Former Padres Pitcher Announces Sudden Retirement

In 17 seasons from British Columbia to Baltimore to Busan, Dan Straily always knew how to find his way to the mound. The one exception to the rule was San Diego.

Straily, who announced his retirement in an Instagram post Saturday, wasn't a Padre for long. In fact, his three days in the organization in March 2016 marked his shortest stint with any professional team.

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Diehard fans will be pressed to remember Straily's San Diego era. He was acquired at the end of spring training from the Astros in a 1-for-1 swap that sent catcher Erik Kratz to Houston. Kratz himself spent barely more than a month with the Padres (and only two months with the Astros).

Straily was immediately placed on waivers by A.J. Preller, and claimed by the Cincinnati Reds on April 1, 2016, ending his time with the Padres without a single appearance in an exhibition or regular-season game.

In 444 professional games across four different countries, Straily made a habit of surviving — and being involved in lopsided trades. Never an All-Star, Straily was traded four separate times in his career, in deals involving four different players who would go on to make an All-Star team themselves.

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"After 17 unforgettable years in professional baseball, I've decided it's time to officially retire from the game I've loved since I was a kid," Straily wrote. "When I was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2009, I never could have imagined the journey baseball would take me on. From making my Major League debut with the A's in 2012, to pitching for the Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins, and Orioles — every uniform I put on represented another step in a dream come true.

"I'm proud to have thrown over 800 innings in the big leagues, faced some of the best hitters in the world, and competed at the highest level for parts of 8 seasons."

Straily was originally drafted in the 24th round out of Marshall. He made his major league debut with Oakland in 2012 and posted a solid rookie campaign in 2013: 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 27 starts. The following summer he became a trade chip for the first time, bundled with future All-Star Addison Russell to Chicago in the deal that brought another future All-Star (Jeff Samardzija) to Oakland.

Russell would go on to become part of the Cubs' 2016 championship team, along with Dexter Fowler — whom the Cubs acquired for Straily in a January 2015 trade with the Houston Astros.

After the Padres let him go for nothing, Straily turned in the best season of his career: a surprising 14-8 campaign with a 3.76 ERA (113 ERA+) for Cincinnati in 2016.

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In January 2017, Straily found himself traded for yet another future All-Star when the Marlins sent right-hander Luis Castillo and two others to Cincinnati.

Straily went 15-15 with a 4.20 ERA (93 ERA+) in two seasons with Miami. He went 2-4 with a 9.82 ERA in 2019 with the Orioles, in what ultimately proved to be his final big league season.

Straily’s last act came in the Mexican League with Diablos Rojos this season. He logged a 9.00 ERA across 32 weary innings.

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