Headlines

  • Blue Jays Sign Chad Green
  • Rays Extend Yandy Diaz
  • Dexter Fowler Announces Retirement
  • Mets Sign Jeff McNeil To Four-Year Extension
  • Red Sox, Marlins Swap Matt Barnes For Richard Bleier
  • Darren O’Day Announces Retirement
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Josh Lindblom Announces Retirement

By Darragh McDonald | January 12, 2023 at 1:26pm CDT

Right-hander Josh Lindblom took to Twitter today to announce his retirement as a player. “For 30 years of my life, I played a game that taught me about more than balls and strikes, hits and runs, and wins and losses,” he wrote. “It taught me about life and made me the person writing this letter.” He then goes on to thank everyone with whom he’s interacted over that time, before concluding “I might be done, but I’m not finished.”

Lindblom, now 35, was first drafted by the Astros, who selected him out of high school with a third-round pick in 2005. Lindblom instead went to the University of Tennessee, later transferring to Purdue University. The Dodgers then selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft.

He was considered one of the club’s better prospects and would make it to the major leagues with the Dodgers in 2011. He did some solid work out of their bullpen that year, making 27 appearances with a 2.73 ERA. He made another 48 appearances for them through July of 2012, posting a 3.02 ERA in that time. He was then flipped to the Phillies at the deadline as part of the trade that sent Shane Victorino to Los Angeles.

His results took a downturn at that point, as his ERA after the trade was 4.63. Another trade sent him to the Rangers for the 2013 season, which he spent working primarily as a starter in Triple-A but struggling in brief MLB appearances. Yet another trade sent him to the A’s for 2014, where he was only able to make a single appearance in the majors, spending the rest of his time in Triple-A.

Lindblom then signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. His first stint overseas was a successful one, as he threw 210 innings over 32 starts there with a 3.56 ERA. He couldn’t quite repeat that performance in 2016, as his ERA ticked up to 5.28 over 30 starts. A brief MLB comeback didn’t lead to much, with Lindblom signing a minor league deal with the Pirates. He was selected to the club’s roster and made four appearances but was eventually outrighted and returned to the Lotte Giants for the final months of the 2017 campaign.

2018 would prove to be a pivotal turning point for Lindblom. He signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO and posted a 2.88 ERA over 26 starts and 168 2/3 innings. He returned to the club for 2019 and was even better. He made 30 starts in his second year as a Bear and registered a 2.50 ERA over 194 2/3 frames. He was voted the MVP of the league that year and the Bears won the Korean Series title.

He was able to parlay that strong stretch in the KBO into a three-year deal with the Brewers, which came with a $9.125MM guarantee and incentives that could have allowed him to earn $18MM. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite replicate that production in North America, at least not at the big league level. He posted a 5.16 ERA in the shortened 2020 season and then a 9.72 mark over eight relief appearances the year after. He was outrighted in May of 2021 and has been pitching in Triple-A since then. Though he’s had some decent results at that level, the Brewers never selected him back to the roster.

It’s certainly been a circuitous journey for Lindblom, as his career path took him to six different MLB teams and a couple of KBO squads. He hangs up his spikes having played in 134 major league games and 130 in Korea. We at MLBTR congratulate him on a unique and interesting time as a professional athlete and wish him the best in whatever he gets up to next.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Korea Baseball Organization Los Angeles Dodgers Milwaukee Brewers Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Texas Rangers Josh Lindblom Retirement

Dodgers Release Trevor Bauer
Main
Rangers, Zack Littell Agree To Minor League Deal
View Comments (46)

Comments

  1. StudWinfield

    3 weeks ago

    3.56 to 5.28 in ERA is a tick?

    Reply
    • StudWinfield

      3 weeks ago

      OMG I’m first! How do I screenshot? Checkmark the Bucket List! Call my Mom. Livestream to my kids. I’m no longer afraid of death.

      You just don’t know what it’s like until you’ve been here folks.

      Reply
      • kiddhoff

        3 weeks ago

        Congrats! Beat me to it. All I can say is WOW!

        Reply
      • Stan Konit

        3 weeks ago

        Ride the wave.

        Reply
      • agentx

        3 weeks ago

        “I’m no longer afraid of death” got an audible chuckle out of me. Thanks!!

        Reply
      • Zerbs63

        3 weeks ago

        Actually you are second..

        Reply
      • Jake1972

        3 weeks ago

        Done it twice, so meh.

        Reply
      • BPax

        3 weeks ago

        You da’ man! Forgive me for being off topic but the Trevor Bauer story isn’t accepting comments. My question is how in world does he get away with his entire salary after committing alleged crimes and being suspended? Something’s wrong when contracts are guaranteed even against crimes and wrongdoing.

        Reply
        • thelegendaryharambe

          3 weeks ago

          “Alleged” is how. How would you like it if you could get fired from your job simply because I “alleged” that you did something? Frankly the real crime was that the entire Bauer situation wasn’t dealt with behind closed doors.

        • MannyBeingMVP

          3 weeks ago

          Business owners should be able to fire employees whose conduct is bad for business. Trevor is getting paid for this year, the Dodgers just correctly think he is so bad for their brand that they would rather pay him to hit the road. Smart move by the Dodgers. Moreover, given the long layoff and that most players don’t like Bauer (even before the more recent allegations) with his one eye closed crap and talk of taking one year contracts, I predict that if a team does pick up Bauer he will be only average and not elite.

        • Phillls

          3 weeks ago

          Alleged? He had 3 accusers, not just one. Obviously there was some payoff hush money offered to make them all just quietly disappear…..

        • thelegendaryharambe

          3 weeks ago

          1. Still just accusations
          2. Bauer isn’t the type to pay someone “hush money.” If he was we would have never heard about any of this. There has been nothing “quiet” about this case.

  2. For Love of the Game

    3 weeks ago

    He pocketed $10 mill. plus whatever he made in Japan. If he was responsible with his money, he should be in command of his future.

    Reply
    • phenomenalajs

      3 weeks ago

      I can’t resist. I don’t think the Korean people would take too kindly to your considering his money made there as being made in Japan. They’ve been there, done that.

      Reply
    • acoss13

      3 weeks ago

      10 million even if you consider taxes and agent fees, is a nice sum of money to plan out the rest of his young life.

      Reply
    • BSHH

      3 weeks ago

      Lindblom very likely made more than $ 10m alone after he came back from his second stint in Korea. His decision to choose a multi-year deal with a low AAV for a possible starter paid off in retrospect.

      Gruß,
      BSHH

      Reply
  3. MannyBeingMVP

    3 weeks ago

    His career is nothing to Josh about.

    Reply
  4. EricTheBat

    3 weeks ago

    See you in Cooperstown, Josh.

    Reply
    • TravisKelce87

      3 weeks ago

      Wait, what weekend are you and Josh going?

      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        3 weeks ago

        The same weekend as Refsnyder, O’Brien, Swihart, and Frazier!

        Reply
        • pinkerton

          3 weeks ago

          it really truly makes my heart happy to see the Peter O’Brien joke still living on after all these years.

        • Curly Was The Smart Stooge

          3 weeks ago

          @Eric, are you & Josh going Dutch?

        • mrperkins

          3 weeks ago

          What do you expect Pinkerton? That joke got rave reviews.

        • mrperkins

          3 weeks ago

          And the anecdote was funny as well

        • acoss13

          3 weeks ago

          I feel old because I understood these references. Swihart and Frazier are the more recent of the bunch I think.

  5. Jacksson13

    3 weeks ago

    At least he had the good sense to attend College rather than sign out of High School.
    Hopefully he got a college degree.
    If not, he needs to complete that degree in an area that intrigues, interests, satisfys and challenges him.
    If he was prudent with his earnings from professional baseball,
    he may never HAVE to work to support himself or his family.
    He can just go out and do something he loves.

    Reply
    • Buzz Killington

      3 weeks ago

      He can just invest it and live off yield.

      Reply
    • extreme113

      3 weeks ago

      He went to a school that promised him innings and he had to transfer out because they didn’t use him, maybe signing out of HS would’ve been the better choice.

      Reply
  6. Wilmer the Thrillmer

    3 weeks ago

    He had an epic year in Korea in 2019 which he parlayed into a 3 year 9 million dollar contract with Milwaukee.

    He made the top 50 free agent list that offseason (#42).

    Reply
  7. DeGrom Texas Ranger

    3 weeks ago

    Complete disappointment

    Reply
    • Buzz Killington

      3 weeks ago

      Was by far the best IL player. Very good at it.

      Reply
    • phenomenalajs

      3 weeks ago

      That he retired or him as a person?

      Reply
      • DeGrom Texas Ranger

        3 weeks ago

        Neither; his performance

        Reply
  8. Old York

    3 weeks ago

    $7M over 7 years? Better than me and I’ve never come close to pro baseball. Congrats on your retirement! Do such players with less than 10-years of service still get a partially pro-rated pension or are they out of luck?

    Reply
    • Stan Konit

      3 weeks ago

      Found: “Players who have played in MLB for 10 or more years, and have accrued at least 1,000 days on an MLB roster, are eligible for the maximum pension benefit of $230,000 per year.”

      Reply
  9. Whonose

    3 weeks ago

    $10 Mil – Only in America

    Reply
  10. Unclemike1526

    3 weeks ago

    Who?

    Reply
    • vtadave

      3 weeks ago

      Josh Lindblom I think.

      Reply
  11. Rsox

    3 weeks ago

    He should be thanking the Brewers for making a comfortable retirement possible

    Reply
  12. Fink Ployed

    3 weeks ago

    Tastefully diplomatic closing sentence, Darragh. Nicely done.

    Reply
  13. miltpappas

    3 weeks ago

    Well, he played 134 games and struck out 200 more batters than me. Enjoy retirement, Josh.

    Reply
  14. andrewf

    3 weeks ago

    To be honest I was kind of expecting Lindblom to get another stint in the KBO before he retired but hopefully his retirement is a smoother journey.

    Reply
  15. Bigben74

    3 weeks ago

    He’s the one
    Who likes all our pretty songs
    And he likes to sing along
    And he likes to shoot his gun
    But he knows not what it means
    Knows not what it means

    Tender age Lindblom

    Reply
  16. Mrbarky

    3 weeks ago

    Frank Burns had a tough time in Korea.

    Reply
  17. halloffamernobodycares

    3 weeks ago

    MLBTR wishes him the best. What an endorsement. F right off MLBTR. Vultures and maybe a little more, tops.

    Reply
  18. Silas

    3 weeks ago

    Guess he’s calling it a Korea-er. Wish him the best.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Blue Jays Sign Chad Green

    Rays Extend Yandy Diaz

    Dexter Fowler Announces Retirement

    Mets Sign Jeff McNeil To Four-Year Extension

    Red Sox, Marlins Swap Matt Barnes For Richard Bleier

    Darren O’Day Announces Retirement

    Royals To Re-Sign Zack Greinke

    Braves Extend Manager Brian Snitker Through 2025

    Rays Sign Pete Fairbanks To Extension

    Royals Sign Aroldis Chapman To One-Year Deal

    Athletics Sign Jesús Aguilar

    Orioles Acquire Cole Irvin From A’s

    Astros Name Dana Brown General Manager

    Rays Extend Jeffrey Springs

    Royals, Red Sox Swap Adalberto Mondesi For Josh Taylor

    Red Sox Designate Matt Barnes For Assignment

    Scott Rolen Elected Into Baseball Hall Of Fame

    Red Sox Sign Adam Duvall

    Brad Ausmus Reportedly Among Astros’ GM Finalists

    Mike Clevinger Under Investigation For Domestic Violence Allegations

    Recent

    Mariners Win Arbitration Case Against Diego Castillo

    Mariners, Kyle Tyler Agree To Minor League Contract

    Dodgers Move Danny Lehmann To Bench Coach

    MLBTR Chat Transcript

    Reds Sign Jason Vosler To Minor League Deal

    Braves Sign Yolmer Sanchez To Minor League Deal

    Mets’ Khalil Lee Under Investigation Following Assault Allegations

    Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By Former MLB Outfielder Chad Hermansen

    Dodgers, Matt Andriese Agree To Minor League Deal

    The Opener: Orioles, MLB Events, Signings

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version