Cain DFA'd by Brewers, calls it 'a great ride'

CINCINNATI -- He didn't come out and say the word retirement on Saturday, when Lorenzo Cain enjoyed the high of reaching 10 years of Major League service and endured the low of being designated for assignment by the Brewers, all on the same emotional day.

But everything in his demeanor and choice of words suggested a better than average chance that one of the most improbable careers in recent memory is coming to an end.

"A kid from Madison County, [Fla.], that just showed up and didn’t have a glove or a bat, cleats, any of that," said Cain, who didn't play baseball until he was in the 10th grade. "I had to borrow everything from the very beginning. To say that I’ve played 10-plus years in The Show, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

"It’s been a great ride for me, a fun ride. I put a lot of work in. I put this body through a lot through the years. At the same time, I think the body is ready to rest a little bit, for sure."

• Brewers look back on Cain's top moments

Cain, now 36, recalled showing up to that first baseball practice wearing a collared shirt, jean shorts and basketball shoes, but he had great instincts and proved a quick study. The Brewers made Cain their 17th-round Draft pick in 2004 and he made it to the Majors in '10, before being packaged with other prospects in a trade that netted ace right-hander Zack Greinke from the Royals and helped the Brewers win their first division title in 29 years the following season.

Cain, meanwhile, flourished in Kansas City, playing in back-to-back World Series in 2014 and '15 and winning the latter. Following the 2017 season he became a free agent at the same time the Brewers were making a move. President of baseball operations David Stearns signed Cain to a club-record $80 million free-agent contract and traded for Christian Yelich on the same day -- Jan. 25, 2018. The Brewers have made the postseason every season since.

"He was a big part of starting what we’ve created here over the past few years, the winning ways," Yelich said. "Obviously, this year hasn’t gone the way he hoped or would have liked. But that’s how it goes in this game sometimes. It’s a really hard game. It’s a challenging game. Just because you want to do well, you want to produce, doesn’t mean it happens.

"We’ll miss him. He’s been a big part of this group, and I’m glad he popped in and said goodbye to the guys."

Endings are often difficult, as was the case in this instance. Stearns, manager Craig Counsell and Cain met on Saturday morning to see where Cain was at, and they mutually agreed, according to both Stearns and Cain, that a DFA was the best course.

Cain shared the news with a handful of teammates in a group text, then visited the clubhouse to say goodbyes before going home to Oklahoma to discuss what comes next with his wife, Jenny, and their three kids.

The Brewers called up another outfielder, Johnny Davis, in an effort to get more production from that reserve outfield spot and will use him to occasionally spell Tyrone Taylor, who is further cemented as the everyday center fielder with Saturday’s move. Cain had gone from starting center fielder to a backup role in recent weeks and was slashing .179/.231/.234 in 156 plate appearances.

“We figured that once we got to this 10-year mark, which we knew was important to Lo -- it's important to any player, as it should be -- we thought it was the right time to sit down with him and pick his brain about what he's thinking and also let him know how we see his role on the team and where we see it going forward,” Stearns said. “This was the right morning to do it. It was a good conversation. These are never easy conversations on either side but I'm glad we had it."

Stearns referred to Cain as “an incredible Brewer” who had “an incredible career.” In his prime, when he was robbing home runs or racing around the bases or delivering division-clinching singles, Cain was as fun to watch as any player in the game.

“The legacy he has around here of how important he was -- some of the things you hear, kind of a quiet leadership role, maybe not so quiet at other times, when something needed to be said, he said it,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Or an action done that helped catapult not just a team, but an organization. I know he’s been in the middle of that since the team was able to get him. That’s something you don’t take lightly when you have players who make that kind of impact, that you’re talking about them years and years after they’re done here.”

Cain said he was thankful to play 10 years with only two organizations. That’s rare these days in itself.

"I would say it was mutual to part ways,” Cain said. “We have a really good team. I don’t think I was contributing the way I would’ve liked. I feel like they definitely had to make a move. I definitely would’ve liked to play a lot better, contribute to the team a little bit more, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case this year.

"At the end of the day, it’s been fun. I think that team can go really far. They’re really well coached, well managed. Those guys play their hearts out. I’m definitely going to miss them. It’s been a fun ride, for sure."

The team now has 10 days to work out a trade, or another team could claim Cain -- that is, if he decides to keep playing. Will he retire or attempt to hook on with another team?

"It’s a wait and see approach," Cain said. "You take a day or two, kind of see where we’re at. Whatever the decision is, maybe to sign with another team or to call it quits altogether, either or, I'll talk to the family, sit down have a conversation with them."

He recalled his first baseball practice on Saturday. Cain had to borrow a glove, bat and cleats to learn the game.

“I’ve had great people in my life to push me, who have helped me out a lot through my high school days all the way up to now,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate, been blessed to play as long as I did. If it’s the end, can’t really be upset about anything.”