Chicago Cubs: If Koji Uehara doesn’t get big-league deal, he could retire

Veteran right-hander Koji Uehara grows frustrated with this offseason’s lack of moves and the former Chicago Cubs hurler is tempted to hang it up.

This offseason has been nothing short of brutal. Carlos Santana and Tyler Chatwood represent the high-water free agent signings to-date and the Chicago Cubs lead the pack in free agents signed. But a former teammate, Koji Uehara, isn’t one of those – and his patience is wearing thin.

Uehara, who turns 43 in April, continues to defy age. After four years in Boston, he joined the Cubs last offseason. Over 49 appearances, he pitched to a 3.79 FIP and 110 ERA+ with Chicago, striking out better than 10 batters per nine. The Cubs don’t have a need for reliever headed into his mid-40s, so he’ll have to hope one of the other clubs pick him up before Opening Day.

So far, though, nothing has advanced to that stage.

“I’ll retire if I’m only offered a minor league deal,” he told the Kyodo News. “There have been some talks, but no offers have been forthcoming. It seems like something’s on the horizon and then it isn’t. I can be patient for a little longer.

Either way though, this will be his last go-round in Major League Baseball. He told reporters that after the season, he’ll hang it up after a decade in the States and a decade in Japan.

“Last year I had this thought about 10 years and 10 years, how that is a good clean place to cut it off,” he said. “If I get a major league contract, and I do put up good numbers, then I’ll think about another year, but right now I’m focused on just this one year.”

A World Series champion in Boston

The Japanese-born right-hander was outstanding in his time with Boston. His best season came back in 2013 – when he helped bring the #BostonStrong title to the Red Sox. He pitched to a 1.09 ERA across 73 appearances, compiling a 0.565 WHIP and unheard-of 11.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

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He hasn’t been quite as good in recent years, but he remains a Major League-quality arm. There’s no doubt he’s worth a one-year deal on a contender. But with free agency stalled in every way, he may be forced into retirement sooner than he’d previously hoped.