After 11 major league seasons, 36-year-old veteran left-hander Erik Bedard has notified the Dodgers of his intention to retire.

Bedard, who was signed to a minor league contract on January 18, 2015 by his former Tampa Bay Rays general manager and current Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, was given an invitation to major league camp and appeared in three spring training games (two starts) for the Dodgers, posting a 1-1 record and 5.40 ERA in 5.0 innings of work. He was shut down after suffering a strained teres major in his left shoulder – the same injury that befell Clayton Kershaw at the beginning of the 2014 season.

Bedard’s minor league contract included an opt-out clause that allowed him to leave the team if he wasn’t on the Dodgers 25-man roster on May 1. But the extremely likable Navan, Ontario, Canada native who knew that his baseball clock was ticking, took the high road and agreed to accept a minor league assignment beyond that deadline.

“I know where I stand,” Bedard said during a spring training interview. “The game is still fun and I like playing baseball.”

After spending nearly two months at extended spring training in Glendale, AZ, Bedard made his 2015 debut on May 25 with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. But after making three starts with the Quakes and posting a 1-1 record and 5.02 ERA in 14.1 innings of work, the soft-tossing lefty has decided to hang up his spikes.

Erik Bedard has made what is undoubtedly the toughest decision a professional baseball player will ever make – the decision to retire. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Bedard’s decision to retire doesn’t come as a complete surprise. In addition to the May 1 opt-out clause in his minor league contract, he had a second opt-out date of June 15. But when asked about this after his second start with the Quakes on May 30, Bedard said that he had completely forgotten about it.

“I did not even know that, I forgot about it,” said Bedard. “I don’t even think about that stuff anyway. I’m just out here playing ball and having fun. I’m going day-by-day, I’m not thinking ahead. I’m just going to see where it goes and I’m just going to have fun with it.”

But with that June 15 deadline now only days away, Bedard obviously has thought about it and has decided to retire.

The benefactors of Bedard’s time with the Quakes are the Quakes players themselves – most of whom are 15 years younger than him.

“It’s fun. It’s fun to be around if they ask questions, to be there and answer them,” Bedard said. “Tell them how the big league experience is, maybe what they need to work on and be more consistent. When you’re at their age the biggest thing is being consistent. To get to the big leagues you’re going to have to be consistent or else you probably won’t last. You’ve got to throw strikes all the time, you can’t be on and off from one start to the next start.”

You simply can’t get this type of tutoring and learning experience anywhere else and there is little doubt that Bedard’s young teammates will miss him dearly.

In his 11-year MLB career, Bedard posted a 71-82 record with a 3.99 ERA, most of it with the Baltimore Orioles who had selected him in the sixth round of the 1999 First Year Player Draft. He made his MLB debut with the Orioles on April 17, 2002 and was fifth in the AL Cy Young award voting in 2007 when he had the American League’s best K/9 ranking of 10.9. Bedard also spent time with the Mariners, Red Sox, Pirates, Astros and Rays before being signed by the Dodgers this past winter.

Godspeed to you, Erik Bedard.