Former Washington Nationals catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is ready to announce his retirement on Monday in Arlington, Texas, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Since beginning his career in 1991 with the Texas Rangers, Rodriguez has played for eight other teams. The final two seasons of his career—2010 and 2011—were spent in Washington.

Rodriguez was hoping to latch on with a team this offseason but no decent opportunities arose. As many as four teams contacted him, but he was hoping to sign a minor-league deal with Texas so he could attend spring training.

He will retire as arguably the best defensive catcher in history, having won 13 Gold Gloves (10 with the Rangers).

Among his various other accolades, Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star.

Over the course of his career, Rodriguez has recorded 2,844 hits, 572 doubles, 51 triples, 311 home runs, 1,332 RBI, 1,354 runs scored and a .296 batting average.

Arguably his best season came in 1999 with the Rangers. He hit .332/.356/.558 with 35 home runs and 113 RBI en route to his only AL MVP award.

He was a key fixture in a Texas lineup that carried the team third AL West crown in four seasons.

He won his only World Series in 2003 in his first season with the Florida Marlins.

Rodriguez is a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he seems ready to take his first step towards his enshrinement in Cooperstown.