Clayton Kershaw spent his entire, 18-year career with the Dodgers. Isn’t that something? For all the times we thought he might go play in Texas and all the times we thought he might retire earlier, we were wrong. He played 18 years in Los Angeles.
Kershaw isn’t the only one to dedicate one long career to a team, but he’s certainly one of the most memorable—and perhaps one of the last. Free agency discourages players from staying in one place for too long. It’s a mix of mutual respect and loyalty,
though, that makes it still possible.
Who else is part of this small crew? Here are a few current players who have (so far, in some cases) stuck it out with their original teams.
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout debuted in 2011 and has been with the Angels ever since, making it 15 years with the team. Despite outside calls for Trout to jump ship and sign with a team that gives him a better chance of winning a World Series, Trout is committed to the Angels. Hasn’t he ever thought about what else could be out there? “It hasn’t even crossed my mind yet,” he said to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez last year.
José Altuve, Houston Astros
I know, I know. But if we’re talking about Trout’s 15 years with the Angels, we’d better at least mention that Altuve has also spent 15 years with his first ball club. “We will never move from here,” Altuve declared when he announced his contract extension with the Astros last year.
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Aaron Judge is hitting his 10-year milestone this season, and he’s played them all with the Yankees. Judge and the Bronx Bombers are almost synonymous at this point, similar to Derek Jeter—another lifelong Yankee. He took less money to stay with the team in 2023, turning down a $400-million-plus deal from the San Diego Padres when he hit free agency, according to Ken Rosenthal. It was more than $100 million more than the Yankees were offering, but owner Hal Steinbrenner helped convince Judge to stick around.
Bonus #1: Justin Verlander, who has spent 20 years in the major leagues, has hopped around a bit from team to team, but he spent 12.5 years—more than many other players’ full careers—with the Detroit Tigers.
And Bonus #2: Which current player has suited up for the most MLB teams? That would be Rich Hill, who is on team no. 14 this season. He’s also been around for 20 years and has been signed by his hometown Boston Red Sox four separate times over the course of his career.
