Ranking the best active single-team MLB players: Where do Clayton Kershaw, Jose Altuve land after new deals?

Although the news was a little slow in Major League Baseball this week, there were two notable transactions that occurred involving players who never changed teams. jose altuve signed an extension With the Astros that could send Clayton Kershaw into retirement was extended again with Dodgers for one more year.

It’s obviously much more rare in this day and age than it was decades ago for players to spend their entire careers with the same MLB team, but it does happen. We recently saw two lifers get inducted into the Hall of Fame in Joe Mauer (Twins) and Todd Helton (Rockies). The next crop is led by Kershaw and Altuve.

In fact, let’s dive into the top 10 one-team giants right now. The condition is that the player must be logged in At least six years of service time In the majors. That’s six whole years, not parts of six seasons. Why? This means that a player has passed the free agency limit and is still with his original MLB team.

Someone we won’t find here who deserves a mention is Joey Votto. He has played 17 seasons, all for the Reds. He appears to be committed to playing this season, yet he remains a free agent and we know the Reds will not be bringing him back. Essentially, he won’t make this list for 2024, as he will either retire or play for a different team.

Strangeness: The Rockies have five players in Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon, Kyle Freeland, German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela.

We’ll rank these mostly based on their careers so far with some promise for the future, as if it were ranking their chances of making the Hall of Fame.

honorable mention: Brandon Nimmo, Mets; Byron Buxton, twin; Kyle Hendricks, Cubs; Ian Happ, Cubs; max kepler, twins

The 10-year, $313.5 million deal for Devers runs through the 2033 season, when he will be 36 years old. It seems he will be closer to Dustin Pedroia in finishing his career with the Red Sox, unlike Root. Of other stars like Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts, who ended up elsewhere.

Devers won a ring at age 21. Will he win another ring? This will be the plan of the new front office as it looks to build around its mid-prime superstar.

Albies’ absurdly club-friendly deal – seven years, $35 million – runs through 2025, but it’s very likely through 2027, as there are team options for $7 million per season in 2026 and 2027. Hopefully he will be “paid more”. 30s to build some base. The three-time All-Star, who won a ring in 2021, hit .280/.336/.513 (124 OPS+) with 30 doubles, five triples, 33 homers, 109 RBI, 96 runs, 13 steals and 4.7 WAR last season. Did.

8. Salvador Perez, Royals

A major part of the backbone for the back-to-back winning Royals, who won the 2015 World Series title, Pérez has signed multiple extensions while the rest of the core is gone. He is locked in through 2025 with a $13.5 million team option for 2026, which will be Pérez’s age-36 season. As a backstop with a renovated elbow, it’s hard to see him wanting to play beyond that, so the chances that he’ll finish his career without ever playing for another team seem pretty solid. Currently, he is the owner of eight All-Star berths, five Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers.

The Phillies selected Nola seventh overall in the 2014 draft out of LSU. The seven-year deal he signed to remain in Philly this past offseason means he’s now locked up through 2030, so it’s entirely possible he’s a career Phillie. He has now had over 200 strikeouts in five consecutive full seasons (ie, not counting 2020) and is a workhorse on a regular basis.

Bregman, who has been a mainstay in the dugout and infield with Altuve, made his debut in 2016. He has already signed an extension with the team, but it will only last until 2024. It’s possible he’ll hit free agency, but there’s also a chance Astros want to keep him locked up for the rest of his career Like they did with Altuve. Bregman has been an integral part of four pennant winners and two World Series champions in Houston, making two All-Star teams and finishing in the top five of MVP voting twice.

Judge was selected 32nd overall by the Yankees in the 2013 draft and he certainly isn’t going anywhere else now. He is signed until 2031, which will be his age-39 season. He has already won MVP, hit over 50 homers twice and hit over 60 homers once. Of course, the only way to truly cement yourself in Yankees lore is to win a ring and that’s something Judge hasn’t been able to do yet. He has been to the ALCS three times, but the Yankees are 0-3 in those series.

4. Jose Ramirez, parent

A switch-hitting, power-speed stud, Ramirez debuted in 2013. He has danced around MVP wins, finishing second, third, third, fourth and sixth in his top five seasons. The five-time All-Star has won four Silver Sluggers and one AL pennant. His relatively team-friendly extension runs through 2028 and it sounds like he doesn’t want to be traded, so maybe he’ll retire in Cleveland. We’ll see how things change as we get closer to the end of the deal.

3. Jose Altuve, Astros

In 2007, the Astros signed 17-year-old Altuve from Venezuela. He debuted in 2011 and has since amassed 2,047 hits, three batting titles, six Silver Sluggers, two World Series rings and an MVP, among other accolades. His recent extension runs through the 2029 season and gives Astros fans a chance to see him reach 3,000 hits (he’ll need to average about 159 per season) and finish out his career with the only club he’s ever played for. Know.

2. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

A three-time Cy Young winner and MVP, Kershaw has won five ERA titles and a World Series ring. He’s done it all with the Dodgers and now heads into his age-36 season. He will go down as one of the greatest pitchers in history.

Fun Fact: Kershaw is 20th among pitchers in JAWS. The only pitchers ranked above him to play for only one team are Walter Johnson (1st, Senators) and Bob Gibson (13th, Cardinals).

The three-time MVP has an extension with the Angels that runs through 2030. It’s always possible he’ll be traded before then, but as things stand, it seems like most people who want to trade Trout a) aren’t Trout and b) aren’t in the Angels’ front office.

Fun fact: He trails only four center fielders (Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Mickey Mantle) in career WAR.