Denard Span didn't play last season and he says he is now retired over principles about what he believes he's worth.
The veteran outfielder was a free agent before last season after the Seattle Mariners declined his $12 million option for the 2019 season. He told MLBTradeRumors.com that he received only minimum offers during the 2018-19 offseason and "once I didn't sign a contract going into the 2020 season, that was it for me."
He told the website he didn't receive offers until spring training had begun in 2019 and when the offers did come he was unimpressed.
"I'm a man of principles, and when those principles aren't met, I can't go along with it," Span told the website. "... I honestly recognize that I'm not the player that I was when I was in D.C. or when I was in Minnesota. But, I still know that I have value. I'm not a center fielder or premier player anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't help a ballclub win a championship or win games. I'm not the $12MM player anymore, but from what I did [in 2018], that doesn't tell me I'm worth $1MM or worth $1.5MM or worth league minimum. I got an offer for league minimum. It was just unreal."
Span, who is married and has two children under 3 years old, said the offers he received didn't justify him being away from his family.
Span, 36, hit .261 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs in what was his final season in 2018. He has a career average of .281 with 71 home runs, 72 triples and 490 RBIs in 11 seasons. He finished tied for the National League lead in hits with 184 in 2014 for the Washington Nationals and twice led the league in triples when he tied for the American League lead with 10 in 2009 and led the NL with 11 for the Nationals in 2013.
"At the end of the day, I want people to get that I didn't play because of principles. Point blank," he told the website.
