Angels' Kevin Pillar Reveals Timeline to Decide on Retirement

Pillar said earlier this season there was a good chance he would retire at the end of the year.

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In July, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar told USA Today that he was 98 percent sure he would retire from MLB at the end of the 2024 season. With only two series remaining in the Angels' season, Pillar has yet to officially decide if he will hang it up.

Pillar noted that he will have some time to reflect and think about the choice during an upcoming trip to Costa Rica with his family, who will also contribute to the decision.

"My wife and I have our 10-year anniversary in October and my daughter turns seven," Pillar said, via Jerry Crasnick of the MLB Players' Association. "After the season, we're going to go to Costa Rica just to get away as a family. Hopefully I’ll leave there with some clarity of what's next for me and my future -- for our future. It won't be just my decision. It will be a decision that my wife and my kids will help me make, and we’ll make the best decision for our family."

Pillar has played for nine different teams over the last six seasons, causing him to move around frequently. He told Crasnick this has caused him to miss significant milestones in his children's lives, including birthdays and his son taking his first steps.

Pillar's family did join him when he played for the White Sox and Angels this season, but there are still plenty of other moments he has not been able to be a part of because of his career.

This will certainly factor into Pillar's decision to retire. What Pillar has decided for sure is that he is ready to retire if he doesn't sign before the beginning of the 2025 season. He will retire if he has not signed by February, when spring training begins.

"I’m definitely prepared for it to be the end," Pillar said, via Crasnick. "Coming out and saying that was kind of my way to remind myself to enjoy what could be my last year."

"If an opportunity (to play) presents itself sooner rather than later, that’s a decision you’re going to have to make. But I won’t go until February."

Pillar will finish the 2024 campaign with a road series against the White Sox before the Angels' final homestand against the Texas Rangers. With the Angels this season, Pillar has hit .254 with seven home runs and 41 RBIs.