5 Aging MLB Stars Who Look Like They Might Be Washed

Let’s face it, at some point, we all reach the age where we look “washed.” We may not want to admit it, but eventually the title comes for us all.

The same goes for professional athletes. Outside of a few very rare examples, these elite physical specimens will all see age catch up to them in one way or another, resulting in injury, decreased performance, or both.

Part of why baseball is great is that some of the best players can manage to play deep into their thirties and sometimes into their forties. MLB’s oldest player right now is 42-year-old Justin Verlander, who is still making starts out west for the Giants.

There are a number of these elder statesmen who are actually performing quite admirably, but there are others who, unfortunately, look to be falling into that dreaded “washed” category. Here are five players who appear to be firmly on the downswing of their careers.

Stats updated prior to games on June 10.

Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Angels

The role of an MLB closer is arguably the most volatile one in all of baseball. A player can dominate the position for years, only to suddenly see their success vanish for good seemingly out of nowhere.

That makes the career of 37-year-old Kenley Jansen all the more impressive. For 16 seasons, the Curaçao-born pitcher has anchored the back of four different bullpens, with his 461 saves ranking fourth in MLB history.

He’s a four-time All-Star, regularly has a K/9 in the double digits, and has never had a season ERA below 4.00. Well, before this season, that is.

Jansen may finally be seeing Father Time catch up to him with the Angels. He is currently sitting on a 4.57 ERA, though he hasn’t blown a save yet. He has a K/9 of just 8.0, is giving up homers at his highest rate ever (2.1 HR/9) and has a career high batting average against (.238).

Across the board, Jansen’s metrics are among the worst of his career and rank low compared to his peers. It’s great that he’s still earning saves, but it’s clear that his best days are behind him.

Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles

In most sports, hitting the age of 30 officially places you on the “older” side of things. Hitting the age of 40? Well at that point, you’re just plain ancient (don’t blame me, I don’t make the rules).

Ancient or not, 41-year-old Charlie Morton continues to prove the doubters wrong as he goes out and makes starts this year for the Orioles. What’s even more impressive is the consistent availability he’s been able to provide in recent years.

Morton has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six full seasons dating back to 2018. (He made nine in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.) His 205 starts since the beginning of 2018 are the sixth most of any MLB pitcher in that span.

That streak of 30-start seasons appears likely to come to an end this year. Morton has been battered by opposing hitters – allowing a 6.59 ERA and .286 batting average, his worst numbers since the early 2010s – while being bounced between the rotation and the bullpen.

The Orioles have multiple pitchers on the injured list, so for now, Morton will continue getting opportunities to extend his career. One wonders, though, just how long that will continue to be the case.

Justin Turner, Chicago Cubs

For over a decade and a half, 40-year-old Justin Turner has been one of the top offensive threats in MLB. Having played for seven teams, he has a career .284/.362/.455 slash line, 125 wRC+, and 35.8 fWAR.

All that hard work and longevity paid off in the best way five years ago. Already a two-time All-Star and an NLCS MVP in 2017, Turner added World Series champion to his resume as a member of the Dodgers in 2020.

As Turner added additional seasons to his ledger following that year, his bat amazingly still didn’t seem to slow down as he continued to put up seasons with a wRC+ over 100. And though he’s earned more starts at DH than in the past, he has still spent some time at both corner infield spots as well.

Unfortunately, his first season with the Cubs has seen him put up subpar numbers for the first time since 2011. In 37 games, he’s slashing just .211/.302/.267 with a 68 wRC+. He has just three extra-base hits (two doubles and a homer), and his 18.9% strikeout rate would be the highest of his career.

On offense, the Cubs have youngsters Michael Busch and Matt Shaw now both performing well at the plate, and Seiya Suzuki most often mans the DH spot. Soon, opportunities for Turner may become fewer and farther between.

Tommy Pham, Pittsburgh Pirates

Every time you count him out, 37-year-old Tommy Pham proves how poor of an idea that is. Though he’s been released several times over the last three seasons, there are always teams interested in his services.

A career .256/.344/.420 hitter, Pham has played for eight different teams over the last three-plus seasons. And yet, he still managed to play in a combined 389 games over just the last three alone.

This year, as a member of the Pirates, Pham has started to see his offensive numbers truly bottom out. He is hitting a lowly .203/.279/.230 with a 27.3% strikeout rate that’s his highest since 2016.

On the bright side, Pham has been a net positive for Pittsburgh on the defensive side of things. Though he’s at -1 outs above average, he has four defensive runs saved to go along with three outfield assists, tied for the 12th most among NL outfielders.

Luckily for Pham, he plays for a Pirates team that has the third worst NL record at 27-41. While other teams might move on from a 37-year-old veteran to give younger players a chance, little in Pittsburgh’s history would suggest that this might actually happen.

Donovan Solano, Seattle Mariners

Though he hasn’t had as prolific a career as others on this list, 37-year-old Donovan Solano nevertheless carved out a decent MLB career for himself. And it just so happens that his best years happened after the age of thirty.

After putting up subpar numbers in his first five MLB seasons from 2012-16, Solano bounced around the minors for the next two seasons. A breakout season with the Giants in 2019 finally started to propel his major league career forward the way he had hoped.

Solano would average a .294/.353/.413 slash line with a 112 wRC+ in 546 games for four different teams over six seasons from 2019-24. He would even pick up his first and only Silver Slugger Award during the 2020 campaign.

The Mariners gave Solano his next chance, signing him to a free agent deal in January. Sadly, his production has completely fallen off a cliff in 2025, as he is slashing just .181/.225/.205 with a pair of doubles and just four RBIs in 38 games.

Solano can back up multiple infield positions, but defensive flexibility will only keep you on a roster for so long. For him and the rest of these players, the end of the road might not be that far away.