Gold Glove winner and former San Diego Padres slugger Eric Hosmer transitions from the batter's box to the broadcast booth, joining MLB Network.
Eric Hosmer finished his MLB career with four Gold Glove awards and one World Series victory, which came in 2015 as a member of the Kansas City Royals.
However, San Diego Padres fans will remember Hosmer.
In 2018, the Padres signed Hosmer to an eight-year, $144 million contract, which, at that time, was the biggest contract in franchise history.
Padres GM A.J. Preller was there, and now, years later, the Padres have inked a handful of massive deals, and the Hosmer signing was a change of direction as far as spending goes.
Hosmer spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Royals before signing with the Padres. He then spent five years with San Diego before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in the middle of the 2022 season, and his final year came with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 before he announced his retirement.
However, now Hosmer is returning to the game, although he is doing so as an on-air analyst for MLB Network.
The news was announced on Wednesday.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic first had the news.
Former Padres broadcaster Matt Vasgersian is also on MLB Network, and he welcomed Hosmer during an interview on Thursday.
Hosmer spoke to Matty V and Harold Reynolds about coming on board with the network, and he expressed humility and excitement for the new job.
"I really did want to stay a part of the game," Hosmer added. "There was a lot of opportunities for me to stay involved in the game, covered the game...I was super fired up that you guys called back. I can't wait to be part of the team."
Hosmer said he is excited to dive into the analytics approach of the game, and overall, he is excited to stay close to the game that he played for such a long time.
Hosmer isn't the only former Padres star on the crew. Yonder Alonso is there, and former Padres ace Jake Peavy is also a part of the crew at MLB Network.
Former MLB players going from the diamond to the booth or the analyst role is becoming more and more common, and it makes sense given their knowledge and passion for the game of baseball.
So, after retiring from the MLB following a successful career, Hosmer is joining MLB Network, and hopefully, we can hear him break down some Padres games this season.