Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen is giving serious thought to retirement and seems to be leaning that way, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today:

Scott Rolen is preparing for retirement, but will delay any official announcement. #Reds

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 11, 2012

A seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner and the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year, the 37-year-old Rolen has accomplished much in his seventeen-year career, including a World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

A career .281/.364/.490 hitter with 316 home runs, Rolen has the rare distinction of being a premier player on both offense and defense. He may fall just short of Hall of Fame induction, but has had a wonderful career nevertheless.

Rolen has given no indication as to when he will make his ultimate decision on retirement. If/when Rolen does call it quits, he will have the unfortunate circumstance of ending his great career on a strikeout that eliminated his team from the playoffs.