I'd have to take a little bit of time to think about it, or to go home and stay in shape and wait for a phone call. There are so many variables, so many possibilities, that I didn't think I would have to think about this year. But it is what it is."
A veteran of 10 major league seasons, Murphy has excelled against right-handed pitching in his career, but his lackluster numbers against lefties usually limits him to a platoon role. With Rusney Castillo failing to prove he deserves the starting job in left field so far this spring, there's a possibility that Murphy could stick with the Red Sox and share time in the outfield with the right-handed-hitting Chris Young.
Murphy, 34, hit .283 in 361 at-bats with the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels last season. If he does opt out, he could draw some interest for teams looking for outfield help, but his slow market this offseason likely doesn't inspire much hope.
