Former Dodgers and Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly has retired at the age of 37. Lilly has made a total of just 13 starts over the last two years with the Dodgers while dealing with chronic neck problems along with an injured left shoulder.
Lilly spent time with the Expos, Yankees, Athletics, Blue Jays, Cubs, and Dodgers over his career, logging most of his playing time with the latter three clubs. He finishes his career with a 130-114 record and a 4.14 ERA. Lilly was a two-time All-Star, and he had four seasons crack the 3.0 fWAR mark, all coming in a seven year period from 2003-2009.
Oddly, despite playing 15 years in the majors, Lilly hit the free agent market just once, following the 2006 season when he signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Cubs. He was traded five times over his career, including for Mark Grudzielanek, Hideki Irabu, Jeff Weaver, Bobby Kielty, and Blake DeWitt. After being traded from the Cubs to the Dodgers at the 2010 trade deadline, Lilly signed a three-year, $33 million extension that October to stay in Los Angeles. The Dodgers released Lilly this August.
If his health held up, I thought that Lilly could have possibly be an interesting buy-low option for a team this offseason. Instead, the road is over for Lilly. We at TOC wish him the best of luck in retirement.
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