Johan Santana, who did not pitch in 2013 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, said he never contemplated retirement.

Santana recently signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

"I was told by the doctor the surgery was successful, and it was going to be up to me to come back, and that's all I needed to hear," Santana said. "He told me it's not about being a tough surgery or whatever, it's just about how you're going to handle it, and how much you put into it. I really have worked hard to be [at] this point, and I'm not done yet.

"I don't want to go out in the game like that. I want to go out of the game on my own terms, knowing this is going to be my last game, knowing this is going to be my last year. And not just not knowing maybe that my last game [in 2012] was my last one. I don't even know who I faced, and when it was. I might not want to remember."