A’s closer Trevor May announced his retirement from baseball Monday on a Twitch stream, then unloaded on Oakland A’s owner John Fisher.
After quitting at 34 years old, May got something off his chest, saying, “That’s one thing I really struggled with this year, was just not eviscerating that guy,” in reference to the A’s owner.
“Now that it’s official, to the A’s organization and every single person a part of it, I love all of you, every single one of you except for,” May said, then taking a long pause, “one guy. And we all know who that guy is. Sell the team, dude. … Sell it man, let someone who actually like takes pride in the things they own, own something. … Take mommy and daddy’s money somewhere else, dork.”
May continued, calling Fisher “greedy”, and criticized him for avoiding the media during a period in which the owner is tying to uproot the team from Oakland and move it to Las Vegas, calling for Fisher to “own” his actions.
“There’s nothing weaker than being afraid of cameras,” May said. “Do what you are going to do, bro. … (but) you are too soft to take any responsibility for anything you are doing. … Just be better. That is all we are asking. Just be a human being.”
May also told a few hundred of his 189,000 followers that he would soon be more available to them.
“I don’t know why some of you guys are booing and are not happy, but I am happy,” May said.
The veteran reliever only spent one year in Oakland, and the team finished with MLB’s worst record, but May was involved in a moment that will define the season for many: He recorded the save June 13 in the A’s win during the “reverse boycott” imposed by fans.
He also made headlines early in the season when he went on the injured list with anxiety after allowing eight earned runs over six innings in his first eight appearances. After a month away from the game, he allowed only nine runs over 40.2 innings pitched over 41 appearances. His earned-run average of 3.28 was the third-best of his nine-year career, and second among A’s pitchers who threw at least 20 innings.
May reiterated that he chose specifically to come to Oakland this year despite low expectations for the team because it would offer him an opportunity to get away from the noise he had faced elsewhere, including in New York with the Mets.
“I think I got everything I wanted out of this year,” he said, adding that he had told his teammates and coaches about his decision at the end of the season after they helped him reach an unspecified contract incentive.
May arrived as the A’s biggest-ticket free agent signing last offseason with a one-year, $7 million deal, and those early struggles brought his contract into focus for some fans, but his turnaround after addressing his mental health and that save on the fans’ own holiday of sorts endeared him to many.
He admitted that time away from family had worn significantly on him, and he was looking forward to spending more time on pursuits outside of the game.
“I don’t think I’ve hid it very well. I think that people who are close to me knew about this for a long time,” he said. “I have to be honest with you: Ever since the day I was drafted, I have not looked forward to reporting to spring training, only because I really enjoy a lot of other stuff. I enjoy my offseason and having time to do stuff that I enjoy, being around people. I’ve constantly had to move away from my family.”
He said he wrote a screenplay for a short film already this year, and hopes to write fantasy and baseball books in retirement.
May noted that he plans to continue being involved in the game via his social media and radio appearances, but that he wanted to leave his playing career on his own terms: “Watching yourself slowly decline until you’re fighting just to be, like, relevant and have a job, sounds awful.”
Laurence Miedema contributed to this story.