Left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who made the All-Star team in both leagues during a 13-year career, announced his retirement on social media Thursday.
Gonzalez, a Florida native who was in camp with the Florida Marlins this spring, took to Instagram to announce that he was leaving the game.
“My heart and my mind are finally at peace with my decision,” Gonzalez wrote in a lengthy Instagram post where he thanked all of his former teams. “Here’s one last tip of the cap. I’m coming home to my wonderful family.”
Gonzalez was drafted 38th overall by the Chicago White Sox in 2004, was traded twice by the club before making his major league debut for a different team, then finally pitched in 12 games for the White Sox last season.
He ended up making his debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2008 and was there for four seasons before beginning a seven-year run with the Washington Nationals in 2012. He was an All-Star with the A’s in 2011 and the Nationals in 2012. He also spent parts of two seasons (2018-19) with the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 344 career games (328 starts), Gonzalez was 131-101 with a 3.70 ERA. His best season came in 2012 when he finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting, going 21-8 for the Nationals with a 2.89 ERA. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting in 2017 with the Nationals.