Justin Morneau: Will retire, join Twins as special assistant

Morneau accepted a position Monday as a special assistant in the Twins front office, effectively ending his playing career, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The 36-year-old Morneau had been hopeful to keep his career going during the 2017 season, but was unable to find an opportunity. He'll now officially hang up his cleats after 14 MLB seasons with the Twins, Pirates, Rockies and White Sox and retire with a lifetime .281/.348/.481 batting line and 247 home runs. It's no surprise that he'll choose to remain around the game as a member of the Twins organization, with whom he spent his first 11 seasons, highlighted by an AL MVP-winning campaign in 2006.