If you thought Rick Porcello kind of fell off the face of the earth after his 2020 season with the New York Mets, you’re not alone.
But he reemerged for the David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic in Florida over the weekend and caught up with WEEI’s Rob Bradford for an appearance on the “Bradfo Sho” podcast.
“This is Rick Porcello,” he said during the appearance, as transcribed by Bradford. “I want to tell all the listeners I’m retired. Thank you for all the great memories, and thanks for everything.”
Porcello won the American League Cy Young Award in 2016 after putting together a 22-4 season with a 3.15 ERA and also was an important piece of the Boston Red Sox’s 2018 World Series run.
It probably was assumed Porcello was done with Major League Baseball after the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. But it was a bit bizarre that there were no reports about him, no teams interested in the right-hander or just what he had been up to. Given how Porcello’s final seasons went in the league — a 1-7 record and 5.64 ERA — it isn’t all that surprising he didn’t have teams rushing for his services.
Porcello understood that completely.
“There was some interest but I had two horse(expletive) years back to back so not that much interest,” he told Bradford.
As for what he’s been up to? Well, he’s just happy to be with his family.
“I think COVID lent some perspective on my life. I wanted to be with my family,” Porcello told Bradford. “I wanted to get back into that type of lifestyle and be around them because every year that you’re gone is another year where your parents are getting older, and your brothers are getting older. I think COVID impacts a lot of people like that.”
At the end of the day it sounds like Porcello is happy with where his life is headed post-baseball.
