Glenn Otto, a starting pitcher who played parts of three seasons with the Texas Rangers from 2021-23, announced his retirement from professional baseball on his personal Instagram page on December 9.
"Baseball has been at the center of my identity since I was a kid. The game took me across the country, pushed me to my limits, humbled me, and gave me more than I could ever repay," Otto wrote in a social media post. "It taught me how to compete with integrity, how to persevere through adversity, and how to carry myself when the lights were off, and no one was watching."
Otto, 29, was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. He was one of the four New York Yankees prospects sent to the Rangers in a 2021 trade that saw outfielder Joey Gallo and reliever Joely Rodriguez head to New York.
The right-hander appeared in 39 games (36 starts) with the Rangers, making a career high 27 starts with the AL West club in 2022. He finished his career with a 5.62 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 169.2 innings.
The trade did not turn out well for the Yankees
While Otto did not become an ace, the Yankees probably regret making the trade for Gallo, who experienced a less-than-ideal 140-game stint in the Bronx.
The corner outfielder's poor hitting and strikeout habit led to routine groans and boos from the Yankee Stadium crowd. Gallo hit.159/.291/.368 during his Yankees tenure and struck out in 38.7% of his plate appearances.
Rodriguez lasted just one season with the Yankees and did post respectable numbers (2.84 ERA, 8.1 SO/9), albeit in limited action in a mop-up role (21 G, 19 IP).
Meanwhile, versatile infielder Josh Smith, one of the prospects New York dealt to Texas in the trade, has become a valuable everyday contributor for the Rangers on both offense and defense.
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