These 10 'old guy' free agents still have plenty left in the tank

So much of the free-agent market centers on age: How long a team signs a guy for often depends on how young he is. Every year can count. Every year makes a huge difference. But then there is the other end of the age spectrum: The players who are too old to look for a long-term contract but still have plenty to offer as they reach, or surpass, their mid-30s. It’s the Old Guy Free Agents. They are certainly not done.

So let’s take a look at the older players -- specifically, the 10 most desirable on this open market. (And one of the guys I would have had on here, 36-year-old Lance Lynn, just signed with St. Louis this week.)

As a cutoff age, we’ll go with players who are entering their age-35 season and above. This is mostly based on ability, but general “vibes” are also a factor when discussing this kind of player. And there are two players we didn’t include here who otherwise meet those requirements: Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, two likely future Hall of Famers whose plans are still up in the air for next year, the former because of injury and the latter because of potential retirement.

We hope to see them back. We hope to see all of these guys back.

(Ages listed below are each player’s upcoming seasonal age, which means his age as of July 1, 2024.)

1. J.D. Martinez, DH (Age: 36)
As many twists and turns as Martinez’s career has taken -- can it really have been as recently as 2013 that he had a middling .378 slugging percentage in Houston? -- it is probably worth mentioning he’s hitting as well right now as he has in a half decade. He had 33 homers in only 113 games for the Dodgers last year, putting up his highest slugging percentage since 2018, when he finished fourth in MVP voting. He has made the All-Star Game in three straight seasons. This guy is instant offense. And what team couldn’t use instant offense?

2. Justin Turner, 3B (Age: 39)
It didn’t take long to get used to seeing him wearing something other than a Dodgers jersey. Turner was the model of consistency for a Red Sox team that fluctuated wildly this year, playing 146 games and hitting just as well as he always has: His .276/.345/.455 slash line was indistinguishable among the rest of the Boston lineup. The defense isn’t quite holding up like it used to, but you can still play him in the field if you have to. And the bat still works. The bat may always still work.

3. David Robertson, RHP (Age: 39)
Robertson deftly filled in as the Mets' closer after Edwin Díaz suffered a season-ending knee injury in the World Baseball Classic. (It’s sort of amazing that Robertson has been around long enough to take over for two elite New York closers; he was of course the guy who followed Mariano Rivera in The Bronx.) It didn’t go quite as well when he was traded to Miami, but this is still one of the few guys everybody feels comfortable with in late innings.

4. Brandon Belt, 1B (Age: 36)
Belt is going to be 94 years old and still be able to work a walk. He has missed quite a few games the past few years, but he was huge for the Blue Jays last year, putting up a .369 OBP. For all the talk of that supposed great offense, it was Belt who had the highest OPS+ among Toronto's regulars. He’s not spectacular, and he never has been. But he’ll get on base. And that is the point of going to the plate in the first place.

5. Tommy Pham, OF (Age: 36)
Pham didn’t make his MLB debut until he was already 26, one of the many reasons he seems a lot younger than he is. But he has an electric bat, as we learned in the postseason and as Mets fans knew before their team shipped him to Arizona at the Deadline. He’s inconsistent, sure, and certainly mercurial. But he took advantage of a terrific opportunity to showcase what he could do in the World Series and NLCS, and when he’s hot, he can carry your team. Pham doesn’t typically stay in one place for very long, but he’s a shooting star: You’ll love him when you have him.

6. Andrew McCutchen, OF/DH (Age: 37)
It’s hard to imagine him playing for anyone other than the Pirates if he comes back, in large part because his return to Pittsburgh was such a rousing success. His 113 OPS+ was his highest mark since 2019 with the Phillies. More to the point, it just looked right seeing McCutchen back in a Pirates uniform. If they don’t bring him back, someone will.

7. Kenta Maeda, SP (Age: 36)
Maeda’s injury problems have kept him off the mound quite a bit the last few years, but when he has pitched, he has been effective. And down the stretch in 2023 with the Twins, he was absolutely terrific, showing signs of the great pitcher he had been for the Dodgers in the past. He's expected to stay in the division, with the Tigers in agreement on a two-year deal with the right-hander.

8. Carlos Santana, 1B/DH (Age: 38)
Santana was getting MVP votes as recently as 2019 for Cleveland, still the franchise he’ll be known best for playing for. But he remains a perfectly respectable first baseman with solid on-base and slugging skills. And down the stretch he was legitimately helpful for a Brewers offense that acquired him from the Pirates to secure all the offensive help it could get. He feels like a guy who could be used like Pittsburgh just used him; someone to build up some trade value and then get shipped to a team needing some punch at the Deadline.

9. Joey Votto, 1B (40)
The Reds didn't pick up his option and have already said they don't "have at-bats" for him in 2024. He's determined to come back. The guy will be able to get on base when he's 80, and there aren't many in the game who are more fun to cheer for.

10. Rich Hill, SP (Age: 44)
It might be a stretch to put him in the top 10 based solely on his current ability, but come on: Baseball is so much better with Hill in it. Someone’s got to give him another shot, right? He’s Rich Hill! There isn’t a baseball fan in their early 40s who isn’t rooting for him: It’s always a relief to know there’s still a baseball player out there older than you.

Honorable mentions: Yuli Gurriel, DH (40), Johnny Cueto, SP (38), Josh Donaldson, 3B (38), Brandon Crawford, SS (37), Wade Miley, SP (37), Hyun Jin Ryu, SP (37), Craig Kimbrel, RP (36), Aroldis Chapman, RP (36)