Dan McLaughlin said on the Cardinals' television broadcast Wednesday that Rick Ankiel has retired from baseball.

Ankiel said as recently as February that he was open to playing in 2014 if the right situation came along, but he has apparently given up on the idea of a comeback and is now aiming to join a team's front office in some capacity. His once-promising career as a pitcher fizzled out due to extreme control problems, but he still made his mark as a hitter for a brief stretch, which is quite a testament to his talent.

Rick Ankiel stated in an interview on Sirius XM on Friday that he's still open to playing in 2014.

The free agent outfielder hasn't heard from any interested teams, but has yet to give up hope. At this point, he will have to settle for a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, but in the right destination he could compete for a bench spot on a team in need of left-handed power.

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that free agent Rick Ankiel is willing to extend his career in 2014, even if that involves taking a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Ankiel, 34, spent the 2013 season with the Astros and Mets, racking up a paltry 136 plate appearances with a .657 OPS to show for it. In fact, he has posted a sub-.700 OPS in each of the past three seasons. Beyond occasional power, Ankiel doesn't bring much to the field, but on a risk-free minor league deal, some teams could do worse.

Rick Ankiel has elected to become a free agent.

Ankiel was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after batting just .182/.239/.364 with 25 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. The 33-year-old former pitcher will presumably try to latch on with a new organization.

The Mets are expected to designate Rick Ankiel for assignment before Sunday's game in order to make room on the roster for Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

The 33-year-old outfielder is hitting just .188/.235/.422 with seven homers, 18 RBI and 60 strikeouts through 128 at-bats on the season after an 0-for-4 effort on Saturday. After being dismissed by the Astros and Mets, he'll likely have to settle for a minor league deal elsewhere.

Rick Ankiel went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Marlins.

Ankiel has predictably slowed down after his hot start with New York, collecting just two hits in his last 22 at-bats. Still, the Mets figure to keep running him out there in center field against right-handers for the time being. He's not really an option outside of deeper NL-only leagues.

Rick Ankiel tripled and doubled twice against the Reds on Wednesday.

The triple should have been a double, too, but Xavier Paul fell down in left field twice on the play. Ankiel is now 10-for-31 with seven extra-base hits as a member of the Mets. It probably won't last, but it's nice to see him doing well. His career was in danger of being over when the Astros let him go.

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Saturday against the Cubs.

Ankiel is 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four RBI and six strikeouts since joining the Mets earlier this week. The 33-year-old is not going to hit for a high batting average, but he has enough pop to be useful in NL-only leagues as long as he gets regular at-bats in center field.

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI but the Mets fell to the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Ankiel singled in the top of the second inning and then hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh. But the Mets wound up losing their third straight game in St. Louis. Ankiel is 2-for-8 since joining New York.

Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Rick Ankiel and Juan Lagares will platoon in center field.

Ankiel will start against right-handed pitchers while Lagares will play against southpaws. We're not expecting much in the way of batting average, but Ankiel could provide enough pop to hold some value in NL-only formats.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that outfielder Rick Ankiel has agreed to a deal with the Mets.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Mets are "in talks on a deal" with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel was released by the Astros last week after batting .194 with a .231 on-base percentage and 35 strikeouts over 65 plate appearances. He did hit five homers, and could add some needed pop to the Mets' roster.

Astros released OF Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. While the 33-year-old had five homers, he was hitting just .194/.231/.484 with an ugly 35/3 K/BB ratio. It's telling that the worst team in baseball didn't have use for him anymore, so he could struggle to find another opportunity with an MLB club.

Astros designated OF Rick Ankiel for assignment.

Ankiel has banged out five home runs this season, but he's hit an ugly .194/.231/.484 overall and has a 3/35 BB/K ratio. He'll be able to catch on elsewhere, but he might have to work his way up through the minors first. The Astros also designated Fernando Martinez for assignment Monday.

Rick Ankiel hit his fifth home run of the season Monday against the Mariners.

Ankiel accounted for all of the Astros' offense on the night, as he took Carter Capps deep for a solo shot in the seventh. The veteran outfielder is hitting just .237 with an ugly 24/0 K/BB ratio, but five of his nine hits have been home runs. He also holds a .921 OPS. Keep running him out there in NL-only leagues, though the rebuilding Astros could change course at any time.

Rick Ankiel belted his fourth homer of the season, helping to power the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Indians on Friday.

The homer came as part of back-to-back shots with J.D. Martinez off Brett Myers in the second inning. After his 1-for-3 night, Ankiel has the unusual .194/.194/.613 line on the season. He has just six hits, with four of them being home runs, and a double as well. He's now driven in 10 runs on the season, and could be worth a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues as a cheap source of power.

Rick Ankiel delivered his second pinch-hit homer of the season Wednesday in the ninth inning against the A's.

Ankiel took Grant Balfour deep for his third homer in 28 at-bats this season. Unfortunately, he has just two other hits along with the homers and a crazy 20/0 K/BB ratio. It'll be interesting to see how long he lasts in Houston.

Pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel delivered a three-run homer off Derek Lowe in the bottom of the sixth as the Astros beat the Rangers 8-2 on Sunday.

Astros manager Bo Porter has said Ankiel is his regular right fielder, but he still had him on the bench against a lefty tonight. No matter, Ankiel delivered his first ever Opening Day hit after replacing Brandon Barnes in the sixth, and it left the yard for the first home run of the 2013 season. Lowe had just replaced Matt Harrison in the game, as Ron Washington for some reason bypassed all of his better righties. Ankiel will definitely be in the lineup for the final two games of the series.

Astros purchased the contract of OF Rick Ankiel from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Ankiel has earned the right field job for the 'Stros by batting .413/.463/.826 with four homers this spring. He's no safe bet to start there against righties all season, but it's possible he'll have AL-only value.

Rick Ankiel homered, doubled and drove in four runs in the Astros' 11-4 rout of the Tigers on Thursday.

Ankiel has won the Astros' right field job with a .432 average and four homers in 45 at-bats this spring. It's highly unlikely that he'll hit for average in the regular season, but he might surprise with decent power numbers. Of course, that would require staying healthy, something that's always been a problem for him.