Baseball’s Ancient Free Agents Hoping For Last Hurrah In 2026

Not all members of the baseball free agent market have youth on their side.

In fact, more than a dozen aging veterans are hoping to hang on – not only for the money but for the last hurrah to a long career.

Justin Verlander, for example, will turn 43 at spring training. Unless somebody recycles Rich Hill, the ancient southpaw, Verlander again figures to be the oldest man in the majors.

Right behind him, however, are fellow free agents Max Scherzer, David Robertson and Justin Turner, all 41; Carlos Santana, 40; Andrew McCutchen, 39; and Paul Goldscmidt and Tommy Pham, both 38.

All have seen their better days, with Verlander and Scherzer winning three Cy Young Awards apiece while Goldschmidt and McCutchen have MVP trophies on their shelves.

Salaries Fall

Salaries have declined for all since their halcyon days, so none of the veteran free agents have any illusions heading into the 2026 season.

With a lockout looming on Dec. 1, when the Basic Agreement between owners and players expires, few if any of the aging free agents will land more than a one-year contract.

Verlander would need more than that to continue his Quixotic quest for 300 wins. He has 266 but earned just four of those last season, his first with the San Francisco Giants. Any signing team would view him as a mentor to younger pitchers plus a gate attraction whenever he appears.

Paid $15 million by the Giants last year, Verlander delivered only a 4-11 record despite a decent 3.85 earned run average in 29 starts.

Scherzer, Verlander’s teammate with the Tigers and the Mets, finished last season in Toronto, is also on target for a plaque in Cooperstown. He has 221 victories – second only to Verlander among pitchers who worked last year – and owns a 3.22 career ERA. He finished with a flourish last year, crafting a 2.08 ERA in September.

Twice Teammates

During their brief tenure in Flushing, Scherzer and Verlander were paid $43.3 million, a one-year record for a pitcher. Last year, Scherzer’s salary was down to $15.5 million – a level in will not reach if and when he finds a team for 2026.

A solid post-season performer, Robertson also pitched for the Mets, though last year wore red pinstripes in Philadelphia. Though he signed late, he still managed to pitch well while making 20 appearances out of the bullpen.

Another set-up man, Chris Martin, has already signed, agreeing to prolong his career as a big-league reliever with the Texas Rangers at age 39. The 6’8″ right-hander pitched well enough (2.98 ERA) that the contending Rangers decided to give him another ride in their bullpen cart.

Among position players, Goldschmidt might have the most impressive resume. A four-time Gold Glove winner at first base, he spent last summer in the Bronx before free agency beckoned. His home run total has dwindled four years in a row since he won MVP honors with the Cardinals but he’s no automatic out at the plate.

Neither is McCutchen, who yielded his 2013 National League MVP trophy to Goldschmidt a year later. The outfielder has had two stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates but is no longer an everyday player.

Pham was also a Pirate – and just about any other team you can name. Often considered trade bait at the July deadline, he’s an outfielder who gets on base and shows occasional power (149 homers in 12 seasons).

Walking Man

Unlike Pham, who fits the definition of platoon player and utilityman, Santana is a first baseman who has won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. Plus he leads active players in walks, with 1,330. Santana split 2025 between Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs.

Turner also finished last year on the North Side of Chicago. A free agent for the fourth year in a row, the versatile redhead had an off-season with the Cubs but carries a ton of postseason success (much of it with the Los Angeles Dodgers) on his resume.

Other veterans seeking new homes – or any homes, considering their advanced athletic ages – are pitchers Chris Bassitt and Jose Quintana, both 37, and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who hit 49 homers at age 34 last summer. Suarez had four of those home runs in a single game, tying a major-league mark duplicated by many.