Colombian baseball superstar Edgar Renteria will retire if no club is willing to meet his contract demands, he told Colombian daily El Heraldo.
“If they don’t offer me what I think my work is worth, I’m going to retire,” said Renteria.
The Colombian, who hit the game-winning single that won the 1997 World Series and later earned the title of Most Valuable Player with the San Francisco Giants during the 2010 World Series, said he knows that the end of his 16-year career is near.
Nicknamed “The Barranquilla baby” because of his Colombian roots, Renteria, 35, was quoted as saying “the truth is that I’m already beginning to retire.”
Shortstop Renteria, who is currently a free agent, has received interest from several clubs for the upcoming 2012 season. Two teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, have reportedly offered him Minor League contracts.
Renterilla’s former team, the San Francisco Giants, has also reportedly talked about resigning him. Renteria was named 2010 World Series MVP for the Giants after hitting two game-winning home runs to help lead the team to its first championship on the West Coast.
When asked if felt like he had left something undone in major league baseball, Renteria said “No, I’m satisfied with what I did, thank God, and what I couldn’t do is in the past but I tried and I’m very satisfied with everything that I did.”