After eight Major League seasons, first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper has decided to retire. The 34-year-old Cooper made the announcement on his Instagram account, praising his family and the many others who helped him along the way.
“This game has given me more than I could have ever imagined,” Cooper wrote in his goodbye post. “I’ve had the privilege of living out every little kid’s dream and calling baseball my career for over a decade. I poured everything I had into this game, and in return, it gave me memories, lessons, and relationships that I will carry with me forever.”
Beginning his career as a sixth-round pick for the Brewers in the 2013 draft, Cooper never suited up for Milwaukee, as he was dealt to the Yankees in July 2017. He made his MLB debut that year by playing in 13 games in the pinstripes before the Yankees traded him to the Marlins in November 2017, as part of a noteworthy deal that brought Michael King to the Bronx.
Miami was Cooper’s professional home for the next six seasons, as he established himself as a regular in the Marlins’ lineup whenever his health allowed. Cooper was plagued by multiple injuries during his time with the Fish, and since he was already 26 years old when he first broke into the majors, his status as a somewhat older “prospect” on a rebuilding Marlins club led to Cooper losing out on some playing time in favor of younger players.
However, Cooper showed his value at the plate when he was able to play. Cooper hit 274/.350/.444 over 1273 plate appearances during the 2019-22 seasons, translating to a 116 wRC+ over that span. His best performances came in the middle two years of that four-season span, and his .853 OPS over 133 PA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season helped the Marlins make a surprise playoff appearance. Cooper’s good numbers early in the 2022 campaign earned him a selection on the NL All-Star team.
As he was approaching free agency after the 2023 season, Cooper was dealt to the Padres at the trade deadline, with Ryan Weathers heading back to Miami in return. Cooper’s production was on the decline in 2023 and he could only land a minor league deal with the Cubs that offseason. Cooper’s final MLB season saw him appear in 12 games with the Cubs and 24 more appearances with the Red Sox in 2024, and another minors contract with the Braves last winter resulted in Cooper getting released in May without any call-ups to the Show.
Over 517 games and 1929 career plate appearances, Cooper hit .265/.333/.427 with 57 home runs. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Cooper on a fine career, and we wish him the best in his post-playing days.
Don’t remember him, never heard of him, but you know what? He hit 57 homers, OPS+ed over 100, made the All star team and well, actually played MLB, so that’s totally kicking my arse.
Enjoy retirement Garrett and congrats on being able to succeed at the highest level of your chosen profession.
I understand he was on the marlins and they get zero media coverage but even I heard of him, 2022 all star
105 OPS+ when you really think about it is a remarkable achievement.
Exactly. MLB players are the best of the best. Just making the show is a tremendous accomplishment. Being better than average among that group is truly outstanding.
Username checks out.
Only follow one team? That is sad.
casual – Agreed, he should be proud of what he accomplished.
Yet another guy who ended his MLB career by playing with the Red Sox.
Good Luck Garrett!
Happy Retirement! Loved watching you play!
Whateva happened to Garrett Cooper? The strong, silent type.
Cooper never could get going in Boston in ’24 in what would be his last MLB action. Had a couple of good seasons in Miami and was an All Star. Congrats to him
Glad he appreciates the fact he lived a dream. Wish him well.
Didn’t realize he was so old. (Not literally an old person. I’m the same age.lol)
I’m 41..I’m older than 99% of the players. Not too long ago they were all older than me
Good luck in retirement, Garrett!
One of David Stearns’ first transactions as Brewers GM was to trade Cooper, a decent prospect, to the Yankees for reliever Tyler Webb, an injury-prone failure. Stearns never drafted corner infielders for Milwaukee, so the Brewers had to take fliers on the likes of Eric Thames, Travis Shaw and Rowdy Tellez. Thankfully, Stearns’ successor Matt Arnold has a half dozen drafted corner infielders coming up the pipeline. That’s where the Brewers’ power surge will eventually come from.
Enjoyed watching him play, if only for other teams. Would have liked to see him stick with a Brewers team that at the time was struggling for any kind of consistent 1B power, only picking up on decent actual 1B in Tellez.
Nice guy who understood how lucky he was. We won’t see an influx of those types any time soon, so when they leave the game, it’s notable that they get recognized for understanding that they’re playing a kids game.
Congrats Garrett! Enjoy the retirement!
His power seemed to dry up overnight.
He was a solid hitter. Also very streaky. Thought he had more time in him than he had
Well, good luck to Garrett. Seemed like a nice guy. However, I feel like the Marlins brass overstayed Garrett’s welcome with the job security they gave him that really turned out badly and made Marlins fans like myself turn on him as a performer. He was a solid MLB player.
He has a bunch of money and a hot wife. Good for him and the rest of his life.