"I don't plan on talking to nobody," Wagner told the New York Post when asked where he might sign in the offseason.
The Post then asked if that meant he was going to retire.
"Why wouldn't I?" he said. "I've got nothing else to [accomplish]."
That certainly goes against what most people thought would happen when Wagner was traded from the Mets to the Red Sox in August, when an option year and arbitration were key aspects to the deal getting done.
Wagner is just 15 saves shy of 400 in his career, a mark he said doesn't need to reach.
"That's just dust in the wind," Wagner said of the mark, which only three pitchers (Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith) have reached.
Wagner trails Dennis Eckersley by five saves for fifth all time.
The Post also writes that "a source close to the situation said Wagner might just need a cooling period before deciding to pitch in 2010, but also cautioned that the lefty is making his family a priority and could very well be serious about retirement."
Wagner finished the season with a 1.72 ERA in 17 appearances split between the Mets and the Red Sox. He was charged with two runs in Sunday's loss to the Angels, bumping his playoff ERA to 10.32.
Update: Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow, said that he's not reading too far into the report.
“Those comments probably came right after the Red Sox lost, so I’d bet they were said in the heat of the moment, when he was very frustrated,” Stringfellow told the Boston Herald. “That’s probably not the best time to take comments like that as gospel.
“That’s not what Billy has told me or indicated to me about next year. That’s not to say that he couldn’t, but he’s given me no indication that he will retire. Certainly, I am moving towards him playing next year.”
