Tweet
Barry Larkin, a Cincinnati native and the National League's MVP in 1995, won't be back with the Reds.
Barry Larkin will not be offered another contract by the Cincinnati Reds, ending his 19-year career with his hometown team, he told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The shortstop said he was informed of the team's decision in a phone call earlier in the day.
"Nothing really surprises me anymore," Larkin said from his home in Orlando, Fla.
Larkin, 40, grew up in Cincinnati and spent his entire career with the Reds, developing into one of the most prominent players in their history. He helped the team win a World Series in 1990 and won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1995, the last time the Reds made the playoffs.
Injuries had limited him in recent years, and he decided to make the 2004 season his last. But a good season -- he hit .289 and made the All-Star team -- prompted him to reconsider and ask for one more season.
He had an inkling the club wasn't going to make an offer when the front office decided not to talk about contracts with its free agents until after the season. He made sure to tell teammates and fans goodbye on the final day of the season, just in case the Reds didn't want him back.
Larkin was willing to discuss a role as a backup infielder with the Reds, working to develop its young shortstops. The club evidently wasn't interested.
The Reds had no immediate comment, but scheduled a news conference for later Tuesday.
"It wasn't pleasant," Larkin said of the Reds' decision. "But it is what it is. It's definitely disappointing. I have decisions to make."
Larkin, who becomes a free agent, isn't sure whether he wants to play one more year for another team and finish his career in a different uniform.
"I have to see what opportunities present themselves, if there's anything that makes sense," he said.
The Reds have tried for several years to develop Larkin's successor, but no one has played well enough to earn the job. Larkin said the Reds told him that they want to develop young shortstops Anderson Machado and Felipe Lopez rather than bring him back.
Machado replaced Larkin after the third inning of a season-ending 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh at Great American Ball Park, giving fans one final chance to applaud him. Larkin thanked fans over the public address system and lobbied for one more season in Cincinnati.
He wasn't surprised that it didn't happen. The front office decided to bench him for the last month of the season so they could get a look at the young shortstops, a hint he wasn't in their plans.
"I left Cincinnati in a pretty good situation, actually," Larkin said. "The last year I played there was a great year. It was a tough last month, because basically they didn't let me play the last month. I made the All-Star team, played well and played hard. I did what I could do."
Source: AP
Comment