Not Every MLB Veteran Is Ending Their Career On a High Note
Some MLB legends are entering the final years of their careers and aren't going out the way they'd like to.
An interesting component of every MLB season is the performance of its legends, and how some of those veterans perform at the tail end of their careers. Some thrive, but for others, age catches up with them.
As every season does, 2026 has shown us that several former All-Stars and award winners who once dominated the league are running out of time as major-league players.
Whether it’s battling Father Time, persistent injuries, or simply being unable to produce at the level they once did, some of these MLB veterans have been declining for years, while others have sharply regressed.
Occasionally, players thrive in their later years. Paul Goldschmidt has posted some of the best numbers of his illustrious career. For many other vets, that level success remains unfulfilled.
While each of these players has built an impressive résumé that will be remembered for years to come, their recent performances suggest retirement could be looming sooner than they’d hope.
Stats were taken prior to play on June 28.
Max Scherzer
The Toronto Blue Jays weren’t expecting Max Scherzer to be the same dominant pitcher he was throughout the 2010s. For a team coming off a heartbreaking World Series loss, they knew you can never have enough pitching, and they were hoping he could still just be a valuable contributor.
However, for the three-time Cy Young winner, the game has seemed to pass him by. Scherzer seemed to be immune to Father Time, as he was still pitching at a high level into his late 30s. Scherzer, who turns 42 in a month, has finally succumbed to his age.
The eight-time All-Star has made six starts for Toronto, posting a 10.23 ERA to go along with a 1.727 WHIP. Even though it’s been a small sample size, Scherzer is still posting career-worst marks in every category. He’s giving up 11 hits per nine while fanning just 5.7 hitters every nine innings.
Every time he takes the mound for Toronto, he sets them back. His -0.7 fWAR, 8.79 FIP, and 6.19 xERA reflect that it isn’t just bad luck, it might just be time for an all-time great to hang up the cleats.
According to Baseball Savant, in his just 22 innings of work, he already sports a -11 pitching run value. The 41-year-old features five pitches, and the only one that’s been remotely effective is his changeup, with hitters slugging just .294 against the pitch.
Unfortunately for Scherzer, hitters slug .600 against his four-seamer, .741 against his slider, and .750 against his curveball.
The risk was low for the Blue Jays. They handed Scherzer a one-year deal worth $3 million. While the end to Scherzer’s career isn’t pretty, the two-time World Series champ will of course be a first-ballot induction into the Hall of Fame.
Salvador Perez
The 15th season in Kansas City for franchise legend Salvador Perez has not been ideal. The legendary backstop has been among the worst players in baseball this year, logging a -1.4 fWAR.
The 2015 World Series MVP is in danger of not reaching 20 homers in a full season for the first time since 2014. For a player barely staying over the Mendoza line, home runs aren’t his only concern at the moment. Baseball Savant has Perez in the first percentile for batting run value.
Perez has never been a guy who walks at an elite clip, as his chase rates are always amongst the highest in all of baseball. But his ability to hit the ball hard has diminished, which is a huge reason for his regression. Salvy’s high chase rates were passable when he was barreling the ball and hitting it hard.
Now, Salvy ranks closer to the middle of the pack when it comes to barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, and average exit velocity. The nine-time All-Star’s chase rate is 46%. These underlying numbers have led to his .200/.242/.331 slash line. His .573 OPS is his worst since the 2014 MLB season where he posted a .692 OPS.
Perez is several years removed from his five Gold Gloves in six seasons, but his poor defensive numbers make him more of a designated hitter, while his offensive numbers make him not a very viable option there either.
The career-worst season for the 36-year-old coupled with the Kansas City Royals sitting in the basement of the AL Central have made it a nightmare season in Kansas City. Perez still has another year under contract at $12.5 million, so he likely has one more year before he decides to walk away.
J.T. Realmuto
It looked likely that JT Realmuto and the Philadelphia Phillies were headed for a divorce with the club’s interest in Bo Bichette this past winter. After Bichette opted to head to New York, it opened the door for the Phillies to bring back their backstop.
It’s been clear why he was the Phillies backup option. The 35-year-old catcher’s OPS has dropped every year since 2022. He currently has a slash line of .204/.284/.330. The three-time Silver Slugger has a 71 wRC+. Aside from a few clutch homers, he hasn’t provided much for the Phillies offensively.
This is the first year of the three-year deal he signed this past offseason. The Phillies were thin with right-handed hitters, hence their interest in Bichette, so they figured Realmuto would be a solid fallback option for them.
The Phillies should have known the end was near for Realmuto’s bat. Last season, he had a -4 batting run value. It’s hard to expect a 35-year-old catcher to keep up a high-level bat, but Realmuto was not getting the job done for Philadelphia at the plate.
At the very least, Realmuto provides value as a catcher. The Phillies rave about his ability to handle the pitching staff, as well as him still being amongst the best defensive catchers in baseball.
It’s very likely Realmuto, who will be 37 by the end of the contract, will walk away from the game. The Phillies are hopeful this is simply a down year for their longtime catcher and that he’ll look more like his vintage self over the final two years of the deal.
Marcus Semien
To say the season in Queens has not gone according to plan would be a massive understatement. The New York Mets shipped Brandon Nimmo to Texas in return for Marcus Semien in a move based mainly on financials.
Acquiring Semien didn’t just mean helping them financially, it meant attaining one of the best defensive middle infields in the game. However, a Lindor injury and Semien’s defensive regression, it has not played out that way. Semien won the Gold Glove in 2025, but he has -5 OAA in 2026.
The defense hasn’t been the only problem. Semien’s bat has been on the downturn for a few seasons now. The Mets were hoping a change of scenery from Texas would allow his bat to have a resurgence. Semien, though, is slashing just .214/.271/.341.
Semien has a -13 batting run value, which puts him in the second percentile. Even in his season where he was an MVP candidate in 2023, Semien wasn’t hitting the ball very hard. The former World Series champion had elite plate discipline. His chase rates, whiff and strikeout percentages were all at an elite level. Semien no longer does any of those things at a high level.
This isn’t the last year of Semien’s career. He still has two more seasons remaining on his contract and is owed $46 million. As a two-time Silver Slugger who is just a few years removed from one of the best seasons of his career, he’ll look to bounce back and finish his career strong.
Marcell Ozuna
The Pittsburgh Pirates‘ signing of Marcell Ozuna was a sign that the organization was turning the page. The club was finally looking to shift into a more competitive mode in 2026 and was in need of a middle-of-the-order thumper. Ozuna has not lived up to those expectations.
The signs were there that Ozuna was declining. The 35-year-old had just 21 homers in 2025 and a .756 OPS. A solid season, but a sizable fall off from his 39-homer, .925-OPS 2024 campaign.
The risk was worth it for Pittsburgh, as there was the potential for a .900-OPS bat on a one-year deal. The Pirates did not commit much to him, but are still severely disappointed with how he has performed.
Even if he replicated his 2025 season, it would have been helpful for Pittsburgh. It’s been nothing close to that, though. Ozuna has a .614 OPS and just seven homers. He has a 70 wRC+ and has logged a -0.7 fWAR. With the lack of defensive flexibility, the Pirates are suffering with a player who has been a liability and isn’t even able to provide them any defensive help.
The two-time Silver Slugger used to be one of baseball’s best at hitting the ball hard. He’s now just in the 52nd percentile in average exit velocity and barrel percentage. Those marks are by far the worst of his career, and it could be proof that Ozuna’s best days are behind him.
With a mutual option remaining on his contract, it’s likely the Pirates will decline to bring him back. Ozuna may try to continue his career elsewhere, but if he doesn’t turn things around soon, it’s hard to imagine he’ll have many suitors this winter.
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Written by
Chris is an intern at Just Baseball, specializing in Phillies coverage. Chris is from Central Jersey and currently attends Rutgers University. You can follow him on…