There’s no I in team.
At least that’s how the saying goes. But according to Kevin Pillar, this is not the case for the Texas Rangers. Despite winning the World Series in 2023, Pillar recently came out and took shots at the Rangers.
Pillar appeared in 20 games this season for the Rangers and made 43 at-bats, but in that limited time, he apparently had seen enough.
Kevin Pillar Criticizes Rangers in Midst of Retirement Announcement
The Former Toronto Blue Jays center fielder announced his retirement on Wednesday after 13 seasons of play in Major League Baseball. The 36-year-old from West Hills, Calif., spent seven seasons in Toronto from 2013 to 2019, tallying 44 homers and 231 RBIs in 695 games.
Pillar also had stints with the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers from 2020 to 2025.
His stint with the Rangers is significant because even in the midst of his retirement, he’s still finding something negative to say about the Arlington-based franchise.
“I thought they would be a little bit tighter as a group. I thought it’d be like my experience in Atlanta. Everyone wanted to pull on the same rope, everyone wanted to hang out and do everything together. Winning was the most important thing,” Pillar said on Wednesday’s edition of Foul Territory.
“Every day, when I got in the clubhouse in Texas, there’s a lot of talent in there, and there’s a lot of individual stuff going on. A lot of guys are doing their own thing. You might not see people until the game. Guys are just kinda doing their own thing. Not a lot of BP. Not a lot of stretching together … I was looking for more of a way to get in that inner circle, and that comes through stretching and BP, where you talk about things that aren’t baseball, and you get to know guys.”
In fact, according to MSN, Pillar initially said he would retire after the 2024 season, but he ultimately signed a minor-league deal with the Rangers this season. He made the MLB club out of spring training but was designated for assignment on May 31. Pillar had 43 at-bats and nine hits in 2025.
He announced his retirement at 36. Having been a journeyman for the last five years, the veteran has seen it all in the majors and will now look to start a new life.