Each club's next retired number? Our best guesses

A retired number is perhaps the greatest honor a team can bestow upon a player or manager. And while every franchise has different criteria for retiring numbers, there's a common thread among all 30: You don't get your number retired unless you made a truly special impact on a specific team's history.

Among the 30 clubs, more than 180 individuals have had a number retired in their honor, some with multiple teams. Jackie Robinson is the only person to have his number (42) retired across Major League Baseball.

Looking ahead, these are the numbers most likely to be retired next by each franchise, as predicted by MLB.com's beat reporters.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays
Best guess: Bautista (19)
The Blue Jays have retired just two numbers, Roberto Alomar’s No. 12 and Roy Halladay’s No. 32, but José Bautista’s No. 19 deserves consideration. From his stunning breakthrough with 54 home runs in 2010 to "The Bat Flip" and so much more, Bautista will always be mentioned among the franchise greats. More >

Orioles
Best guess: Mussina (35) or Baines (3)
Of the six numbers the Orioles have chosen to retire, all belong to members of the National Baseball of Hall of Fame. Mike Mussina and Harold Baines, who were both inducted to the Hall of Fame last summer, are the best candidates to next grace the left-field facade at Camden Yards. More >

Rays
Best guess: Zobrist (18) or Longoria (3)
Evan Longoria is the best player in franchise history, but the next retired number for the Rays might just come down to timing, as Ben Zobrist appears to be headed toward retirement. Longoria, meanwhile, is still playing. More >

Red Sox
Best guess: Clemens (21) or Evans (24)
From a statistical standpoint, Roger Clemens is the obvious choice to be the next Red Sox player to have his number retired. But the Rocket’s alleged association with PEDs makes it a cloudy issue for the Red Sox. Dwight Evans was an exemplary player for Boston for 19 years, making his No. 24 a candidate to get retired, as well. More >

Yankees
Best guess: Sabathia (52)
Signed as a free agent prior to the 2009 campaign, CC Sabathia helped inaugurate the new Yankee Stadium with a World Series championship, beginning an 11-year run in pinstripes that would see the big lefty go 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA in 307 games (306 starts). More >

AL CENTRAL

Indians
Best guess: Vizquel (13)
The Tribe has a handful of stars from its dominant 1990s teams that could be in the running to have the next retired jersey at Progressive Field, but as Omar Vizquel inches closer to a potential Hall of Fame induction, he may be separating himself from the pack. In 11 seasons with Cleveland, Vizquel hit .283 with 288 doubles and took home eight Gold Glove Awards. More >

Royals
Best guess: Yost (3)
While Alex Gordon’s No. 4 and Salvador Perez’s No. 13 seem like good bets to be retired by the Royals at some point, Ned Yost is seemingly the next man up after riding off into the sunset following the 2019 season. Yost is the Royals' all-time leader in managerial wins with 746, and he is the only manager in club history to guide the team to back-to-back World Series appearances. More >

Tigers
Best guess: Leyland (10), Verlander (35) or Cabrera (24)
Jim Leyland’s No. 10 could be up for retirement in a couple of years if the Today’s Game Committee elects him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Otherwise, the next number to hang on Comerica Park’s brick wall will likely depend on whether Justin Verlander (No. 35) or Miguel Cabrera (No. 24) retires first. More >

Twins
Best guess: Nathan (36) or Hunter (48)
Now that Joe Mauer’s number has been retired, there doesn’t appear to be a clear candidate next in line for Minnesota. That could change if Joe Nathan or Torii Hunter pushes for a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, though neither is a shoo-in candidate. More >

White Sox
Best guess: Guillen (13) or Abreu (79)
In addition to playing 13 seasons as the White Sox shortstop and winning the 1985 AL Rookie of the Year Award, Ozzie Guillen guided the club to a World Series championship in 2005 as part of his eight-year managerial reign. If Guillen is not next in line, then another three or four solid seasons from first baseman José Abreu could push his No. 79 to the top. More >

AL WEST

Angels
Best guess: Guerrero and Trout (both 27)
The Halos have retired only six numbers in their history, but it's a lock that the team will eventually retire No. 27. Superstar Mike Trout wears that number, as did Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who is the only player wearing an Angels cap in Cooperstown. More >

Astros
Best guess: Altuve (27)
When the Astros unveiled their first team Hall of Fame class last year, they said they would only retire numbers of players who reached the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the future. José Altuve has established himself as one of the franchise’s greatest players and is on a career path that could take him to Cooperstown, which would ensure that he would be the 10th player to have his number retired by the Astros. More >

Athletics
Best guess: Blue (35)
This upcoming season, Dave Stewart is set to become the franchise's first player not in the Hall of Fame to have his number retired, opening the door for other A’s greats. Topping that list is likely Vida Blue, who won the AL Cy Young Award and MVP Award in 1971 before contributing to three straight A’s World Series titles from 1972-74. More >

Mariners
Best guess: Johnson or Ichiro (both 51)
No. 51 will almost certainly be the next retired number for the Mariners. The question is whether they will wait until Ichiro Suzuki becomes eligible for number retirement -- per the Mariners’ guidelines, that would be in 2025, after his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot -- or if they retire it first for Randy Johnson. More >

Rangers
Best guess: Andrus (1)
The Rangers retired the numbers of Adrián Beltré (29) and Michael Young (10) last summer so it will be a while before the next ceremony. Who will it be? Perhaps Elvis Andrus, who has played 11 seasons with the club and was a key member on the team that made back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010-11. More >

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves
Best guess: Andruw Jones (25) or Freddie Freeman (5)
If Freddie Freeman continues to excel like Chipper Jones did after turning 30, the Braves' first baseman might one day see his number retired. But the current argument centers around whether Andruw Jones’ No. 25 should be retired. More >

Marlins
Best guess: Bleday (51)
Outfield prospect JJ Bleday, the fourth overall pick in 2019, has a chance to become the face of the franchise, and perhaps the first Marlins player to have his jersey retired. More >

Mets
Best guess: Wright (5)
Upon announcing last year that the Mets will retire Jerry Koosman’s No. 36 in 2020, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon indicated a loosening of restrictions on retired numbers going forward -- perhaps clearing the decks in advance of retiring David Wright’s No. 5 within the next 5-10 years. More >

Nationals
Best guess: Zimmerman (11)
Ryan Zimmerman, the first MLB Draft pick in Nationals history, has been the constant presence since the team relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2005. He could become the first Nats player to have his number retired by the franchise, an honor that has been held exclusively by Expos players to this point. More >

Phillies
Best guess: Allen (15)
Dick Allen could be the next Phillies player inducted into the Hall of Fame, if he receives enough votes from the Golden Days Committee in December. He would be the eighth player to have his number retired by the organization. After that, however, things get interesting. The Phillies have a policy of only retiring numbers of players who have a Phillies logo on their Hall of Fame plaque -- but should they make an exception for Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard? More >

NL CENTRAL

Brewers
Best guess: Yelich (22)
The Brewers don’t have a formal system for number retirement, but everyone honored so far has made it to the Hall of Fame. That probably eliminates Ryan Braun and leads us to Yelich, though it all depends on what the coming years look like for a player who signed a nine-year, $215 million contract with the Brewers one week before Spring Training was suspended due to the coronavirus. More >

Cardinals
Best guess: Molina (4)
The Cardinals' team Hall of Fame allows them to honor players who have had great moments in franchise history, but retiring a number remains the highest of honors the club can give to an individual. The Cardinals have retired numbers for 10 players, two managers, one owner and one broadcaster, and the safe bet for the next number is Yadier Molina’s No. 4. More >

Cubs
Best guess: Smith (46)
The Cubs have retired five numbers, honoring an exclusive group of six players, all of whom have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That could pave the way for Lee Smith to be the next player to have his No. 46 stitched onto a flag to fly at Wrigley Field, joining Ron Santo (10), Ernie Banks (14), Ryne Sandberg (23), Billy Williams (26), Fergie Jenkins (31) and Greg Maddux (31). More >

Pirates
Best guess: Tanner (7)
The Pirates have already retired nine numbers, along with Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, and they’ve previously stressed the importance of being cautious in their decision to retire more in the future. Between that and a lack of recent stars who have spent their entire careers in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to project any more numbers being retired anytime soon. One to consider, though, is No. 7. Nobody has worn that number for the Pirates since Alex Presley in 2013, primarily because it belonged to the late Chuck Tanner, who had a 711-685 record as Pittsburgh’s manager and led the Bucs to a World Series championship in 1979. More >

Reds
Best guess: Votto (19)
The Reds have a team Hall of Fame, which affords them the luxury of honoring multiple players every year. But retired numbers are more prestigious. While several players deserve consideration to be immortalized by baseball’s oldest franchise, Joey Votto is the safe bet here as the Reds’ next choice for jersey retirement. More >

NL WEST

D-backs
Best guess: Schilling (38) or Goldschmidt (44)
At some point in the future, Paul Goldschmidt’s No. 44 will be retired by the D-backs, but it’s possible there could be one that is done before that. Right-hander Curt Schilling pitched for the D-backs from 2000-03 and his Hall of Fame candidacy appears to be picking up steam. More >

Dodgers
Best guess: Kershaw (22)
With Clayton Kershaw, it’s not a question of whether his uniform No. 22 will be retired by the Dodgers, but when? The only way Kershaw isn’t the next Dodger to have his number retired would be if one of the veterans -- Maury Wills, Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Gil Hodges or Don Newcombe -- is voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by an Era Committee before Kershaw receives his own place in Cooperstown. More >

Giants
Best guess: Bochy (15)
The Giants have made exceptions for Barry Bonds and Will Clark in recent years, but they have traditionally reserved number retirements for Hall of Famers. Based on that precedent, manager Bruce Bochy’s No. 15 should be next in line for the honor. More >

Padres
Best guess: Machado (13) or Tatis Jr. (23)
Fernando Tatis Jr. seems on track for that type of career, but he’s only 21, leaving plenty of volatility -- and a number-retirement ceremony that’d be a long way away. That might leave Manny Machado’s No. 13 as the likeliest option. If Machado can replicate his first eight big league seasons over the remainder of his contract, it puts him on track for Cooperstown -- potentially in a Padres cap. More >

Rockies
Best guess: Arenado (28) or Baylor (25)
It comes down to two -- No. 28 for current star third baseman Nolan Arenado and No. 25 for the late Don Baylor, the team’s original manager. More >