Ex-Royals star Eric Hosmer announces retirement and a new business venture

This will be the first year that former Royals star Eric Hosmer won’t be playing baseball since he was a young boy.

Hosmer, on Wednesday announced his retirement as a player, but he won’t be out of baseball completely. Hosmer and former Royals minor-leaguer Anthony Seratelli have launched MoonBall Media, a media and production company.

MoonBall wants to “create, curate and distribute content by mixing sports and powerful stories with a purpose.”

As part of his work with MoonBall Media, Hosmer will co-host the “Diggin’ Deep” podcast with former Royals teammate Peter Moylan, and Justin Su’a, who focuses on “Coaching and Organizational Performance Development.”

Hosmer, 34, was released by the Cubs in May but rather than join another team, he decided to spend time with his wife, Kacie and their now 17-month-old son, Jack. This offseason, Hosmer had offers to play but didn’t have that same drive that made him an All-Star with the Royals.

“I just didn’t know if my body was ready for all that, didn’t know mentally if I was ready to go back,” Hosmer said. “And if you’re not ready at 110% to compete in this league, then it’s not going to work out. These roster spots are so valuable and I really do understand the value of a roster spot in the big leagues.

“So it’s something that I’ve thought well and long about, had a lot of discussions with Kase and my family about, and ultimately decided that this is the best route for me to take and I’m still going to be involved in the game and covering the game. So I’m just excited for this new chapter.”

Hosmer’s goal for the podcast is to talk with people in and outside of baseball and get their insights on how they do their jobs and find success. He also promises to share details of what happens in the clubhouse and with contract negotiations.

That’s familiar territory for Hosmer, who was drafted third overall by the Royals in the 2008 MLB Draft. After helping the Royals win two American League pennants and the 2015 World Series, he signed an eight-year, $144 million contract with the Padres ahead of the 2018 season.

The Padres made the playoffs just once with Hosmer on the roster, and he was traded to the Red Sox in 2022. Boston released him after the season, and he signed a one-year deal with the Cubs, who cut him after 31 games a year ago.

“I’ve had a unique perspective. I’ve gotten to be the big-time prospect in Kansas City and the young rookie that can do no wrong,” Hosmer said. “And then I’ve gotten to be the guy that’s gotten the big contract and taken a lot of heat and taken a lot of the blame. And then I’ve gotten to be the guy that’s really kind of the 25th, 26th man on the roster in my last two stops.

“I feel like I have unique perspective. I feel like I can share some unique perspective to the fans, to the viewers, and I’m excited to start giving my opinions and just continue to follow the game that we all love.”

In addition to the podcast, MoonBall said it will offer a library of acquired and original content that “features some of the most compelling stories surrounding sports including a docuseries exploring the most unbreakable records in sports featuring legendary names in the game.“