15 Active MLB Players Likely to Have Their Number Retired

This past weekend, Major League Baseball celebrated Lou Gehrig Day, honoring both the greatest first baseman in MLB history and continuing the fight against ALS, the disease that prematurely ended his career and claimed his life at the age of 37.

Gehrig was actually the first MLB player to have his number retired by his team, with the Yankees permanently putting No. 4 on ice to pay homage to the "Iron Horse."

That got us thinking: Which current MLB players are likely to have their numbers retired? In an attempt to give this list some exclusivity, here's the criteria for entrance.

- Players must currently be playing for the team their number would be retired with. So while the Cincinnati Reds will probably retire Joey Votto's No. 19 at some point, he's in the Toronto Blue Jays organization right now, so he wasn't a consideration.

- Players must be in at least their fifth season with their current team. That takes Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Juan Soto (New York Yankees) out of the equation.

With all that acknowledged, here are 15 players likely to one day have their numbers retired by their current teams.

Even if it means he never wins a championship, Mike Trout seems intent on spending his whole career with the Los Angeles Angels. So if Al Kaline is "Mr. Tiger," that means Trout will be remembered as "Mr. Angel."

Trout is a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star. Even if he does eventually ask out of Anaheim, he's already done more than enough to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and go into Cooperstown with a Halos cap. If he never plays another game for the team, his No. 27 should be retired.

What will be interesting is when the Angels retire No. 27, will it just be for Trout? The first player to ever go into the Hall of Fame with an Angels cap on their plaque was Vladimir Guerrero Sr. The 2004 AL MVP spent six years with the Angels, wearing No. 27. So could the Angels retire the same number for two separate players? The Lakers retired two numbers for Kobe Bryant, so why couldn't the Angels also do something away from the norm for Guerrero and Trout?

Aaron Judge is coming off a dominant May, which makes you think he's got a real chance to win his second AL MVP in three years. Heck, with Ohtani now out of the Junior circuit, Judge might be able to win the AL MVP multiple times before his career concludes.

According to Baseball Reference, Judge is already 20th in New York Yankees history in WAR, a remarkable accomplishment given the storied history of the franchise. He's obviously going to continue to climb up that list.

Judge wasn't a full-time MLB player until he was 25 and has 277 career home runs. Five hundred may feel unlikely, but Judge has hit home runs at such an astronomical clip over the last few seasons that nothing should be ruled out. He's probably going to have a real Hall of Fame case after his career, given how dominant he's been at his peak.

In any event, the Yankees have 22 numbers retired, a group that includes Paul O'Neill, Roger Maris, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, among other non-Hall of Famers. Once Judge re-signed with the Yankees after winning AL MVP in 2022, it was pretty much a guarantee his No. 99 would be retired.

If you don't already consider Jose Altuve the greatest Houston Astro ever, you probably will by the time the five-year, $125 million extension he signed in February concludes.

The 2017 AL MVP has won six Silver Slugger Awards, three batting titles and helped the Astros win four pennants and two World Series titles. The only player in MLB history with more postseason home runs than Altuve's 27 is Manny Ramirez, who hit 29.

He has some work to do to catch Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio in some of the career totals, but his legacy as one of the greatest Houston athletes ever is already cemented. Altuve is one of three current Astros projected to have their numbers retired on this list.

There's recently been a debate in the baseball world about whether Salvador Perez, who is on track to make his ninth All-Star Game appearance in 2024, will be a Hall of Famer.

That discussion can be further delved into at a different time, but there's no question that the five-time Gold Glover will go down as one of the five greatest players in Kansas City Royals history. He has won the Silver Slugger Award as the top-hitting catcher in the AL on four occasions. And, of course, he was the 2015 World Series MVP.

When Perez's No. 13 is retired by the Royals, he'll join George Brett and Frank White as the only players in franchise history to have the honor bestowed upon him.

Jose Ramírez has also worn Nos. 62 and 21, but No. 11 has been his primary one, and it will likely be the first one since the franchise changed its nickname to the Guardians that gets retired.

While he hasn't won an AL MVP, he's finished sixth or better on five occasions, with a runner-up finish during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The way things are going in 2024, Ramírez will likely post another top-six finish while making his sixth All-Star team and winning his fifth Silver Slugger.

There is also a reality that while Francisco Lindor can't be faulted for seeking his market value elsewhere, Ramírez will be rewarded for taking a massive hometown discount to remain in Cleveland through his entire prime.

When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays prior to the 2010 season, he had to change his number from the 32 he wore in Toronto to 34, because 32 was retired in honor of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

Bryce Harper made the decision upon signing with the Phillies in March 2019 that he wouldn't push to wear the No. 34 he had with the Washington Nationals out of respect for Halladay, and the Phillies have since retired that number.

It's a pretty safe bet that trend will continue, as Harper is on pace for the Hall of Fame and will have spent the bulk of his career with the Phillies, especially if he achieves his goal of playing beyond his current 13-year, $330 million deal.

Alex Bregman is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season, and there's long been a sense that the Scott Boras client will be playing elsewhere next year, if not sooner.

But while franchise legends like Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman may be in line for number retirements before him, Bregman's role in the team's borderline dynastic run likely means he'll be the final No. 2 in Astros history.

Bregman has two top-five AL MVP finishes as an Astro, including finishing runner-up in 2019. He's played in four World Series with Houston, helping the franchise to win its first two World Series. Bregman has been at the forefront of the October success, as he's sixth in MLB history with 19 postseason home runs.

Clayton Kershaw hasn't yet pitched this season, as he continues to work his way back from shoulder surgery that he had last November. Assuming he does return in 2024, he'll have the opportunity to chase a second World Series title.

Regardless, you can make a very real case that Kershaw is the greatest Dodger of all time. Certainly, Sandy Koufax has a case, but Kershaw has him beat in the longevity department, and while he might not have gotten his left arm from a higher power, No. 22 still managed to win three NL Cy Young Awards, and the Senior Circuit's MVP in 2014.

Kershaw is the Dodgers' franchise leader in WAR (76.8) and strikeouts (2,944) and will one day have his No. 22 retired by the team. He likely won't be the only member of the 2024 Dodgers who has that honor bestowed on him.

This is obviously poor timing, as Ronald Acuña Jr. recently sustained a torn left ACL, which will knock him out for the remainder of 2024. Given that he's now torn ACLs in both knees, it is fair to wonder how Acuña—one of the most explosive players in the league—will age.

At the same time, he's still only 26 years old. Whether he achieves his goal of winning a second NL MVP after his second ACL tear remains to be seen, but there's a real possibility Acuña returns from this injury and gets back to being one of the better players the league has to offer.

Already, Acuña has NL Rookie of the Year (2018), NL MVP (2023), three Silver Sluggers and four All-Star Game appearances. The Braves franchise is loaded with all-time greats, so Acuña still has work to do to reach the status where the team would consider retiring his number. But even if he's hit another detour, Acuña already has a strong enough resume to make this a legitimate possibility.

The San Diego Padres don't have a storied history. They began play in 1969, have a .465 winning percentage and just seven playoff appearances to show. So Manny Machado doesn't necessarily need to make the Hall of Fame to have his No. 13 retired by the Padres.

But make no mistake, Machado is almost certainly going to have a plaque in Cooperstown. And for as great as he was across parts of seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, if his Hall of Fame plaque has him wearing any hat, it will probably be a San Diego one. Machado is in his sixth season with the Padres and is signed through the 2033 campaign.

The Hall of Fame aside, Machado is already in the top five in position-player WAR and home runs in Padres history. Perhaps no one will ever be more popular in San Diego than the duo of Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. But after them, Machado could go down as the third-best player in Padres history, which will likely mean his No. 13 gets retired by the club.

Justin Verlander might become the only player on this list to have his number retired by two franchises.

The Detroit Tigers will certainly retire his No. 35, as Verlander won an AL Cy Young Award and MVP with his first team while making six All-Star Game appearances and leading the league in strikeouts thrice.

And yet, when Verlander goes into the Hall of Fame, it will probably be with a blank cap. Despite not joining the Astros until he was 34 and taking a brief gap in 2023 with the New York Mets, Verlander has built an impressive resume in Houston.

Just as an Astro, Verlander has three top-two finishes in AL Cy Young voting, including winning it in 2019 and 2022. The first of those two Cy Young campaigns included a no-hitter on Sept. 1, 2019. He also, of course, helped the franchise win World Series in 2017 and 2022.

It's usually a pretty good bet that if you win the Cy Young twice and help put your team on multiple parade floats, it'll retire your number.

This one might surprise some people, because Charlie Blackmon isn't going to be a Hall of Famer, and the only two numbers the Colorado Rockies currently have retired—33 for Larry Walker and 17 for Todd Helton—belong to Hall of Famers. Presumably a third will be added eventually for Nolan Arenado, No. 28. Blackmon isn't on the same level as those three players.

With that said, Walker and Arenado spent sizable portions of their careers on other teams, even if they will primarily be remembered as Rockies. Blackmon has spent all 14 years of his career in Colorado, and at age 37, it seems likely he never suits up for another club.

Blackmon wasn't a superstar at his peak, but he won two Silver Sluggers, a batting title and made four All-Star Games. Blackmon is the Rockies' all-time leader in triples and is in the top five in franchise ranks for games played, WAR among position players, hits, doubles, RBI, walks, stolen bases and total bases. That seems like a player important enough to the story of your franchise to retire their number.

Now in the second year of his second stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen has cemented his place as one of the inner-circle players Pittsburgh has employed over the last 75 years.

McCutchen hit his 300th career home run earlier this season and remains a productive player even at age 37. That's just the icing on the cake when you add it to the nine years he played with the Buccos to open his career.

As a Pirate, McCutchen has made five All-Star Game appearances, won four Silver Slugger Awards and finished in the top five in NL MVP voting on four occasions, including when he won the award in 2013.

The most recent player whose number was retired by the Pirates was Willie Stargell, with the honor being bestowed upon "Pops" back in 1982. So you can say they are due, and McCutchen is deserving. (So is Barry Bonds, but that's another discussion for another time.)

Mookie Betts is going to be a slam dunk Hall of Famer. Given that he won an AL MVP and a World Series in six years with the Boston Red Sox, he might go into Cooperstown with a blank cap. But it certainly won't be a Red Sox cap, because he's already in his fifth season with the Dodgers and under contract through the 2032 season.

Across his first four seasons with the Dodgers, Betts made three All-Star Game appearances, won three Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. Twice as a Dodger (2020, 2023) Betts has finished runner-up in NL MVP voting. The way Betts is playing at shortstop, he's likely to add to those totals in 2024, and may finally get over the hump and win NL MVP.

Betts has also helped to lead the Dodgers to one World Series title, which came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, his first campaign with the team. By the time his career is over, there's a good chance he and the Dodgers will have one at least one more title. There will be no doubt by the end of his time in Los Angeles whether Betts' No. 50 should be retired.

The Phillies have an inconsistent policy on retiring numbers. For a long time they said only Hall of Famers got their number retired, although Robin Roberts had his number retired before his playing career ended, and Richie Ashburn's number was retired long before he finally got into Cooperstown.

In an effort to put more attention on his Hall of Fame case, the Phillies retired Dick Allen's No. 15 during the 2020 season. While seemingly deserving, Allen has not yet been elected.

There's also the reality that Ryan Howard has already fallen off the Hall of Fame ballot, and while Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are going to hang around on the ballot, they aren't certain to ever get elected. Does that mean anyone should ever wear No. 6, No. 26 or No. 11 for the Phillies again?

In any event, how the Phillies handle some other cases may decide the fate of Nola, who probably isn't going to be a Hall of Famer.

However, he's already a greater Phillie than the aforementioned Halladay and Hall of Famer Jim Bunning, who have their numbers retired by the team. If he plays out his new seven-year, $172 million contract, he'll have spent 16 seasons with the Phillies, and likely be near the top of a bunch of leaderboards for a franchise that began play in 1883. It would be hard to reissue his number if that's the case.