St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin says that after this contract ends after the 2011 season, he will hang it up and retire. He wants to develop 80 acres of desirable real estate and enjoy 600 acres of undeveloped land he uses as a hunting preserve with his wife and three kids.

“I think I owe it to my family,” Franklin said before Friday’s series opener against the Oakland A’s. “I’ve missed a lot of things that have been going on. I don’t want to miss a lot more.

Franklin, 37, signed a two-year, below-market, $6.5 million extension last summer that runs through 2011. He is 3-0, with 13 saves and has a 2.40 ERA this season with the Cardinals.

He will fully vest his union’s pension and medical benefits after the 2010 season.

Information from Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was used in this article.