You know you¡¯re getting older, becoming a real grown-up, when you realize you¡¯re the same age as Major League Baseball players. Then it dawns on you that players your age are considered ¡°grizzled veterans.¡± And then, eventually, there¡¯s no one your age who is still active in MLB. Then you are officially old.
Marking your age by how it compares to MLB players is a risky proposition; I¡¯m still reeling from the fact that Placido Polanco -- a former big leaguer who was born on Oct. 10, 1975, the same day as me -- has been retired since 2013. But life moves on, inexorably, regardless.
The good news for wretches like us is that there still are some old guys hanging around. Now that the season is upon us, we take our annual look at the 10 oldest players in MLB.
To qualify for this list, players simply must be on a Major League 40-man roster on Opening Day, even if they¡¯re currently injured. (And we old people know how it is to always feel injured.) Not included on this list are some guys still searching for a team, such as Rich Hill, David Robertson, Daniel Bard and Adam Ottavino, who was just released by the Red Sox last week. Also not included, for now: 41-year-old Jesse Chavez, who is starting the season in Triple-A for the Braves.
1. Justin Verlander, RHP, Giants (age 42)
Born: Feb. 20, 1983 | 1st season: 2005
He was the oldest player in baseball heading into Opening Day last season, and he¡¯s the oldest guy on Opening Day again this year. In 2024, he -- finally -- started to look his age. He made only 17 starts last year for the Astros, put up a gnarly 5.48 ERA and didn¡¯t even make the postseason roster. That is obviously not how Verlander wanted to go out, so he is returning, this year as a member of the Giants, his fourth team in his 20-year career. Verlander has said he wants to reach 300 wins, but he¡¯s got a long way to go for a guy who turned 42 last month; he is currently 38 short. He¡¯s going to have to take a big chunk out of that number this year to have any sort of chance.
2. Charlie Morton, RHP, Orioles (age 41)
Born: Nov. 12, 1983 | 1st season: 2008
In an age when ¡°innings-eater¡± is going more and more out of style, here¡¯s Morton, still chomping away year after year after year. He delivered 165 1/3 league-average innings for the Braves last year, just like he did in 2023 and 2022 and 2021 and, well, ever since reviving his career with the Astros in 2017. Considering how many young offensive stalwarts the Orioles have in their lineup, there isn¡¯t much the Orioles need more than an innings-muncher. If Morton gives that many innings of league-average pitching again in 2025, he will surely be back in 2026.
3. Yuli Gurriel, 1B, Padres (age 40)
Born: June 9, 1984 | 1st season: 2016
Because Gurriel hasn¡¯t even been in the league 10 years yet ¨C he had an extensive pro career in Cuba and Japan first beforehand -- it¡¯s easily forgotten just how old he in fact is. He¡¯s never had a truly monster season in the bigs, even if he did lead the AL with a .319 batting average in 2021, but matters have not gone well for him since leaving the Astros: He had a 76 OPS+ for the Marlins in 2023 and an 82 OPS+ for the Royals in 2024. The Padres offered him a non-roster invite to Spring Training, and his .306 average in 16 spring games got him a spot on the Opening Day roster.
4. Max Scherzer, RHP, Blue Jays (age 40)
Born: July 27, 1984 | 1st season: 2008
Scherzer, like Verlander, barely kept his head above water in 2024, making only nine starts, albeit with a 3.95 ERA that was much better than Verlander¡¯s. Also like Verlander, Scherzer is in his hired-gun era, floating from town to town, for whatever team might need him. The Blue Jays are his destination this year, his first gig north of the border and his seventh team in total. He¡¯s actually nine strikeouts behind Verlander for 10th all-time, which might be a fun stat to track all year.
5. Justin Turner, DH, Cubs (age 40)
Born: Nov. 23, 1984 | 1st season: 2009
Turner played for the Dodgers from 2014-22, winning a World Series and becoming one of the more beloved Dodgers players of the century. Since he left for Boston in 2023, though, he has become a journeyman, playing for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners and now the Cubs, who think he¡¯s the extra bat they needed after missing out on Alex Bregman. In his 18th year, he¡¯s two homers away from 200, but what¡¯s more impressive is that .363 lifetime OBP.
6. Carlos Santana, 1B/DH, Guardians (age 38)
Born: April 8, 1986 | 1st season: 2010
After four seasons -- and five teams -- in the wilderness, Santana is back where he¡¯s supposed to be: Cleveland. He¡¯ll bring his slick first-base glove, his on-base prowess and his occasional power bat back to The Land for the first time since the Covid season of 2020. While Santana has still been good since he left, his numbers have still never returned to their Cleveland levels. Remember, by the way: This is a guy who homered in the 2016 World Series for this team.
7. Chris Martin, RHP, Rangers (age 38)
Born: June 2, 1986 | 1st season: 2014
He has been Not The Coldplay Guy in the Majors for 10 seasons now, and for the last seven, ever since he returned from a stint in Japan, he has been a top-shelf reliever. (He actually got down-ballot Cy Young votes two years ago when he had a 1.05 ERA in 51 1/3 innings.) Martin has never thrown more than 56 innings in an MLB season, and has a career total of just 14 saves, but he has carved out an excellent little career for himself, one that may still last for a while.
8. Yu Darvish, RHP, Padres (age 38)
Born: Aug. 16, 1986 | 1st season: 2012
Darvish was expected to be a part of the Padres¡¯ rotation, and he may well still be, but right elbow inflammation has him starting the season on the IL. The team is still optimistic his return won¡¯t take too long. No matter what, he¡¯s going to be on this list for a while: The Padres have him signed through the 2028 season, when he will turn 42.
9. Martín Maldonado, C, Padres (age 38)
Born: Aug. 16, 1986 | 1st season: 2011
Maldonado, it¡¯s fair to say, has never been that much of a hitter: He has never once had even a single above-average offensive season in his entire career. But he has enough catching wiles to keep hanging around, now doing so in San Diego. He was actually born on the same day as his new teammate Darvish: I wasn¡¯t sure who was actually born first, but since Japan is ahead of Puerto Rico (where Maldonado was born) time-zone-wise, I gave Yu the edge.
10. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates (age 38)
Born: Oct. 10, 1986 | 1st season: 2009
How is it possible that we have gotten so old that McCutchen, the guy who was the future of the Pirates¡¯ franchise, the MVP, the man who was impossibly young, is one of the 10 oldest players in baseball? McCutchen is back with the Pirates for the third straight season -- and 12th season overall -- and while he¡¯s not the player he used to be, don¡¯t think he¡¯s just here because of sentimentality. He remains one of the best hitters on the Pirates¡¯ roster, and that uniform still looks just right on him.