Fort Myers, FL (Sports Network) - Nomar Garciaparra has called it a career, as the infielder signed a minor league contract with Boston in order to retire with the Red Sox.

Garciaparra, 36, and the Red Sox announced the news at a press conference Wednesday morning. He said he came to the decision to retire after realizing he couldn't work out the way he wanted to.

"There was a time this offseason, getting ready, I looked at my wife and said, 'My tank's empty,'" Garciaparra said.

While he will not be on the field any longer, Garciaparra will not be entirely out of the game, as he has joined ESPN as a baseball analyst.

Garciaparra played 14 seasons, spending most of his career with Boston, which drafted him 12th overall in 1994. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award with the Red Sox in 1997, when he totaled 209 hits, 30 home runs and 98 runs batted in, establishing himself as one of the premier young shortstops in the game.

Garciaparra played eight-plus seasons with the Red Sox (1996-2004) before being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the 2004 trade deadline. Though he went on to play for the Cubs, Dodgers, and Athletics, he said Wednesday he has had a recurring dream, in which he gets to retire in a Red Sox uniform.

"I really just can't put it into words what the organization has always meant to me, my family, the fans," Garciaparra said. "This is where it started, the dream to play baseball in the big leagues started here. Once I got to the big leagues, the way the fans and city embraced me, I always felt that connection."

In 966 games with Boston, he hit .323 with a .370 on-base percentage, 178 home runs, 50 triples and a .553 slugging percentage. He was named an All-Star five times while with the Red Sox and won two AL batting titles (1999, 2000).

"Nomar will always hold a special place in Red Sox history and in the hearts of Red Sox Nation. His accomplishments on the field and in the community place him among the greatest players to wear a Red Sox uniform," said Red Sox principal owner John Henry. "We are very appreciative that Nomar is ending his career where it began."

After being traded to Chicago, Garciaparra struggled through an injury- plagued 2005 with the Cubs, but won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2006 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he batted .303 in 122 games with 20 home runs and 93 RBI.

He appeared in 65 games for the Oakland Athletics last season, hitting .281 with three home runs and 16 RBI.

Over the course of his 14-year career with Boston (1996-2004), the Cubs (2004-05), the Dodgers (2006-08) and A's (2009), Garciaparra was a six-time All-Star and hit .313 with 229 homers, 936 RBI and a .521 slugging percentage.

03/10 11:29:53 ET