MLB Uniforms: Each team's next player to have their jersey retired

Having a team retire one’s jersey number is possibly the highest honor an athlete can receive. Such recognition only comes to a select few, often those who produce on the field and are well-liked off it. Longevity and loyalty help, too.

Naturally, there are no uniform rules on how teams approach these decisions. Each has its own qualifications.

Take the New York Mets. For decades, under the Wilpons' ownership, the organization was reluctant to bestow such an honor on any player. Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver were the only players to have their numbers retired by the team, and that came only after they had been elected into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Since Steve Cohen purchased the team, however, they’ve relaxed those guidelines and the club has honored Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, Dwight Gooden, and Darryl Strawberry.

The Mets announced in mid-December that they will retire David Wright's No. 5 in a pre-game ceremony scheduled for July 19.

Wright spent 14 seasons with the Mets before persistent back and shoulder injuries forced him to retire. A career .296/.376/.491 hitter with 242 home runs, Wright was a seven-time All-Star and won a pair of Gold Gloves. Wright holds the Mets franchise records for hits, doubles, walks, RBI, and runs scored.

Teams and fans — especially fans — like to enjoy history. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at who the next player may be who could have their number retired from each team.

We’ll start with the rest of the NL East and go division by division.

Atlanta Braves, Ronald Acuña Jr.’s No. 13

Freddie Freeman would have been a logical choice here before he left in free agency to join the Dodgers and the Braves have already properly recognized Dale Murphy even if Cooperstown hasn’t. Acuña still has a long way to go before this discussion is a certainty but he’s on the right track.

Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton’s No. 27

Miguel Cabrera began his career in Miami and will surely be a HOFer, but he only spent five seasons with the Marlins. It’s unlikely they retire his number simply because of the HOF induction. Jeff Conine might be a sentimental choice, but he doesn’t have the numbers to justify it. That leaves Stanton as a best guess, though some of that may depend on how the rest of his career plays out and how the HOF views him long-term. Stanton spent eight years in Miami before being traded to the Yankees and still is the franchise leader in home runs and RBI.

Philadelphia Phillies, Chase Utley’s No. 10

Bryce Harper (three Silver Sluggers, an MVP, and a World Series appearance in his first six seasons with the club) might be a good pick here, but with multiple years remaining on his contract the club will likely recognize Utley first. The power-hitting second baseman spent 13 years in Philadelphia and helped the team with the 2008 World Series.

Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg’s No. 37

It won’t be a surprise if Harper eventually gets some consideration here. He began his career with the Nationals and was central to the club’s initial growth in Washington before leaving via free agency to join a division rival. Strasburg is much likelier to get this call first, if due to nothing else but timing. The right-hander spent 13 seasons with the Nats before recurring arm trouble forced him into retirement and was essential to the team’s World Series victory in 2019.

Chicago Cubs, Lee Smith’s No. 46

Smith spent the first eight seasons of his HOF career with Chicago, collecting 180 of his 478 career saves while wearing the Cubs pinstripes. Smith played for eight teams in his 18-year career, but the HOF chose to put a Cubs hat on his plaque in Cooperstown in 2019. The Cubs only recently ended their longtime feud with Sammy Sosa, so his No. 21 could be a consideration here soon, too.

Cincinnati Reds, Joey Votto’s No. 19

Votto spent his entire 17-year career with the Reds, batting .294/.409/.511 with more than 2,000 hits and 356 home runs. The six-time All-Star won the NL MVP in 2010 and it’s only a matter of time before the Reds — and Cooperstown — come calling to honor the longtime fan-favorite.

Milwaukee Brewers, Ryan Braun’s No. 8

Winning Rookie of the Year, an MVP, and helping the franchise break a nearly 30-year playoff drought allowed Braun to be a true fan-favorite in Milwaukee, despite his link to PEDs in 2011. He still holds the franchise record in home runs, hitting 352 over his 13-year career.

Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen’s No. 22

Cutch was the face of the Pirates for the first nine seasons of his career. Injuries derailed him after leaving Pittsburgh — and ultimately might keep him out of Cooperstown — but he’s returned to the Steel City and resumed his place as a huge fan favorite. McCutchen will be back in 2025 for what might be his final season.

St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols’ No. 5

Pujols’ No. 5, Yadier Molina’s No. 4, and Adam Wainwright’s No. 50 will all likely be retired by the Cardinals. It is just a matter of when and in what order. Pujols retired first so that likely gives him the best odds here. The Angels could also potentially retire his number, given the likelihood that he ends up in the HOF, but the bulk of Pujols’ success came with the Cardinals.

Arizona Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt’s No. 44

Goldschmidt spent the first eight seasons of his career in Arizona before being traded to the Cardinals, making six All-Star appearances and finishing in the Top 3 in MVP voting three times. Goldy ranks second on the club’s all-time list in nearly every offensive category behind only Luis Gonzalez.

Colorado Rockies, Nolan Arenado’s No. 28

Arenado spent his first eight seasons in Colorado before a trade to St. Louis, appearing in five All-Star games while finishing in the Top 10 in MVP voting five times (the similarities to Goldy are purely coincidental). Arenado has been arguably the best defensive third baseman the sport has seen in the last 30+ years and will surely end up in Cooperstown. Some consideration might be given to Charlie Blackmon’s No. 19 after his retirement, but the fan favorite didn’t quite have the offensive numbers to justify retiring his number.

Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw’s No. 22

Three Cy Young Awards, a pair of World Series rings, and an MVP Award. Kershaw is one of the best left-handers the game has seen over the last 15+ seasons. He is beloved in LA and nobody will wear his number again once he’s done playing.

San Diego Padres, Manny Machado’s No. 13

The fun suggestion might be to go with Fernando Tatis Jr. but it’s simply too early to say where Tatis’s career will head at this point. He has ten years to answer the question when he’ll still only be in his mid-30s. Machado may be the smarter pick, though he, too, has another ten years to add to his case. Add in what Machado did before coming to San Diego and he looks on track for a place in Cooperstown.

San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey’s No. 28

The leader of three World Series-winning teams, an MVP winner, and now part-owner. Posey’s future is tied to the Giants and his number will surely be retired at some point, perhaps not in the distant future. He should receive serious consideration for the HOF despite some of his final statistical totals. Madison Bumgarner may also see some recognition down the line, as could Brandon Crawford, for their roles in those championship teams.

Baltimore Orioles, Mike Mussina’s No. 35

Mussina had seven Top 10 finishes in Cy Young voting during his 10 years in Baltimore, pitching more than 2,000 innings for the Orioles before leaving to join the Yankees (where his numbers were comparable for another eight years). Following his HOF induction in 2019 both clubs could easily look to set the number aside forever.

Boston Red Sox, Tim Wakefield’s No. 49

There’s certainly an argument to be made for Roger Clemens’s No. 21 and maybe even Jason Varitek’s No. 33, but Wakefield is the most likely candidate. The knuckleballer was immensely popular during his Boston tenure and post-playing career working with the team’s broadcast crew. His passing in October 2022 from brain cancer hit a passionate fanbase hard. The club wore patches on their uniforms last season with Wake’s No. 49 and could easily justify making it permanent.

New York Yankees, CC Sabathia’s No. 52

The big left-hander spent the final 11 seasons of his 19-year career in New York where he was — and still is — beloved by teammates and fans. Sabathia won 134 games in that time and helped the Yankees win the World Series in 2009. His HOF induction is inevitable.

Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria’s No. 3

This one is only a matter of time, as the Rays needed to wait for Longoria to officially retire after he spent four years playing in part-time duty with the Diamondbacks due to various injuries. The Rays traded Longoria to the Giants following the 2017 season but he still leads the Tampa Bay franchise leaderboards in multiple places.

Toronto Blue Jays, Tony Fernández’s No. 1

José Bautista and Vernon Wells both feature prominently across much of the Blue Jays offensive leaderboards. Fernández stands above them in tenure, playing time, postseason appearances, and historical appreciation among the fanbase. Some of those fans called on the team to retire his number following Fernández’s death in 2020.

Chicago White Sox, José Abreu’s No. 79

Much of the club’s franchise leaderboard has already seen their number retired. Many even have statues within the ballpark’s confines. Robin Ventura’s No. 23 could be an option but Abreu may be the more likely choice. He only spent nine years on Chicago’s south side but sits in the Top 10 for the franchise lead in hits, runs, total bases, and is third in home runs.

Cleveland Guardians, Kenny Lofton’s No. 7

The name atop Cleveland’s all-time WAR list doesn’t have his number retired, though in Nap Lajoie’s defense, much of his career came before numbers were common on the backs of uniforms. Still, it’s curious there hasn’t been something retired to recognize the then-Spiders star. Manager Terry Francona could easily be next, though he again presents a curious consideration. Francona often skipped the uniform jersey many managers wear, instead opting for a little more comfort. Instead, we’ll stick with Lofton, who incredibly fell off the HOF ballot after only one year of eligibility. Lofton spent 10 of his 18 seasons in Cleveland, stealing 452 bases while helping the team to five postseason births.

Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera’s No. 24

By just about any measure, Cabrera is the most dominant hitter the Tigers have seen in their lineup over the last 30+ years. Some would argue he was one of the best right-handed hitters in all of baseball over that time. Cabrera spent 16 seasons in Detroit, hitting 373 of his 511 career homers with the team. He won a pair of MVP Awards, the Triple Crown in 2012, and made eight All-Star teams.

Kansas City Royals, Zack Greinke’s No. 23

Eventually, the club will retire No. 13 for Salvador Perez but he’s still active so Greinke gets the nod here. The 2009 AL Cy Young winner spent nine of his 20 seasons in the league with the Royals.

Minnesota Twins, Brad Radke’s No. 22

The choice here is either Radke or Johan Santana. On face value, the latter would seem like the obvious pick but Radke spent four more seasons with the Twins (the only team he played for) and ultimately tops Santana in WAR, innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts. Santana’s No. 57 could get the same consideration, after winning a pair of Cy Young Awards during a six-year stretch in which he was among the sport’s best left-handers.

Houston Astros, Jose Altuve’s No. 27

Pick almost any offensive statistic and the three names at the top of the Astros franchise leaders are the same: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Altuve. The first two are in the HOF and the third will be there in time. Altuve has a few seasons left to play, having signed an extension to stay with Houston through the 2029 season. He may not top Biggio’s numbers in many places, but he’ll surely leap past Bagwell. Plus, factor in Altuve’s postseason accomplishments and there is no chance the club won’t end up retiring his number.

Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout’s No. 27

Pujols could be an option here, especially once he takes his place in Cooperstown. Trout will surely follow. Trout already stands atop most of the franchise leaderboards after 14 seasons with the team. With six years remaining on his contract, he could end up in first in most statistical categories by the time he’s done playing (provided injuries don’t further derail him). He is a true fan-favorite around the league. Whether he ultimately finishes his career as an Angel or not, no player will ever wear No. 27 for the team again.

Oakland Sacramento A’s, Tim Hudson’s No. 15

Mark McGwire’s No. 25 should be the obvious answer here, but given his PED connection has kept him out of the HOF there has been little interest on the part of the A’s to honor him. McGwire spent 12 seasons in Oakland, hitting 363 of his 583 home runs in the green and gold. Hudson, however, gets the nod here despite only playing for the A’s for six years. Hudson won nearly 100 games in that time, finishing in the Top 10 in Cy Young voting three times while anchoring the A’s rotation alongside Barry Zito.

Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki & Randy Johnson’s No. 51

Félix Hernandez will have his No. 34 retired eventually, but it’s only a matter of time before the team formally retires No. 51 for Ichiro (perhaps as soon as this summer given his likely HOF induction). It’s also likely the organization holds a separate ceremony at some point to recognize Johnson’s tenure wearing the number, too.

Texas Rangers, Elvis Andrus’s No. 1

Only Michael Young has more games played and hits among the Rangers franchise leaders and the team has already retired his No. 10. Young and Rafael Palmeiro are the only names ahead of Andrus on the runs scored list, too, but Palmeiro’s connection to PEDs will continue to keep him out of Cooperstown and from seeing his No. 25 taken out of circulation. Andrus, the franchise stolen base leader, is the pick.

Everyone, Roberto Clemente’s No. 21

Finally, like MLB did in the 1990s for Jackie Robinson to recognize his role in breaking the barrier for African American players, a similar push has been made for the league to recognize Clemente for opening the door for those from Latin America. 2022 was the 50th anniversary of his death, which would have been the perfect time for the league to have done so.