Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer will officially announce his retirement from baseball Sunday, the Star Tribune's Phil Miller and La Velle E. Neal III reported Friday.

In a statement that will run Sunday in the Star-Tribune, Mauer wrote:

"After much consideration I have decided to retire from playing baseball. The decision came down to my health and my family. The risk of concussion is always there, and I was reminded of that this season after missing over 30 games as a result of diving for a foul ball.

"Thank you, Minnesota Twins, and thank you, fans, for making my career as special and memorable as it was. Because of you I can leave the game I love with a full and grateful heart."

Mauer was set to be a free agent this winter after playing out the final year of the eight-year, $184 million contract he signed with the Twins in 2010.

The 35-year-old, who mostly played catcher until 2013, is coming off a solid 2018 season, batting .282 with six home runs and 48 RBI. The six-time All-Star could still get on base at a respectable clip (.351 on-base percentage), but he offered little in the way of power.

While Mauer's decision is an emotional blow for Twins fans who have watched him play for the past 15 years, it's not altogether a surprise. He revealed in a September interview with Neal that he planned to seriously consider his future following the 2018 campaign:

"There's a lot that goes into it than just, 'Do you want to play?' There's a lot of different dynamics that go into it. I owe it to myself and my family to sit down and think about those things.

"I have had some conversations with some people close to me and it's amazing. Getting little bits from different people that are helping me cultivate this [decision]. I still have a lot to think about. I still have people who I want to speak to.

"It's interesting. It's a big decision, and I want to make sure I'm 100 percent about it."

Neal reported health was a factor for Mauer after he dove to make a play in the Twins' 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on May 11 and hit his head on the ground. He began suffering from concussion-like symptoms in the weeks after.

In 2013, Mauer appeared in just 113 games. While working behind the plate, he took a foul ball off his catching helmet that resulted a concussion. Mauer told reporters in February 2016 that effects from the concussion continued to linger, as he would occasionally encounter vision problems, particularly during day games.

Mauer retires as one of the greatest Twins in franchise history. Only Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew posted a higher WAR with the team among position players than Mauer (55.1), per Baseball Reference.

Because his decline was so pronounced as he got into his 30s, it's easy to forget how good Mauer was in his prime. He won the American League MVP Award in 2009 and won three straight Gold Gloves from 2008 to 2010.

For more than a decade, Mauer was the face of the Twins, and the fact that he's a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, only strengthened his bond with the fans. His retirement represents the end of an era in Minneapolis.

Mauer's next stop may well be the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Baseball Reference's JAWS metric combines a player's career WAR with his best seven-year stretch and averages the two numbers. Mauer's 47.0 JAWS score ranks seventh among all catchers.

The six players above him on the list are all enshrined in Cooperstown.